Ashtray, 1990

Celebrated for her liberal and multi-faceted approach to creation, Yayoi Kusama is a prominent artist who works primarily across the mediums of installation and sculpture, as well as performance, poetry and painting – Kusama has a unique style with works spanning minimalism, surrealism, conceptual art and abstract expression. Among Kusama's acclaimed works is Grand Orgy to Awaken the Dead, one among many highly public ‘happenings’, in which naked participants were covered in a range of brightly coloured polka-dots; these dots, as well as the theme of infinity, became signature traits of her art – Kasuma has commented on the repetitive nature of her creativity in describing herself as an ‘obsessive artist’. Kusama counts fellow artists Eva Hesse and Donald Judd as close friends and influences, and her work has also been of inspiration to Andy Warhol and the Pop Art style. (Artist website)