Please note: This lecture will be held in person in Room 1010, Weiser Hall. It will not be livestreamed or recorded.

At the time of her death on August 14, 2026, Kusama Yayoi was widely recognized as one of the world’s most successful artists. Yet, Kusama’s reputation was based on the supposedly innate connection between her art and her personal struggles. Kusama exploited this connection to enable viewers to adjust to postmodern life through her own life and work. This talk examines Kusama’s legacy now that the artist herself is unfortunately no longer here to guide viewers.

Amanda Kennell, Ph.D., researches modern Japanese media as an assistant professor of East Asian languages and cultures at the University of Notre Dame. She has published a book about Japanese adaptations of Alice in Wonderland, Alice in Japanese Wonderlands: Translation, Adaptation, Mediation (University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2023), as well as articles on ownership in contemporary media, fine artist Kusama Yayoi, and anime director Kon Satoshi. She is currently examining how contemporary media affect spatiality, temporality, and humanity’s treatment of the environment.

If there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you, please contact us at [email protected]. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.