The extension on Heimplatz, designed by David Chipperfield, was opened in autumn 2021, making the Kunsthaus Zürich the largest art museum in Switzerland. The huge entrance hall, which is used as an open space for experiencing art, is particularly impressive. “Viewed from the outside, I think the building is a bit oversized for the Zurich area. But in here it’s ideal for Yoko’s art,” says Jon Hendricks, LennOno confidante since the 1960s and author of the 600+ page Fluxus Bible “Fluxus Codex”. He pays meticulous attention to all the details on the day before the opening. Yoko himself is not present, “but she advised us on the planning,” says Kunsthaus curator Mirjam Varadinis. Yoko and Jon have also released prints from the archives that have not previously been seen in this form. Jon Hendricks critically follows the final preparations. When Varadinis wants to get a Granny Smith apple for Yoko’s “Apple” installation, Hendricks stops her and personally goes to the market and carefully selects three apples – two in reserve.
In November 1966, the day before the opening, John Lennon visited the exhibition “Instruction Paintings / Unfinished Paintings and Objects” by an artist he did not know at the Indica Gallery in London. The Beatle is enjoying himself. Taking part costs money and Yoko Ono doesn’t want her instructions to be carried out before the vernissage. In the exhibit “Painting to Hammer a Nail” he hammers in an imaginary nail with her consent and pays her an imaginary coin. The apple on the Plexiglas column is said to cost £200. John takes it, bites into it and puts it back down. “It was an interruption in my action that I didn’t expect. At the moment I was very annoyed, but now I find it interesting: The organic cycle is disturbed by humans,” says Yoko. She thinks of other levels of meaning: becoming and passing away, the seeds becoming visible in the process of decomposition, life as art based on the forbidden fruit. The plan was to leave the apple untouched as an object and let it rot for the duration of the exhibition. It remains to be seen whether this will succeed in Zurich. One thing is certain: something starts to move when John climbs the ladder and isn’t fooled, because there’s a magnifying glass hanging up there and he uses it to recognize the word “YES”. Yoko’s exhibits act like a catalyst: The former art student wakes up in the Rockstar.
“Cut Piece” live
In 1966, René Magritte created the painting “Le Jeu de Morre”. It shows an apple, confusingly similar to the Yokos, but Magritte writes “Au revoir” about it. A year later Paul McCartney bought it and in the summer of 1968 the Apple logo appeared for the first time on the single “Hey Jude”. Apple, ladder, hammer and many other exhibits from Ono’s pre-Lennon era can be seen in Zurich. Who did John Lennon fall in love with? What else did the founder of the Beatles see? What is the fascination of this small-big Japanese woman? John said: “Yoko is the most famous unknown artist in the world. Everyone knows her name, but nobody knows what she does.” That has since changed: there have been numerous comprehensive Ono exhibitions in Germany and Austria over the past few decades. The outstanding thing about this show in Zurich is the impressive implementation of the original idea of participation.
Thinking about works of art further, processing them further, supplementing them and carrying out instructions mentally or in real life – all this has already happened in previous exhibitions, often also on the basis of current audience participation newly conceived by Yoko. There were large city maps on the walls, on which visitors used Post-Its to mark places where violence had happened to them. After a few weeks, the city maps were full of short notices, ranging from the stolen wallet to the rape. This created a closer and new relationship between the exhibition visitors and their city. Zurich, on the other hand, is concentrating on Yoko Ono’s early performances in this detail for the first time in the German-speaking world. Here, not only in the exhibition rooms at a large handicraft table, the world is healed by gluing broken porcelain; not only “total communication” is played with the black Bagism scarves. What is special about Zurich is the supporting programme: seven classic performances will be performed again in the large entrance hall, including “Cut Piece” and “9 Concert Pieces for John Cage”. The audience experiences Yoko’s creations live again, comparable to theater performances, but much more captivating, for example when individual visitors dare to come on stage to cut off a piece of the dress and others leave the building out of shame or discomfort.
Directions and further instructions
At some hotels in the old town of Zurich, very close to the Kunsthaus, the navigation device fails, regardless of whether you come from above or below (from the Limmat). The (dead) streets are narrow. The frustration grows. Then it’s time to leave the car and walk the last few meters. The entrance to the underground car park – hotels don’t reveal the address in advance, and for good reason – is hidden, requiring a detour and someone from reception to even find it and then operate the lift. But you are then in the heart of the “cosmopolitan city with village character”, in the legendary Niederdorf, called “Dörfli”. The new Kunsthaus building towers over it like a monolith. To say goodbye, all you need are instructions from reception on how to leave the underground car park – and instructions from Yoko on a postcard from the museum shop:
MAPPIECE
Draw a map to get lost.
1964 spring
The “Kunsthaus Piece” is not available as a postcard:
ART HOUSE PIECE
First of all, buy the exhibition catalog in the museum shop – go over to the Kunsthaus Bar – order the Japanese snack with a sake cocktail – read the catalogue, completely – only then go up into the rooms that move like clouds – get to know Yoko, long – Then go to the Kunsthaus garden – Hang a wish on the wish tree – Then make your way home like clouds.
Kunsthaus Zurich: Yoko Ono. This room moves at the same speed like the clouds. Until May 29, 2022. All information about the supporting program www.kunsthaus.ch
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