Yoko Ono’s impact on art spotlighted in retrospective exhibition

LONDON

Celebrating Yoko Ono’s profound influence on conceptual art, the Tate Modern in London, U.K., is set to host a retrospective exhibition highlighting her contributions.

"She is the world's most famous unknown artist, everyone knows her name, but no one knows what she does," John Lennon once said of the perceived disregard for his wife Yoko Ono, who turns 91 on Feb. 18.

The "Music of the Mind" show, which runs until September 1, explores the multi-disciplinary works of a woman more famed for being the murdered Beatle's wife than a conceptual art icon.

"This exhibition is a true celebration of Yoko as an artist," one of the exhibition's curators, Andrew de Brun, told AFP.

"Indeed, John Lennon was a very important collaborator for her, but we are very happy to be able to showcase her art."

Spanning seven decades, the exhibition presents a detailed exploration of Ono's artistic legacy through 200 pieces, including installations, objects, videos, photographs, sculptures and documents detailing her performances and musical compositions.

Since her initial exhibitions in New York during the 1950s, Ono has been a proponent of conceptualism, an art movement that posits the concept or idea behind an artwork is more important than the physical piece.

The exhibition examines some of the artist's most controversial works or performances, such as the video of "Cut Piece," a work she first presented in Japan and then in 1965 at Carnegie Recital Hall in New York.

On stage, Ono appeared in a black dress and left scissors beside her, allowing the audience to cut off her clothing in an exhibit aimed at drawing attention to the violence society inflicts on women.

The exhibition appears as a vindication of the artist's epic journey, after decades of being blamed by some for the breakup of The Beatles in 1970.

Ono's conceptual art installations at London's Indica Gallery in 1967 captivated Lennon.

On that occasion, a work called "Ceiling Painting" invited visitors to climb a ladder and view through a magnifying glass the word "yes" that appeared on the ceiling.

Lennon climbed the ladder and was amazed by the work, which is now being exhibited in London.

"When Hammer A Nail painting was exhibited at Indica Gallery, a person came to me and asked if it was alright to hammer a nail in the painting," Ono recalled in her text "Some Notes on the Lisson Gallery Show."

"I said it was alright if he pays five shillings. Instead of paying five shillings, he asked if it was alright for him to hammer an imaginary nail in. That was John Lennon."

Ono and Lennon married in 1969 and remained together until his murder in New York in 1980.

In their 13 years together, the couple released six albums and created experimental music recordings, short films, performances and installations.

With Lennon, the Tokyo-born artist achieved acclaim in music, a topic that the London exhibition also explores.