Always a pacesetter: MoMA pays tribute to the early works of Yoko Ono
For decades, conceptual and performance artist and experimental filmmaker Yoko Ono has led the pack when it comes to cutting-edge creativity. And now the Museum of Modern Art is showcasing her early innovative endeavours with 'Yoko Ono: One Woman Show, 1960-1971'.
MoMA has always been a bit of a home base for Ono's early outside-the-box creations. Back in 1971, she announced her first one-woman show, which she rather irreverently titled 'Museum Of Modern (F)art'. Just outside the museum's front doors, a man touted a sign stating that Ono had released dozens of common houseflies inside and invited visions to witness those winged creatures. MoMA curators were aghast, not least because the show wasn't even prepared for them. That was at a time when MoMA championed virtually no female nor Asian artists.
For this new, comprehensive show, curators Christophe Cherix and the somewhat controversial Klaus Biesenbach - whose Bjork exhibition is still hotly contested by journalists - gathered together one hundred and twenty five of her early objects, installations, performances, audio recordings and films to feature alongside her rarely seen archival materials.
'Central to Ono’s work since the 1960s has been her unwavering devotion to revealing beauty in everyday encounters and promoting world peace,' notes Cherix. 'These ideas have remained remarkably current in contemporary art, politics, and society.' For her 1966 'Apple', she placed that solitary piece of fruit on a plexiglas pedestal. Then in 1967 'Half-a-Room' displayed a chair cut right down the middle. Museum goers can also listen to the artist and her Beatle rocker husband John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band.
'During the first decade of her career, Ono played a pioneering role in the international development of Fluxus, Conceptual art, experimental film, and performance art,' adds Cherix. Beyond elevating the ordinary to an art form, Yoko injected a daring participatory element into her groundbreaking work, 'Ono's earliest works were often based on instructions that Ono communicated to viewers in verbal or written form.' Simply consider her pivotal 1964 'Cut Piece' performance when she asked viewers to snip away her clothing while she sat quietly on stage. The film captures that then surprising experience.
For those hankering to take part in her interactive body of work, MoMA offers the perfect opportunity via Ono's 1966 'White Chess Set', where she sought to alter the very rules of that board game. In her version, players work together so that the game can progress.
ADDRESS
Museum of Modern Art
11 West 53 Street,
New York, NY 10019
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
Take a deep dive into Norway's art scene with the Lofoten International Art Festival
Kite tails, lingonberries and woven islands: the Lofoten International Art Festival unveils its 18th edition
By Louise Long Published
-
Where to eat sushi in London
From high-end hotels to supermarket pop-ups, food critic Ben McCormack recommends London's best sushi spots
By Ben McCormack Published
-
Don't miss these films at the BFI London Film Festival 2024
The BFI has announced the lineup for their 68th festival, and it's a stellar one
By Billie Walker Published
-
Step into Yoko Ono’s immersive world at Tate Modern
‘Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind’ spans the artist and activist's work from the 1950s to the present day
By Hannah Silver Published
-
Royal College of Physicians Museum presents its archives in a glowing new light
London photography exhibition ‘Unfamiliar’, at the Royal College of Physicians Museum (23 January – 28 July 2023), presents clinical tools as you’ve never seen them before
By Martha Elliott Published
-
Museum of Sex to open Miami outpost in spring 2023
The Museum of Sex will expand with a new Miami outpost in spring 2023, housed in a former warehouse reimagined by Snøhetta and inaugurated with an exhibition by Hajime Sorayama
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith Published
-
Vanessa Beecroft’s ethereal performance and sculpture exhibition explore Sicily’s cultural history
At the historic Palazzo Abatellis, Sicily, Vanessa Beecroft has unveiled ‘VB94’, a new tableau vivant comprising a one-time performance and a new series of sculptures, the latter on view until 8 January
By Hili Perlson Published
-
Subversive artist Cosey Fanni Tutti on individuality and annihilating limitations
Following the launch of her new book Re-Sisters, we speak to Cosey Fanni Tutti about conquering fear through action, stepping into the unknown, and the secret to making art that matters
By Mary Cleary Last updated
-
Wolfgang Tillmans on shaping photography as we know it: ‘I want to lay reality bare’
As Wolfgang Tillmans’ retrospective ‘To Look Without Fear’ opens at MoMA, we interview the acclaimed photographer about 35 years of activism, breaking conventions and capturing ‘the weight of existence’ through the everyday
By Pei-Ru Keh Last updated
-
Jenny Holzer curates Louise Bourgeois: ‘She was infinite’
The inimitable work of Louise Bourgeois is seen through the eyes of Jenny Holzer in this potent meeting of minds at Kunstmuseum Basel
By Amah-Rose Abrams Published
-
Can the Marina Abramović Method change your life?
Lady Gaga and Jay-Z are among those who have followed the Abramović Method to reach higher creative consciousness. Now, the artist’s iconic approach has been translated into a series of instruction cards for all. If you don’t try, you’ll never know
By Harriet Lloyd Smith Last updated