Yayoi Kusama (born 1929) presented her first solo show in her native Japan in 1952. Her work has since been featured widely in both solo and group presentations. In the mid-1960s, the artist established herself in New York by staging groundbreaking and influential happenings, events and exhibitions. Her work gained widespread recognition in the late 1980s after a number of international solo exhibitions, including shows at the Center for International Contemporary Arts, New York, and the Museum of Modern Art, Oxford, England, both taking place in 1989. She represented Japan in 1993 at the 45th Venice Biennale, to much critical acclaim.

In a unique style that is both sensory and utopian, Yayoi Kusama's work—which spans paintings, performances, room-size presentations, sculptural installations, literary works, films, fashion, design and interventions within existing architectural structures—has transcended some of the most important art movements of the second half of the 20th century, including pop art and minimalism. As Roberta Smith wrote in the New York Times, "These paintings form a great big infinity room of their own, but one in which each part is also an autonomous work of art, its own piece of wobbly, handwrought infinity … their vitality is infectious."

Yayoi Kusama: Festival of Life documents the artist's exhibition at David Zwirner's Chelsea location in New York in late 2017, featuring a selection of paintings from her iconic My Eternal Soul series, new large-scale flower sculptures, a polka-dotted environment and two Infinity Mirror Rooms. The monograph includes new scholarship on the artist by Jenni Sorkin, as well as a special foldout poster.