Yoko OnoExperimental Artist and Musician

Biography

Yoko Ono (whose first name translates to "ocean child") was born on February 18th, 1933 in Tokyo, the eldest of three children born to Eisuke and Isoko, a wealthy aristocratic family.

When Yoko was 18, her father was appointed president of a bank in New York as the family settled in. Attending the prestigious Sarah Lawrence College in New York, Yoko dropped out to elope with her first husband, Toshi Ichiyanagi. It was while living in New York's artsy Greenwich Village that Yoko discovered the world of avant-garde artists. Once absorbed in the scene, she began her life long association with art beginning with informal events then segueing into poetry while developing her fascination for conceptual pieces. Alienated as an "artistic radical" for years her work was ridiculed or ignored.

Biography

That began to change once she began her working relationship with American jazz musician/film producer Anthony Cox, the man who would eventually become her second husband.

Cox financed and helped coordinate her "interactive conceptual events" in the early 60's. According to the artist these events; "Demanded a response and some input from the observer rather than answering all the questions”.

Biography

Her most famous piece was the Cut piece staged in 1964, where the audience was invited to cut off pieces of her clothing until she was naked, an abstract commentary on discarding materialism (i.e. disguises) for the natural (i.e. the real)underneath. Yoko's work often demands the viewers' participation and forces them to get involved.

The piece was repeated. This is the first, in 1964. We will be studying this in detail.

Biography

The marriage between Ono and Cox was a tempestuous liaison that produced one child--a daughter named Kyoko who was born on August 8, 1963. By this time, Yoko was heavily influenced by the extended and repeated image work of Andy Warhol, Dali inspired surrealism and Dadaesque absurdity. The latter is clearly evident in events such as having her audience pay a shilling to hammer a nail in a board--a satirical jab at consumerism. The notoriety of Yoko's events, as well as her involvement with the radical 60's avant garde art collective, Fluxus created an interest of her works in the United Kingdom. This interest precipitated her visit to England in 1967.

Biography

Yoko's life forever changed when she met Beatle John Lennon at an exhibit of her work at the Indica gallery in London. Lennon, in addition to being a pop culture icon, was also one of the most brilliant creative minds of all time, with an art school background. The mental stimulation between the two developed into a strong friendship which eventually blossomed into romance as well as a creative marriage.

By 1968, their affair was public as both of their marriages disintegrated. After the collapse of her marriage to Cox, he "kidnapped" their daughter during a weekend custody visit. To this day, Yoko has not seen her long lost daughter Kyoko nor is she aware of her whereabouts.

Biography

. The "Ballad of John & Yoko" has been well chronicled. Until his untimely assassination in 1980, Lennon and Yoko enjoyed the ideal symbiotic relationship. Through each other, they enjoyed newer creative avenues to explore. Through Yoko, John collaborated on many art and film works. While Yoko's association with Lennon allowed her to find a unique voice with her avant-garde music which blended traditional Japanese music with ‘primal scream’ inspired wailing that created a most abstract soundscape.

Click the below links to listen to Yoko Ono jamming with The Beatles, and then giving a ‘primal scream’ performance at a gallery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qm7bCtBCgI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdZ9weP5i68

Art Practice

Yoko Ono’s work is extremely experimental and is heavily conceptually based.

She uses performance, sculpture, installation, calligraphy, etc. all to convey profound meaning to her audience.

She draws upon her Japanese heritage, as well as her life experiences.

Lets look in depth at her performance piece Cut piece, and analyse it in relation to our Gender Topic.

Cut piece (1964) This piece was performed in

Kyoto, Tokyo, New York and London. It is usually performed by Yoko Ono coming on the stage and in a sitting position, placing a pair of scissors in front of her and asking the audience to come up on the stage, one by one, and cut a portion of her clothing (anywhere they like) and take it. The performer, however, does not have to be a woman.

