Artist of the day: Artist of the day (Japan week), October 6: Yoko Ono, Japanese conceptual artist, performance artist.

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Artist of the day (Japan week), October 6: Yoko Ono, Japanese conceptual artist, performance artist.

Yoko Ono (1933) was born in her ancestral estate in Tokyo, Japan. Her father, Eisuke Ono, was the descendant of a 9th Century Emperor of Japan. Her mother, Isoko Yasuda Ono, was the granddaughter of Zenijiro Yasuda, the founder of Yasuda Bank. Yoko was 2 years old when she was brought to California, and joined her father for the first time. She returned to Japan before WWII and survived the bombings of Tokyo in 1945. Yoko went to school with Emperor Hirohito's two sons. Though boys and girls were separated, Yoko was visited by Emperor's son Yoshi, and in turn she visited the boy's school in defiance of the rules.

In the early 50s she and her parents moved to New York. She went to Sarah Lawrence College, where she was particularly adept in music, with her perfect pitch and untamed creativity. She married a Julliard student, Toshi Ichiyanagi, and moved to Manhattan. Her admiration with Franz Kafka, Vincent van Gogh, and Arnold Schönberg gave root and was fertilized by the New York avant-garde scene. In 1960, Yoko Ono & her friend La Monte Young staged the legendary loft events on Chambers Street. She also provided the loft for John Cage and his ground-braking classes of experimental music. Yoko cut herself from her parents and was on her own, working as a waitress, an apartment manager, and a music teacher in New York's public schools. In 1962, after separating from Toshi, she gave in to her parents and returned to Japan. There, she heavily suffered from a clinical depression, and was locked up in a mental hospital. Anthony Cox went to Japan and managed to release Yoko Ono from captivity. She married Cox in Tokyo, later in the year, and their daughter, (as she became a mother), Kyoko, was born on Saturday, August 3rd, 1963. Cox became her artistic assistant. But in 1964 they separated and Cox returned to New York. Yoko joined him later in 1964 with Kyoko. She dreamed up the concept for 'Bottoms' (1966), completed only after 365 friends and volunteers provided their naked buttocks for close-ups. Her ad was "Intelligent-looking bottoms wanted for filming. Possessors of unintelligent-looking ones need not apply." Yoko promoted 'Bottoms' (1966) by being tied to a bronze lion in London's Trafalgar Square. While there, she first met her future husband-to-be (also 3rd & last), John Lennon at her art show in London on Wednesday evening, November 9th, 1966. At first they were very impressed with each other's intellect, personalities & everything else followed later. They married. John was lambasted by the British public. Yoko lost her daughter Kyoko for 27 years. Finally in 1998, Yoko and Kyoko reunited. John and Yoko were together 24/7 for six years until their fifteen-month break in 1973-74. Back together again, they sustained attacks from the media, politicians & all kinds of harassments. John and Yoko created art, music & had a son, Sean Lennon. They nourished each other's artistic nature with enough humor to survive through almost everything. Until Yoko Ono became a widow!

Ono was one of the strongest feminist voices to emerge from the art world in the 60s. Her Cut Piece (1964), a first for feminist art performance, invited audience members to take turns cutting off her clothes using a pair of scissors. It also brought the audience into close contact with the artist, which was a new concept and crossed traditional boundaries.

A path-breaking force in eliminating boundaries among the arts, in the early 1960s, Ono opened her home to dancers, composers, and artists and encouraged them to work together. The building of interdisciplinary community is another great area of achievement in her career, and a fundamental aspect of her practice.

Though her name has been unfairly associated with a woman who negatively affects a man's professional performance (Beatles fans often blame her for their breakup), Ono helped John become much more conceptual. She assisted him in moving away from the mainstream that the Beatles had previously inhabited, and encouraged him to develop an independent voice as a composer and musician.

Mrs Yoko Ono

2015, Suite of Seven (7) Unbroken Teacups and Saucers
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1960, One Woman Show
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1960, Touch Poem # 5
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1961, Painting to Be Stepped On (Installation view)
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1961, Sky Machine
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1961, Works by Yoko Ono, poster, Carnegie Recital Hall, New York, November 24, 1961
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1964, Grapefruit
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1965, Cut Piece (1964) performed by Yoko Ono in New Works of Yoko Ono,
Carnegie Recital Hall, New York, March 21, 1965
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1965, Disappearing Piece
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1966, Apple
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1966, Cleaning Piece
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1966, Eyeblink
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1966, It by trust
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1966, Parts Of A Light House
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1967, Glass hammer
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1967, Half-A-Room
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1968, Toilet Thoughts
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1969, WAR IS OVER if you want it
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1969. Between the Sky and My Head, Exhibition image
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1971, A cloud shovel
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1971, Air Dispenser
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1971, Museum of Modern art
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1988, Forget It
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1988, Painting to Be Stepped On
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1988, Revolution Object in Three Parts (Bronze, cast of 1966 version)
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1996, MORNING BEAMS, and Cleaning Piece Riverbed
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

1996, To my friends
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

2009, Between the Sky and My Head, Exhibition image
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

2011, Air clock
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

2012, Box of Smile
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

2012, Grow Love with Me
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

2012, Night and Day for Venice
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

2012, To The Light (Installation View)
© 2017, Copyright Yoko Ono

Artist of the day

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Artist of the day (Japan week), October 6: Yoko Ono, Japanese conceptual artist, performance artist.

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