"Sky's the Limit" Yoko Ono's Unforgettable Berlin Showcase
The Enchanting Influence of Yoko Ono
By Juliane Rohr
Yoko Ono is not just the widow of John Lennon, she's also an artist of her own right. And art needs space. The 92-year-old Japanese artist is currently enchanting audiences at three locations in Berlin, proving her worth to those who have only seen her as a mere appendage to Lennon.
The persistent rumor that Yoko Ono ruined the Beatles and exploits her late husband's name for personal gain is far from the truth. Ono has been an independent artist, performance pioneer, composer, feminist, and peace activist since the mid-1950s, long before she met Lennon.
Ono's poetic instructions, radical performances, room-filling installations, drawings, photo, and film works are as relevant today as ever. You can see them now in Berlin at two museums and a massive billboard. "TOUCH" - or "touch" - is Ono's message on this billboard, visible from a busy intersection. It makes us wonder: When was the last time we consciously touched something? When were we last moved by something?
The Neue Nationalgalerie is vying for attention with Ono's name and the title "DREAM TOGETHER" on its glass facade. Simple words invite us to use our imagination. What dream could we share? The dream of peace? Ono believes it's possible, and she's dedicated her life to making it a reality, along with Lennon.
During their honeymoon in 1969, they protested for world peace in Amsterdam with their famous "Bed-In." Ono's concept was simple: "We'll stay in bed for seven days, from ten to ten, and talk about peace." Later, they took out full-page ads in newspapers like the New York Times with the message "WAR IS OVER! IF YOU WANT IT." What a promising slogan - but one that leaves us feeling powerless in these disruptive times. Who could send such a message today?
The Sky is Everywhere
Reflecting on one's thoughts is one thing. But what's central to Yoko Ono's art is that everyone can participate. "I wanted to present incomplete works that others could add to," she says, imbuing objects with new value. At the Neue Nationalgalerie, the audience is encouraged to participate in almost all the works on display: broken porcelain can be put back together, or puzzle pieces can be assembled into a piece of the sky. The sky is always a central figure in Ono's work, representing freedom and boundlessness. As a child born in Tokyo in 1933, Ono experienced devastating bombings in a shelter. "Even as everything around me crumbled, the sky was always there for me," she recalls.
The Magic Phone
The multifaceted world of Yoko Ono is fully on display at the third exhibition location, the Gropius Bau, in the comprehensive show "Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind." Unlike in Düsseldorf, where the works were crammed into a few small rooms, the exhibition now has ample space to spread out in the entire first floor of the museum.
In a hall, a phone rings. Yoko Ono answers. The walls are adorned with delicate handwriting that, among other things, claims that the white room is radiantly blue. Immersing oneself in Ono's subtle humor with all senses stimulates the imagination and creates a wondrous alternative reality.
The Old Blame
Yoko Ono's story also includes meeting John Lennon in London in 1966 at one of her exhibitions. Two years later, she became the lover of the guitarist and singer of the Beatles. Ono became a hated figure, seen as a witch spreading lies. There's even a "Yoko Ono effect" that places her as a stereotype of the eternally guilty woman in a direct line with Eve and the fall. The conclusion: as an intruder, she disturbed the existing harmony of the Beatles and caused their breakup. However, ex-Beatle Paul McCartney has repeatedly clarified in interviews that this is all nonsense.
Nevertheless, the confusion persists, and it benefits the Gropius Bau to a certain extent, as the exhibition is pleasantly visited even on weekdays. Ono's art always causes irritation among visitors, for example, in the form of naked buttocks that she filmed in 1966. The silent parade of large-projected buttocks was censored at the time. It's a great piece, still delightfully voyeuristic, sensually intimate, and rebellious today.
A Timeless Yoko
Before her relationship with Lennon, Yoko Ono was already a significant figure in the New York art scene, rooted in avant-garde and conceptual art. Her philosophical thinking and pacifist attitudes shape her life and work. As a pioneer of performance art, her feminist "Cut Piece" is legendary. In this 1964 performance, she sat motionless on stage while her clothing was cut off her body, challenging gender norms and exploring themes of vulnerability, dehumanization, perseverance, and resistance.
At the Gropius Bau, this is experienced in two film versions. "Berlin is the place where people understand my art," says Ono, tempting visitors to act collectively. At nine "Wish Trees," the audience can attach their own hopes, dreams, and wishes. All the words attached to cards will be sent to Ono's "Imagine Peace Tower" on the Icelandic island of Viðey after the exhibition ends. The idea: "Thoughts are contagious. Send them out. The message will spread faster than you think." Over two million wishes have been collected so far; Ono hasn't read any, as she believes that wishes are made between oneself and the heavens.
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Bringing the world into balance, questioning the essence of human existence - these are the life themes she pursues relentlessly. The magic of Yoko Ono lies in her ability to make people smile with her wise and elegant works and ideas. Visitors leave the various art spaces in Berlin with a smile and a touch of thoughtfulness. Try it out for yourself.
"Yoko Ono, Music of the Mind" until August 31, Gropius Bau, Berlin"Yoko Ono, Dream Together" until September 14, Neue Nationalgalerie, BerlinBillboard, n.b.k. (Neuer Berliner Kunstverein e.V.) until August 31, street crossing Friedrichstraße/ Torstraße
Source: ntv.de
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Yoko Ono's Early Career before John Lennon
Prior to her association with Lennon, Yoko Ono was an influential figure in avant-garde art. She was a member of the Fluxus movement, a collective of international artists known for their experimental and participatory works. During this period, Ono developed her signature style of instruction pieces that offered directions or prompts to viewers, focusing on ideas rather than material objects and encouraging audience participation and interpretation.
One of Ono's most notable works from this time was "Cut Piece," a performance in which audience members were invited to cut pieces of her clothing while she remained motionless on stage. This performance challenged gender norms and explored themes of vulnerability, trust, and perseverance. Ono also published the book "Grapefruit," a collection of written instructions and conceptual art pieces that became a hallmark of her instructional approach.
I'm not going to be a big fan of the Beatles, especially given their connection with John Lennon and Yoko Ono's persistent stereotype in popular culture as a disruptor of their harmony. Nevertheless, Yoko Ono's independent career in entertainment as an artist, performance pioneer, and peace activist, long before meeting Lennon, is worthy of celebration, as demonstrated by her current exhibition in Berlin.
