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Yayoi Kusama illustrates Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid

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Date
26 July 2016
A black and white illustration of a dense, surreal landscape filled with organic shapes, eyes, and small figures. A central vertical spine divides the page, with a profile of a face appearing at the bottom. To the right, a block of text describes a coral palace and a sea king’s youngest daughter. The artist’s name, “Yayoi Kusama”, and the date “2004” are written at the bottom.

Yayoi Kusama has illustrated a contemporary version of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid for the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art in Copenhagen. This follows an astonishing retrospective at the Danish museum, which finished earlier this year.

Designed by Louisana Museum’s chief of design, Marie d’Origny Lübecker, the edition considers the original intentions and darker meanings of the text, and the changes in the Danish language. The book uses delicate paper chosen to reflect both Yayoi Kusama and Hans Christian Andersen collaboratively. Rarely straying away from her favoured medium of dots, this is an opportunity to see Yayoi’s illustrative work if you were unable to make it to the exhibition, including work from her series Love Forever and even some remarkable one-off commissioned work for this project.

Yayoi Kusama’s two shows in London run until 30 July.

The cover of a book titled “The Little Mermaid” by Hans Christian Andersen and Yayoi Kusama. A simple line drawing of a mermaid with a scaled tail and flowing hair sits below the title.
Above

Yayoi Kusama & Hans Christian Andersen: The Little Mermaid

A black and white illustration featuring three profile faces emerging from a dense landscape of organic patterns. Swirling lines, dots and leaf-like shapes flow across the composition like waves or currents.
Above

Yayoi Kusama & Hans Christian Andersen: The Little Mermaid

A black and white illustration featuring a dense, surreal collection of abstract shapes, eyes, and organic patterns. In the centre, a clear space contains the text “This was a much more glorious affair than is ever to be seen on earth.”
Above

Yayoi Kusama & Hans Christian Andersen: The Little Mermaid

A black and white illustration featuring dense, flowing patterns of dots and lines. The composition is divided into organic, curving sections that resemble topographical maps or cellular structures.
Above

Yayoi Kusama & Hans Christian Andersen: The Little Mermaid

A black and white illustration of multiple overlapping profiles of people. Their faces and the background are filled with dense, repetitive patterns of small ovals and dots.
Above

Yayoi Kusama & Hans Christian Andersen: The Little Mermaid

A black and white line illustration featuring a dense pattern of overlapping profile faces. The fluid, continuous lines create a rhythmic sequence of noses, lips and chins across the frame.
Above

Yayoi Kusama & Hans Christian Andersen: The Little Mermaid

A black and white illustration of a dense, organic pattern. Dozens of dark, circular cells are packed together, interspersed with small, spindly organisms and textured lines.
Above

Yayoi Kusama & Hans Christian Andersen: The Little Mermaid

A black and white ink illustration featuring a dense, surreal collection of abstract shapes, eyes, and fragmented faces. The figures and patterns cluster around the edges of the frame, leaving a wide, open white space in the centre.
Above

Yayoi Kusama & Hans Christian Andersen: The Little Mermaid

A black and white illustration of a row of profile faces, their forms overlapping and repeating. Above them, a swirling pattern of lines and dots creates a textured sky. Text in the bottom right reads, “One night her sisters came by, arm in arm, singing sadly as they breasted the waves.”
Above

Yayoi Kusama & Hans Christian Andersen: The Little Mermaid

A black and white ink illustration featuring a dense, surreal landscape of organic shapes and patterns. Intricate lines, dots and jagged edges create a sense of movement around a central, open white space.
Above

Yayoi Kusama & Hans Christian Andersen: The Little Mermaid

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About the Author

Lucy Bourton

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Lucy (she/her) was part of the It’s Nice That team from 2016–2025, first joining as a staff writer after graduating from Chelsea College of Art with a degree in Graphic Design Communication, eventually becoming a senior editor on our editorial team, and most recently at Insights, a research-driven department with It’s Nice That.

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