I have a unicorn-esque friend named Joy. Well, her name’s actually not Joy. I learned this from her childhood friend, the ‘best man’ at her wedding, after an NBA mascot walked her down the aisle. He told me her birth name, followed by “But you didn’t hear this from me.” Joy left home at 18, moved to LA and legally changed her name. She spent all of the money her Mom gave her for film school on who knows what, so made a fake resume and started applying to TV jobs. After a few interviews, she was hired by a nationally syndicated talk show hosted by an internationally acclaimed Supermodel.

Joy honeymooned in Denmark, so when I arrived in Copenhagen, I asked her for recommendations. She replied, “Go to the Louisiana Museum and try all the food at 7-Eleven!” I know Joy credits hot dogs and large fountain Diet Cokes for getting her through stretches of life when the funds were low, so I wasn’t surprised by the 7-Eleven part of her answer, but my interest was piqued by the museum and its United States name. I searched the museum and found it located on the coast, an hour train ride north of the city. There was a 7-Eleven at the train station, display cases full of appetizing items I’d seen and not seen before. Europe is a healthy breeze.

Years and years later, I have two memories from my visit to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art: the majestic aura of its grounds and an installation by Yayoi Kusama – Gleaming Lights of the Souls. I waited my turn, then entered. Inside was a dark room enclosed with mirrored walls. Lights showed themselves everywhere. I stood on a small platform surrounded by water which infinitely multiplied the effect and presence of light. Finding light in an unfamiliar, dark room can be challenging and uncomfortable. In Kusama’s installation, she provides the light, but leaves it to the viewer to find their place in the room, a mesmerizing task.

Sometime between that visit and now, I saw a cool but tricky painting at LACMA. Up close and focused, my eyes followed a series of small circles painted one after another. But from a distance, the circles combined and their togetherness on the canvas created a different, dizzying look and feel. I loved it. A painting to sift through from near or enjoy as a whole from far. I looked at the title card next to the painting: Yayoi Kusama. I pulled out my phone to search for the artist. Up popped images of the installation I had seen at the Louisiana Museum. In my journey to learn about art, how rewarding it is to connect the dots. —Phillip Dillon

HERE are some quotes of yayoi’s that made me think or smile:

“I am just another dot in the world.”

“With just one polka dot, nothing can be achieved.”

“I fight pain, anxiety, and fear every day, and the only method I have found that relieves my illness is to keep creating art.”

“More and more I think about the role of the arts, and as an artist, I think that it’s important that I share the love and peace.”

“My mother was against me being an artist. She just wanted me to marry a rich man.”

“Become one with eternity. Become part of your environment. Take off your clothes. Forget yourself. Make love. Self-destruction is the only way to peace.”