October 16th 2023.
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art faced considerable backlash when it announced it would host an exhibition of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama. This was due to her history of making anti-Black statements in her art. Kusama issued a statement to the museum, which was released on October 13th.
“I deeply regret using hurtful and offensive language in my book,” Kusama said. “My message has always been one of love, hope, compassion, and respect for all people. My lifelong intention has been to lift up humanity through my art. I apologize for the pain I have caused.”
Kusama’s work has long been critiqued for lacking respect for Black people. In her 2003 autobiography, Infinity Net, she wrote: “I envisioned America as a land full of these strange, barefooted children and virgin primeval forests.” In the Japanese version of the book, she described Greenwich Village, a historically Black neighborhood, as a slum because of “black people shooting each other out front, and homeless people sleeping there.”
In June, writer Dexter Thomas wrote a piece for Hyperallergic criticizing Yayoi Kusama: 1945 To Now, a compilation of Kusama’s work. Thomas highlighted that in her essay, curator Isabella Tam devoted pages to placing Kusama’s work in the context of ancient Chinese and Japanese traditions and forms, instead of acknowledging her use of Black people as props.
The San Francisco Chronicle was equally critical of the decision to host Kusama’s exhibition, given her long and consistent history of questionable statements about Black people through her art. Soleil Ho, a staff writer for the paper, asked if the art world cared about Kusama’s anti-Black sentiment.
SFMOMA Director Christopher Bedford told the paper that the museum intended to use the controversy to create a dialogue about how museums should approach artists with histories like Kusama. Bedford elaborated that the museum had hired Gamynne Guillotte as Chief Education and Community Engagement Officer in June. This enabled the museum to foster public discussion about complexity in art.
“We will roll out a pretty ambitious public program in the spring," Bedford said. "We’re in the process of identifying speakers and issuing invitations. Preceding that, there will be an internally focused dialogue in November where we will first have staff, along with moderators, discuss the difficulty of what it means to work multiple dimensions of expression. I would want to discuss racism, sexism, homophobia, antisemitism, any kind of prejudice that has existed and has been expressed throughout history in art, in literature, in other forms of expression.”
It remains to be seen if the museum will be able to use the controversy as an opportunity to create a dialogue about Kusama’s anti-Black statements and the art world’s response. However, with the museum’s hiring of Gamynne Guillotte, and Bedford’s plans for a public program and internal dialogue, it appears that the museum is taking the issue seriously.
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