Born in 1929 in Matsumoto, Japan, Yayoi Kusama is one of Japan's pre-eminent artists. The vast fields of dots and nets, or "infinity dots/nets," as she calls them, were taken directly from hallucinations she experienced as a child. It was discovered that she suffers from an obsessive-compulsive disorder that causes proliferating patterns to dominate her field of vision and since that time she has covered many surfaces, including canvases, household objects, entire rooms, and naked performers, with the polka dots and fabric protrusions that would become a trademark of her work. The artist's signature dots are clearly present in Dots Infinity NOWH, standing out against the reflective surface. Kusama left her native country at the age of 27 for New York City in 1957.
During her time in the United States she quickly established her reputation as a leader in the avant-garde movement, showing her paintings and "environments" made of mirrors and electric lights, and staging many happenings such as body painting festivals, fashion shows and anti-war demonstrations in conspicuous spots like Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge and even the Museum of Modern Art. Kusama is not easily categorized although her work shares attributes with feminism, minimalism, surrealism, pop, and abstract expressionism. Her artwork is infused with autobiographical, psychological, and sexual content. Kusama is also a published novelist and poet, and has created notable work in film and fashion design.

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