YOKO ONO

“This society is driven by the neurotic  speed and force accelerated by greed and frustration of not being able to live up to the image of man and woman  have created for ourselves; the image has nothing to do with the reality of the people”

Those are the famous words of the incredible Yoko Ono. Born in Japan on February  18, 1933, Ono's childhood was spent moving back and forth from the US and Japan due the war.  In the year of 1945 when Yoko Ono turned 18,her family finally settled in Scarsdale. New York, where she was able to attend Sarah Lawrence College. It wasn't long until she left to elope with her husband Toshi Ichinayagi, which did not last for very long when she  met Anthony Cox. Anthony Cox was a jazz musician and film producer, whom she met after moving to the Greenwich Village in New York City. It was in the Greenwich Village where she discovered her love for poetry and art, but was not respected by many because she was considered "too radical".

Young Yoko Ono (Flavor Wire)

 Her second marriage  allowed her to develop her interest in art, and with that he introduced her to an interactive way of expressing herself. This led to "Cut Piece", which was performed in 1965. To engage her audience, she sat on the stage with plain clothing and scissors placed in front of her. That is it. The audience is encouraged to approach her to cut out any piece of her clothing off. As a viewer, I noticed that as women went up, they cut off piece around her neck to show of her declate, which conveyed that she should show more skin to be appealing. Seemingly, none of these actions caused Yoko Ono to budge, until towards the end, a male participant arrogantly cuts off pieces from her clothes, including her bra straps that almost exposed her breasts. Finally, it's evident that Yoko Ono is bothered, as she constantly looked down to see where he was cutting. Then, to keep her breasts from being exposed, she covers them with her own hands after the bra straps were cut off. 

This interactive art was significant in conveying the gender roles of men and women in the twentieth century. It is addresses because as a woman, Yoko Ono is the sexual object that is being represented.  Because she did not speak and barely moved, it signified that she was an object. The lack of words on her end portrayed female objectification, while the man showed dominance as he sexualized her, laughing and giggling as he cut off her clothing. In very many ways, Cut Piece is representative of women's roles during the twentieth century to this very day. There were expected roles of woman, and this was exhibited as her personal space was being invaded, her physical being violated as well as being objectified.

Cut Piece 1965

 Cut Piece- Reaction to Male

John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

One interesting fact about Yoko Ono is that she was the second wife to John Lennon, who is famously known as a member of The Beatles. She met Lennon during her art exhibition called the Unfinished Paintings and Objects in London and after eighteen months, reunited and started their affair which led to the marriage. John Lennon was a peace activist, therefore, Yoko Ono and he collaborated in their efforts to spread their beliefs through music and art. After his death, she continued to spread his legacy by creating philanthropic organizations such as Strawberry Fields (New York City), Imaging Peace Tower (Iceland), and the John Lennon Museum (Japan). Because they were heavily involved in activist protests, they decided to participate in the Vietnam War protest to voice their beliefs as well as spread the message of peace. Certainly, their personalities reflected one another, and more importantly, complimented each other because they were able to use their individual passion and collaborated their talents for a greater cause.

Piece of art that led Lennon and Ono to meet

John Lennon and Yoko Ono- Strawberry Fields

Imagine Peace Tower- Iceland

John Lennon Museum- Tokyo

What makes Yoko Ono special is that she really allows the art to speak for itself. This was especially evident in Cut Piece, because she certainly proved her point without saying a word. According to John Lennon, "Yoko is the world's most famous unknown artist: everybody knows her name, but nobody knows what she does". She is famously known as the woman who broke up The Beatles, but to others she is a woman who attempted to spread peace and love throughout her lifetime. And for that, she will leave a legacy that will on forever.

Works Cited

http://www.biography.com/people/yoko-ono-9542162#marriage-to-john-lennon