Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind Exhibition
“Ono (oh no)! I’m not an artist.” Well, this exhibition could make you one.
The Tate Modern is well known for housing many exhibitions of contemporary artists.
Earlier this week, my friend and I visited the exhibition of contemporary Japanese artist Yoko Ono, which displays her most popular art from the mid-1950s to the present.
In all honesty, I went to this exhibition without knowing who Yoko Ono was because my friend suggested we go there, so I went there with no expectations and came out understanding who she was as an artist and musician.
Before entering, there is a “wish tree” where you can write your wishes on a piece of paper and hang it up on the tree. This wish tree is significant to many of her exhibitions, including the one at New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
There is also a small overview of the exhibition and what Yoko wants to share through her artworks.
The whole exhibition is in chronological order, from her very first artwork as a child to her latest one. In the first room, a display of her instructions, written by her ex-husband, on how to be an artist is on display.
Her instructions for making art are fairly simple, and anyone can follow them to become a contemporary artist like Ono.
The exhibition displays an example of her instructions, which I assume is the work of Ono’s hands.
Some of it is interactive, making it more enjoyable and memorable.
Here is a picture of me drawing on the wall that you can find below in one of the interactive activities!
Almost to the end of the museum, there is a display of upside-down helmets, which contain puzzle pieces that represent an image of the sky.
You can take a piece of the puzzle home with you, or you can collect all the pieces to form a small portrait of the sky. I wish I had collected them all, but I did not manage to find all the correct pieces and had lost my patience in trying, so I just took two home.
The sky is significant in Ono’s artwork because she uses it to cultivate engagement between people and the world.
This sky piece makes a nice little souvenir if you don’t feel like buying anything from the gift shop, as it reflects the artists' intentions.
The exhibition ends on a sentimental note because Ono's final work asks people to write something nice about their mothers, which is really nice because you can write about things you find corny to say to your mom’s face.
Overall, I enjoyed the exhibition a lot and would definitely recommend it to people who prefer interactive exhibitions rather than just read and browse the artworks.
If you want to visit this exhibition, click the link below to buy your tickets, ends on 1 September 2024.
P.S. People aged 16 to 25 years old and are part of the Tate Collective (free to sign up) only pay £5 for a ticket!