“We can evolve rather than revolt, come together, rather than claim independence, and feel rather than think.”
- Yoko Ono
Tokyo born artist Yoko Ono, pioneered the way for activism and avant-garde performance art in the 1960s, and remains a relevant figure today. Yoko makes conceptual art that relies on symbolism and multiple medias to highlight her stance on world issues. Her art has influenced a kind of social reflection that can be described as nothing less than radical.
She pushes boundaries and does things people don't understand. She has devoted her life to her art and sacrificed acceptance by embracing unconventionality. Yoko is no stranger to taking risks and prides herself in acting against societal norms.
Her performance Cut Piece (1964) remains one of her most well-known. In this piece she invites audience members to cut pieces of her clothing while she sits silently and unbothered. In this way the viewers become the subjects and take part in an aggressive unveiling of the female body. This work is recognized as a feminist piece that questions the role of the female body in art. The performance depicts Ono becoming a sexualized object as she is undressed by the hands of many others. Her lack of movement and speech implies that she has no say, in the same way women's bodies are sexualized by others without consent. Connotations of sexual violence and aggression have been attributed to the piece as well, given the scissors and one sided action.