Click below to view a small snippet of the original perform captured on film and uploaded as a YouTube video.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYJ3dPwa2tI

Artist Statement about Cut Piece

Traditionally, the artist’s ego is in the artist’s work. In other words, the artist must give the artist’s ego to the audience. I had always wanted to produce work without ego in it. I was thinking of this motif more and more, and the result of this was Cut Piece. Instead of giving the audience what the artist chooses to give, the artist gives what the audience chooses to take. That is to say, you cut and take whatever part you want; that was my feeling about its purpose. It is a form of giving that has a lot to do with Buddhism.

Artist Statement about Cut Piece

There’s a small allegorical story about Buddha. He left his castle with his wife and children and was walking towards a mountain to go into meditation. As he was walking along, a man said that he wanted Buddha’s children because he wanted to sell them or something. So Buddha gave him his children. Then someone said he wanted Buddha’s wife and he gave him his wife. Someone calls that he is cold, so Buddha gives him his clothes. Finally a tiger comes along and says he wants to eat him and Buddha lets the tiger eat him. And in the moment the tiger eats him, it became enlightened. That’s a form of total giving as opposed to reasonable giving like “logically you deserve this” or “I think this is good, therefore I am giving this to you.”

Artist Statement about Cut Piece

In the Sixties clothes were very important to me because I had so few. But when I performed Cut Piece I always made sure to wear my best suit. It was the total offering. I lost my best suit every time I performed the piece. To think that it would be OK to use the cheapest clothes because it was going to be cut anyway would be wrong; it’s against my intentions. I was poor at the time, and it was hard. This event I repeated in several different places, and my wardrobe got smaller and smaller. However, when I sat on stage in front of the audience, I felt that this was my genuine contribution. This is how I really felt.

Artist Statement about Cut Piece

The audience was quiet and still, and I felt that everyone was holding their breath. While I was doing it, I was staring into space. I felt kind of like I was praying. I also felt that I was willingly sacrificing myself. It wasn’t a feminist issue, per se. It has to do with the positive and negative side of giving, but we can make it positive. And the funny thing was, most people thought of the other side, which is the body being violated. But when this piece was performed by Charlotte Moorman in a nunnery, the nuns said, “Well, this is what we’re doing.” They bypassed the sexual connotation totally and just understood the philosophical connotation and the positive side, which was to be giving. When I went to London – swinging London, at the time – the minute I put the scissors in front of me, 20 people came up on the stage and made me totally naked. Oops! It depends on the audience really; it’s a dialogue between me and the audience. It always draws something out of people. At Carnegie Hall, it seemed to draw violence out of the audience, like a poison. It is a frightening piece to perform. Very tense, but I wanted to show that we have to trust each other. If I’m going to say that, I have to do it myself. I have to trust people myself. It could be a bit dangerous.

Marina Abramovic

Marina Abramovic is an artist who also engaged in performance art that hinged itself upon audience interaction, however there were no instructions given in this piece. Instead, the audience was only presented with a table of objects, some representing pain, and others pleasure.

Click below to view a small talk on the piece.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwPTKmFcYAQ

Artist Statement about Cut Piece

I did Cut Piece again in Paris in 2003. The difference from 1965 was people were much more scared for me. Sean, who doesn’t come to my performances as much, flew all the way to Paris, and stood on the side of the audience to protect me. That was sweet. My friends said to me: you need a bodyguard, but my principle was that we have to trust each other. In Cut Piece I ask people to come on stage and each cut off one piece of my clothing. This time I asked that they send that piece of clothes to the person they love.

When I did it in 1965 I did it as a woman confronting turbulence and anger, and I was communicating just with a small group of people – mostly artists and intellectuals. Last time, it was anybody. It was a wider audience. I did it with love for the world and you and me. If you can carry some feeling of love for each other, that’s very important.

Audience, Artist & Artwork Was Yoko Ono’s work Cut piece intended to be a feminist performance?

How did you read or interpret the work when you first saw it?

Do you believe the work can still be interpreted with a feminist reading?

What was the role of the audience, and how can it can interpreted?

Homework: Using the Conceptual Framework, analyse an Ono piece of your choice.