How Was Yoko Ono Born? | MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART TOKYO
MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART TOKYO
How Was Yoko Ono Born?
Exploring the Roots of Her Work from Her Hometown, Tokyo: 'Yoko Ono: My Room Is My Studio'
This exhibition, 'Yoko Ono: My Room Is My Studio,' re-examines the activities of Yoko Ono, who has conveyed various messages to the world as an artist and as the wife of John Lennon, within the context of Tokyo, her hometown. The exhibition will be held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo from Sunday, November 8, to Sunday, February 14, 2016.
Text by TOMOMI YANAKA
Addressing Serious Societal Issues with a Humorous Approach
Born in Tokyo in 1933, Yoko Ono spent her childhood in Tokyo, New York, and San Francisco. She has left a significant mark on the worlds of poetry, music, and art, which she studied at university.
The Tokyo of her pre-war and wartime childhood can be considered the origin of her artistic journey. In the 1930s, Ono received music education at Jiyugaoka Gakuen and lived a life closely connected to art, composing music based on everyday sounds like the ticking of a clock.
(Left) Yoko Ono, 'Cloud Piece,' 1963/2005, part of the permanent exhibition 'Sky TV for Hokkaido' at The Years of Ten Thousand Forests in Hokkaido. Instruction for Cloud Piece: 'Imagine the clouds dripping. Dig a hole in your garden to put them in.' Spring 1963 / (Center) Yoko Ono, 'Hole,' 2009, bullet-pierced glass panel, inscribed text 'Go to the other side of the glass and look through the hole,' metal frame (part), private collection. © YOKO ONO 2015 / (Right) Yoko Ono, 'Vertical Memory,' 1997, 22 framed iris prints, text. Photo: Colin Davison, private collection. © YOKO ONO 2015
This exhibition covers what nurtured Ono as an artist and her works from her early period to modern pieces. Furthermore, it will display a valuable first edition of 'Grapefruit,' her seminal work published as the culmination of her two-and-a-half-year stay in Tokyo starting in 1964.
In addition, works will be presented that demonstrate how she has confronted societal issues and sublimated them into conceptual art, such as her legendary campaign with John Lennon and the 1974 'One Step Festival' themed around the environment.
Yoko Ono, who has captivated many by addressing serious societal issues with a humorous approach. This exhibition offers an opportunity to re-examine the trajectory of her career, nurtured from her starting point in 'Tokyo.'
'Yoko Ono: My Room Is My Studio'
Dates: Sunday, November 8 – Sunday, February 14
Closed: Mondays (except November 23 and January 11), November 24, December 28 – January 1, January 12
Hours: 10:00 – 18:00
Venue: Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo
4-1-1 Miyoshi, Koto-ku, Tokyo
Admission: General ¥1200, University/Seniors (65+) ¥900, High School/Junior High ¥700, Elementary School and younger free
Yoko Ono, 'Chair Piece,' 1962, performed at 'An Event with John Cage and David Tudor' (Kyoto Kaikan, October 12, 1962). Photo: Yasuhiro Yoshioka, private collection, Courtesy of Lenono Photo Archive. © YOKO ONO 2015
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