Lydia is a HuffPost senior reporter in her hometown of San Francisco and a graduate of the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Journalism. She has worked at HuffPost since 2013, when she was selected for that year's class of editorial fellows.
Yayoi Kusama, the highly regarded Japanese artist known for her trademark polka dots, has issued an apology for racist comments she made about Black people in her 2003 autobiography.“I deeply regret using hurtful and offensive language in my book,” Kusama said in a statement. “My message has always been one of love, hope, compassion, and respect for all people. My lifelong intention has been to lift up humanity through my art. I apologize for the pain I have caused.
In her book “Infinity Net,” Kusama wrote that Black people have a “distinctive smell” and “animalistic sex techniques.” She also complained that her Greenwich Village neighborhood in New York had turned into a “slum” because of Black people “shooting each other out front,” though that passage was left out of the English translation.
Artist Yayoi Kusama wrote in a statement to the San Francisco Chronicle that she regretted"using hurtful and offensive language in my book."But her racist remarks were not limited to that book. A 1984 novel she wrote includes fetishizing descriptions of Black characters’ smells and genitalia, and a 1971 play she authored describes the sole Black character as a “WILD-looking, hairy, coal-black savage.”in the Chronicle published a day prior.
Black people who’ve interacted with the artist called attention to her racist comments years earlier. In 2017, Dexter Thomas wrote a story forabout an interview he conducted with Kusama that ended in her staff banning him and the Vice News camera crew from speaking with her. After wrapping up a brief interview with her, Thomas received an email from her staff telling him she thought his questions were “low-quality” and that he didn’t understand her work.
The experience left “me wondering if my own blackness might have played some small role in Kusama’s assumption that I did not understand her art and was thus unfit to interview her,” Thomas wrote.By entering your email and clicking Sign Up, you're agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
LeBron James Shares Videos Of His Daughter That Prove All His Kids Are AthletesKimberley Richards is a Trends Reporter at HuffPost.
Read more »
GOP Congresswoman Announces Retirement, Says 'D.C. Is Broken'Shruti Rajkumar is a reporter at HuffPost, covering breaking news, politics, race and disability.
Read more »
Amy Coney Barrett Says ‘Good Idea’ For Supreme Court To Establish Ethics CodeMarita Vlachou is a breaking news reporter for HuffPost based in London, United Kingdom.
Read more »
Schumer, Romney Forced To Take Shelter In Tel Aviv During Hamas Rocket Attack On IsraelMarita Vlachou is a breaking news reporter for HuffPost based in London, United Kingdom.
Read more »
The 'Love Is Blind' Reunion Wraps Its Strangest Season YetErin E. Evans is senior editor of culture at HuffPost.
Read more »
This Cult-Fave J.Crew Tissue Turtleneck Is 50% Off Right NowI'm a HuffPost Shopping writer who loves organization and problem-solving.
Read more »