Pumpkin Among Clouds by the Lake

Pumpkin (2024) is by Yayoi Kusama (1929–2026), one of the world’s most celebrated women artists. Standing 6 meters tall and 5.5 meters in diameter, it is the tallest bronze pumpkin sculpture of her career and is now in the collection of Deji Art Museum.

Pumpkins and polka dots are among Kusama’s signature motifs. The pumpkin carries memories of her childhood surrounded by plants, while the polka dot takes on a broader significance: a single dot can represent a life or a planet; through repetition and proliferation, dots point toward infinity, connecting the individual with the cosmos. Enlarged to monumental scale and covered in polka dots, the familiar fruit takes on an extraordinary presence, its rounded, playful form expressing vitality and joy.

Situated beside Yangshan Lake, the monumental pumpkin brings Kusama’s vision of the individual, the cosmos, and infinity into the landscape and everyday life. The lake, mountains, clouds, and seasonal vegetation form an ever-changing backdrop as people arrive at different times. Approached from different directions, the pumpkin comes in and out of view with the terrain, appearing differently from every viewpoint. Each visit, pause, and moment of looking creates a new relationship between the artwork, nature, and people, allowing this public art project to take on new meaning over time.