In 1939, when Yayoi Kusama was about 10 years old, she was struck by a neurological deafness. She was suffering from neurological deafblindness (diagnosed as schizophrenia by her attending physician, Dr. Shikata Nishimaru), which led to frequent hallucinations and frequent suicide attempts. She kept a pencil drawing of her mother, which was already full of dots. As a youth, she attended Matsumoto Girls' School in Nagano, Japan, and after graduation, she majored in Japanese painting at the Kyoto City School of Arts and Crafts (now the Kyoto City Copper Camel High School of Arts and Crafts).

Kusama in his painting "Flower (D.S.P.) S)" has the following expression: "One day I looked at the flower pattern on the red tablecloth and began to look around me to see if there was the same pattern, from the ceiling, windows, walls to all corners of the house, and finally my body, the universe. In the process of searching, I felt myself being erased, spun around by the infinite sense of time and absolute space, and that I had become small and insignificant. At that moment, I realized that this was not only my imagination, but also the reality of the situation, and I was frightened. So I had a strong fear of the red tablecloth and the pattern on it. I thought it was like a spell that was taking away my life, and I rushed up the steps in an attempt to escape, but the steps fell apart under my feet, so I fell down from it and sprained my ankle.

Yayoi Kusama's work has been categorized by critics into a wide range of artistic schools, including feminism, minimalism, surrealism, Art Brut, Pop art, and abstract expressionism. But in Kusama's description of herself, she is only an obsessive artist. It is clear from her work that she attempts to present an autobiographical, deeply psychological, and sexually oriented content; Kusama's creative techniques include painting, soft sculpture, movement art, and installation art.

Kusama developed her own identity quite early in her career, using high contrast polka dots and mirrors to cover the surfaces of various objects, such as walls, floors, canvases, and objects that would appear in the home (as well as nude assistants). Her own dress is often highly homogeneous with her work, and she is known for her short tops and very strong eye shadow makeup. Kusama has stated that these visual features come from her visions, and she believes that these points form an infinity nets that represent her life. In addition, Kusama has developed her own distinctive "reproductive" characteristics, with many of her works appearing in the form of mushroom aggregations. After the 1990s, Kusama entered the realm of commercial art, collaborating with the fashion design industry, releasing clothing with a strong polka dot Kusama style, and beginning to sell many art items.