it is easy to get lost in one of it is easy to get lost in one of yayoi kusama's infinity rooms, evenp our perceptions of what is real and what is illusion. we are living in a time when almost everything we see is through digital technology, social media, e—mailing. so that is so much a part of our lives and our perception that she reminds us that there is this other aspect of experiencing space that sometimes is more tactile. to understand how kusama reached infinity, you need to step into her white room. as a child kusama had a vision of polkadots. it led to a type of neurosis. visitors are encouraged to stick them everywhere in this room, completely obliterating the white and leading to oblivion, which brings us back to infinity. at first being in this room makes me feel incredibly happy. i am surrounded by glow—in—the—dark pumpkins, for goodness sake. but after a couple of seconds it becomes disturbing because this is probably the closest any of us will come to seeing what infinity must look like and once you grasp that you realise how utterly insignificant you really are. most pe

created through the use of lights, reflection and objects, is one of the obsessions of artist yayoi kusamaght now at washington's hirshhorn museum, people are lining up to experience her world of whimsy, color, shapes, and peeks into the beyond. >> there are fewer and fewer moments today, though, that you're alone in something that feels sort of, it feels universal, you know? you are there in amongst the cosmos and wannabes. it's just light and it's a kind of-- it's very pointed and, very compelling. >> reporter: even as the wider public has caught on, kusama has in fact been a much-loved star in the art world since the early 1960s, after coming to new york from her native japan. her earliest works, ink on paper drawings, already displayed motifs that remain, to this day, notable in the repetition of forms, especially simple marks and polka dots that kusama gave a more cosmic significance-- as in her series of paintings called "infinity nets." in an interview with hirshhorn curators in december, the 87-year-old artist-- as colorful as her work-- spoke of her attempt to reach the infinite t

it's by yayoi kusama who's known as the princess of polka dots. he turned 88 yesterday.y personal project. errol, good morning. >> good morning and welcome to the obliteration room. this is one of the artworks of yayoi kusama. i can tell you. s response has been overwhelming. one month ago when the first 9,000 daily timing passes were made available which are free, they were that much snatched upx minutes. the website was crashed. you could say there is no end to the people who want to experience this infinite world. one step into the space and the experience is quite literally limitless. from her quirky latest work titled august tll the eternal l have for the pumpkins, to her earliest mirror display, and on and on. never before has so many of her captivating infinity mirror roomts been rooms been in the same place at the same time. rarely seen outside of japan, she established herself in the american art world after her moving to new york in 1957. >> in the late 50s, post world war ii period in japan. and i think it was also very much a period where are if you wanted to

this is one of the artworks of yayoi kusama. i can tell you.he established herself in the american art world after her move to new york in 1957. iny it was where if you wanted to become an artist, you really had to go to >> reporter: melissa chu is the director. >> she became kind of ena at mo >> reporter: as an anti-war activist she staged what she called going against violence. >> she wanted recognition. she wanted to be known as an artist. >> reporter: she's study her work for years. >> the young people in her studio also freaked warhol's studio so she was very competitive. >> reporter: in one of the few who dominated it she saw andy warhol and others as rival but the pace in new york was unsustainable. >> she came back to japan in 1973 and went through quite a dark period. >> reporter: she literally worked herself mad. >> yes. 40 to 50 hours at a stretch. >> reporter: kusama has lived in a tokyo mental institution for nearly 40 years checking herself out to work in her studio every morning and to return to the psychiatric hospital every eve

it's by yayoi kusama who's known as the princess of polka dots. he turned 88 yesterday.ersonal project. errol, good morning. >> good morning and welcome to the obliteration room. this is one of the artworks of yayoi i can tell you. rarely seen outside of japan, she established herself in the american art world a move to new york in 1957. iny it was very much a period where if you wanted to become an artist, you really had to go to a place like new york. >> reporter: melissa chu is the director. >> she became kind of enamored with performance art h was developing at that time. >> reporter: as an anti-war activist she staged what she called going against violence. >> she wanted recognition. she wanted to be known as an artist. >> reporter: she's study her work for years. >> the young people in her studio also freaked warhol's studio so she was very competitive. >> reporter: in one of the few who dominated it she saw andy warhol and others as riv b unsustainable. >> she came back to japan in 1973 and went through quite a dark period. >> reporter: she literally worked hersel