Yayoi Kusama is a Japanese artist and writer She started to paint using polka dots and nets as motifs at around age ten and created fantastic paintings in watercolors pastels and oils Yayoi travelled to the United States in 1957 Showed large paintings soft sculptures and environmental sculptures using mirrors and electric lights In the latter 1960s she staged many happenings such as body painting festivals fashion shows and antiwar demonstrations She launched mediarelated activities such as film production and newspaper publication In 1968 she produce and starred in the film Kusamas SelfObliteration