Paper short abstract:

The orthodox definition of collaboration, i.e. "the action of working with someone to produce something", is originally revisited by attaching multiple meanings to that "someone" - other artists, spectators, and different aspects of a troubled mind -, as summarised in the life and works of Kusama.

Paper long abstract:

Kusama Yayoi is a renowned Japanese woman who has redefined the polysemic concept of "collaboration" in the artistic field as her own distinctive and identifying element of her multifaceted career. Collaboration in Kusama's works is defined by:

1. the teamwork with contemporary artists and gallerists, as in the collective exhibition at the Green Gallery in NY (1962).

2. The incorporation of conservative elements of Japanese traditions and their export to the rest of the world, such as torinokogami (Japanese traditional paper), on which she used to draw subjects like pumpkins, or kimono covered with her polka patterns.

3. An open mind towards modernity. Kusama has never been afraid of the unknown, neither of the prejudice of paternalistic, chauvinist social dynamics (like in Japanese arts). She simply expressed herself through art, often using new materials or technologies, atypical dimensions of the artworks or unusual creative processes.

4. The combination of different sides of her psychophysically troubled personality.

5. The harmonious coexistence of all her creative and stylistic phases.

6. The all-encompassing engagement of the viewers. Kusama has very often been able to involve the viewers of her creations by turning them into "users" of her artworks. This way, the spectators can perceive the same sensations experienced by the artist during the creative act, the so-called "flow of consciousness/ optimal experience".

7. The recent partnerships with internationally renowned fashion brands (e.g. Louis Vuitton (2012), Casio (2017) and Veuve Clicquot (2020)).

This research aims to reconceptualize the term "collaboration" in the artistic field through the example of Kusama Yayoi, not limiting it to four-handed artworks, or to interpenetrated creative currents, or to the fusion of different artistic disciplines, but also including the relationship between artist and spectator, the incorporation of tradition and innovation, and the coexistence of the different aspects of a psychically diseased personality through the rediscovered therapeutic function of the arts. The orthodox definition of collaboration, i.e. "the action of working with someone to produce something", is thus originally revisited by attaching multiple meanings to that "someone", as summarised in the life and works of Kusama.