Starting this weekend, the Capital will be painted in the colours of Yoko Ono, avant-garde Japanese artist, activist and musician. A key figure during the Fluxus movement in the 1960s, there has been a revival in the interest in Ono’s works in the past decade. A keen peace activist, Ono, who is
the wife of late Beatles legend John Lennon, was awarded the prestigious Golden Lion award for Lifetime Achievement from the Venice Biennale in 2009 and recently got the Hiroshima Art Prize.
From an exhibition of artworks dedicated to women, titled, Our Beautiful Daughters, to public installations across 20 venues, including one with one million wishes for peace — gear up for a crash course in all things Yoko. Her exhibition in the Capital includes a special installation for Indian audiences that explores the experiences of women. Ono, who is slated to be in Delhi this weekend, says, “This time, I am coming to India to give encouragement and inspiration to everyone by an exchange of ideas.”
Besides the artworks, Ono will also perform for Delhi audiences in a show called — To India With Love — on January 15. “When I visit New Delhi, I will be doing music as well. I am hoping that I can collaborate with Indian musicians,” she says.
A lot more than art
A parallel exhibition, titled, The Seeds, will showcase some of Yoko Ono’s earlier work - films, collaborations with other artists, instructions, photographs and more. On at the Vadehra Art Gallery, D-53 Defence Colony.
On January 15, the WhyHunger project and Yoko Ono Lennon join hands with the Hard Rock Cafe to launch a global campaign called — Imagine There’s No Hunger. Collections from this will go towards buying food for a local charity.
Ono will perform live at the India Habitat Centre on January 15 (Entry by invite only).
Public Art Project Venues
American Centre; American Embassy School; British Council; College of Art, Delhi; Deepalaya School; Devi Art Foundation; Goethe-Institute, Max Mueller Bhavan; Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA); India Art Fair; India Habitat Centre; Indraprastha Apollo Hospital; Katha Storyshop; Katha-Khazana School; Kiran Nadar Museum of Art; Love & Care Centre, Basti Vikas Kendra, Okhla; Medanta - The Medicity; School of Arts and Aesthetics, JNU; Spell & Bound Bookshop and Cafe; The Japan Foundation; The Shri Ram School; The Shri Ram School, Aravali; Vadehra Art Gallery — D-40, D-53, Defence Colony; Vadehra Art Gallery, Okhla
Yoko knowledge
Born: 1933, Tokyo, Japan
1964: First performance of her iconic work, Cut Piece, at the Sogetsu Art Center in Tokyo, and her book Grapefruit is published
1964 and 1972: Makes films like the famous No.4
1966: Meets John Lennon (He was married then)
1969: She and Lennon get married (he was her third husband)
1994: Produces her own musical, New York Rock
2009: Receives a Golden Lion Award for lifetime achievement from the Venice Biennale
Art comes here!
What: Our Beautiful Daughters
When: January 13 to March 10
Where: at Vadehra Art Gallery, D-178, Okhla Phase 1
Nearest Metro Station: Okhla on the Violet Line