Louis Vuitton Paints Cities With Giant Yayoi Kusamas On Buildings, Animatronics
Spots of Yayoi Kusama’s image have emerged in major cities as part of the Japanese artist’s second collaboration with Louis Vuitton, following their tie-in from way back in 2012.
The luxury house’s store and building displays are famously flamboyant, but it turns out they’re mere specks compared to its global Kusama showcase. For one, the 93-year-old’s form can now be seen resting atop Louis Vuitton’s Maison Champs-Élysées store in Paris, her hand hovering a window. Meanwhile, the building’s exterior is decked out in her iconic colored polka dots.
Louis Vuitton réinvente la façade de sa boutique aux Champs-Élysées, pour célébrer sa nouvelle collaboration avec l’artiste japonaise Yayoi Kusama 📸 pic.twitter.com/PDJIZD8v2K
— Views (@viewsfrance) January 9, 2023
At Fifth Avenue in New York City, Kusama greets—and disarms—her adoring public as a lifelike, audio-animatronic robot, painting into the air.
@littlekidbigcity Is that Yayoi Kusama in the window?! Nope, it’s actually a life-like robot! There’s even cameras in the robot’s pupils and it follows you with its eyes. @louisviitton @yayoikusama #LVxYayoiKusama #louisvuitton #newyorkcity #nyc #popup
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The artist is also seen painting on 3D billboards and reaching out to onlookers in Chengdu, London, and Hangzhou.
Kusama, who voluntarily lives in a psychiatric hospital, copes with mental illness by expressing herself in a stream of polka dots. Her signature style—spread across floors to ceilings, and seemingly-endless mirrored rooms—has earned her the moniker of “most instagrammed artist.” It is little wonder that Louis Vuitton is taking her shapes and making them bubble throughout cities.
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Aside from Kusama’s likeness, the marquee has imagined its stores as extensions of her art-bedecked exhibits. In Singapore, for example, the brand has fully transformed its multi-story floating flagship store into a large-scale Infinity Room.
Art lovers residing outside these destinations can still join in on the vibrant celebrations, as Louis Vuitton has also created an augmented-reality Instagram filter to inject Kusama’s work into the world around you.
The new LV x Yayoi Kusama line harnesses an “innovative serigraphy technique” to individually apply Kusama’s brushstrokes across bags, clothing, and accessories, says the brand.
Speaking of the collaboration, Kusama shares, “I am determined to create a Kusama world, which no one has ever done and trodden into.”
@about.london Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama at Harrods. #louisvuitton #lv #yayoikusama #fashion #harrods #london #fyp
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@lucy.dimitrova Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama in Paris 🖌🔴 How gorgeous is the Champs-Élysées store? #thingstodoinparis #paris #parisian #parisguide #parissports #recommmendations #sortiraparis #hiddengem #paristrip #paristravelguide #paristravelguide #paristravel #parisguide #parisrecommendation #paristips #travelparis #parisvlog #parisspots #parisfrance #tiktoktravels #tiktoktravel #parisjetaime #parisvibes #parislocation #exploreparis #emilyinparisstyle #emilyinparis #parissecrets #adressesparisiennes #bonnesadresses #paris2023 #louisvuitton #lvparis #louisvuittonstore #yayoikusama #yayoikusamalouisvuitton #lvxyayoikusama #louisvuittonyayoikusama #yayoikusamaparis #lvxyayoikusama #louisvuittonxyayoikusama #yayoikusamaxlouisvuitton #avenuechampselysees #champselysees #avenuedeschampselysees Things to do in Paris 2023, Paris things to do autumn, Trip to Paris, Paris secret sports, Paris hidden gems, Paris Guide, Best places in Paris, Paris things to do Luxury, 100 things to do in Paris, Things to do alone in Paris, Best things to do in Paris, Paris January 2023
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[via Hypebeast, AV Interactive, Louis Vuitton, videos and images via various sources]
