August 29, 2026
Prolific contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama is universally known for her polka dots, Infinity Mirror Rooms, pumpkins, and repetition.
But in 1969, amid the sexual revolution and anti-war movement in New York, Kusama was staging nude “Happenings” and “orgies” as protests against the Vietnam War and social conventions. Through her performances, she explored ideas of sexual liberation while promoting peace and love.
That same year, she published a cult zine, Kusama Presents an Orgy of Nudity, Love, Sex & Beauty, also known as Kusama’s Orgy. Designed by Kusama herself, the tabloid-style publication featured photographs of Kusama and her friends, sex, nude bodies, political imagery, and, of course, polka dots.
Kusama also regularly supplied photographs to Screw, the notorious countercultural sex magazine, including images from her “art orgies.” Performers wore masks of political figures, including President Nixon, and Kusama herself appeared in a Screw centerfold.
Today, original copies of Kusama’s Orgy are incredibly difficult to find, making the zine a sought-after piece of 1960s counterculture and a fascinating glimpse into Kusama’s early work.
Purchase a rare copy of Kusama Presents an Orgy here: Buy now
Yayoi Kusama died on August 14, 2026, at 97.
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