Yayoi Kusama // Message From Hades, 2008

  • Yayoi Kusama, Message from Hades, 2014. Large square acrylic painting, 194 × 194 cm, featuring vivid biomorphic forms and Kusama’s recurring eye motif, symbolising mortality and psychological depth.
    Message from Hades, 2014
    Acrylic on canvas, 194 × 194 cm (76⅜ × 76⅜ in.)
    © Yayoi Kusama. Image reproduced for educational and informational purposes only.
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    Yayoi Kusama’s Message from Hades (2014) is a monumental square canvas measuring 194 × 194 cm, painted in vivid acrylic. Part of her later body of work, the painting is dominated by biomorphic forms that pulse with energy and colour, creating a hypnotic, all-encompassing field. Central to the composition is Kusama’s recurring “eye” motif, a symbol that runs throughout her My Eternal Soul series and reflects her ongoing confrontation with themes of mortality, inner struggle, and psychological depth.
     
    The work embodies Kusama’s ability to transform deeply personal visions into universal images that invite both awe and introspection. Its scale and intensity demonstrate the artist’s relentless creativity in her later years, reaffirming her status as one of the most significant voices in contemporary art.

  • “I transform the energy of my life into art, and through this I can survive.”

     — Yayoi Kusama

    Created in 2014, Message from Hades is a striking example of Yayoi Kusama’s late painting practice. Measuring 194 × 194 cm, the large square canvas bursts with vivid colours and biomorphic forms, its surface animated by Kusama’s obsessive detailing. Among the fluid shapes appears her recurring “eye” motif, a haunting emblem that suggests both surveillance and mortality. The painting’s scale and intensity immerse the viewer, offering a glimpse into the psychological tension that underpins much of Kusama’s work.