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Chosen by:
Dr Janine Burke,
Monash Fellow
School of Political and Social Inquiry/School of English, Communications and Performance Studies
Ono, Yoko.
Yoko at Indica : Unfinished Paintings and Objects by Yoko Ono. (London : Indica Gallery, 1966)
In November 1966, Yoko Ono had her first solo exhibition of sculpture at Indica Gallery, London. Born in Tokyo in 1933, into a prominent banking family, Ono studied classical music and philosophy. Later, she moved to New York where she became involved with avant-garde artists such as John Cage and Merce Cunningham. From 1964, Ono was a member of Fluxus, an anarchic, conceptually oriented and collaborative art movement that was orchestrated by close friend George Maciunas. Ono's work that included performance and 'instruction' paintings that the viewer was invited to complete, is characterised by its whimsical humour and desire to engage with the audience.
John Lennon was introduced to Ono at the Indica Gallery opening. Ceiling Painting (YES Painting) [1966, Collection the artist] is the middle work illustrated here. The viewer was invited to climb the ladder and use the magnifying glass to read the word YES, rendered in tiny letters on a sheet of paper. Lennon enjoyed the work, recalling it was not like the “negative...smash-the-piano-with-a-hammer, break-the-sculpture, boring, negative crap” that he associated with much avant-garde art of the period. “That 'YES' made me stay.”
Ono, Yoko.
This is not here : a show of unfinished paintings and sculpture / by Yoko Ono ; guest artist, John Lennon. [Syracuse, N.Y.] : Everson Museum, 1971.
When Yoko Ono had her first career survey exhibition at the Everson Museum, Syracuse, she invited Lennon to be the show's 'guest artist'. Curator David A Ross recalled that “over 5000 people camped out in the Syracuse rain to ensure their place among the first to experience the show.” It included sculptures such as Ceiling Painting (YES Painting) together with instruction works and films, as well as an invitational section by Fluxus colleagues and friends including Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan.
Lennon designed the catalogue with the help of Peter Bendry, his personal assistant. It takes the form of a twelve page 'newspaper' that contains a collage of reviews of Ono's work, interviews with her, drawings by Lennon and Ono, plus photographs and cartoons.
Ono and Lennon, who had married in 1969, regularly collaborated on music, film and performance. The affirmative and playfully provocative nature of Ono's work, with its strong conceptual basis, guided and influenced their collaborative projects.
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