Kusama was aware of her exceptional position as an Asian artist in the New York art scene, which at the time was dominated by white men. In 1966, she created Walking Piece, a performance in which she staged herself in this outsider role. Dressed in a pink, flower-patterned kimono, equipped with a parasol decorated with colorful plastic flowers and wearing traditional Japanese sandals on her feet, she walked through the streets of New York. Her path led her to a desolate neighborhood on the Hudson River, over cobbled streets, past cheap advertising signs, cars, passers-by and a homeless man on the side of the road. Her exotic, fairytale-like clothing stood in sharp contrast to her dilapidated and run down surroundings.
The performance, which was documented by the Japanese photographer Eiko Hosoe in a series of color slides, marked the beginning of her self-staging as an artist.
Walking Piece
- Year 1966
- Edition Unique edition
- Material/Technique Single-channel slide projection (25 35mm slides, color)
- Dimensions Variable
- Category Media Art
- Collection Sammlung Goetz, Medienkunst, München