yoko ono invites visitors to complete her works in tate modern exhibition

tate modern presents yoko ono: music of the mind

From February 15th to September 1st, 2024, Tate Modern presents UK’s largest exhibition celebrating the influential work of artist and activist Yoko Ono, spanning seven decades of her multidisciplinary practice. Titled YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND, the show features over 200 works, including installations, films, music, and photography, highlighting Ono’s radical approach to language, art, and participation.

Ono’s art revolves around ideas expressed in poetic, humorous, and profound ways. The exhibition delves into her role in experimental avant-garde circles in New York and Tokyo, focusing on her ‘instruction pieces,’ which encourage visitors to imagine, experience, or complete the work.

Yoko Ono, Add Colour (Refugee Boat), concept 1960, installed in YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND, Tate Modern, London, 2024. photo © Tate (Lucy Green)

engaging with yoko ono’s instructions

At Tate Modern (find more here), guests can engage with Yoko Ono’s instructions, which range from short phrases like ‘Listen to a heartbeat’ and ‘Step in all the puddles in the city’ to tasks for the imagination like ‘Painting to be Constructed in your Head’. Each word or phrase aims to stimulate and unlock the mind of the reader. Visitors are invited to activate the instructions, concealing themselves in the interactive work Bag Piece 1964 – first performed by Ono in Kyoto, in the same concert in which she performed her iconic work Cut Piece 1964 – and bringing their shadows together in Shadow Piece 1963. The exhibition also explores Ono’s time in London during the 1960s, where she became part of a countercultural network and met John Lennon. Key installations from this period are featured, alongside banned works like Film No. 4 (Bottoms) 1966-7, emphasizing Ono’s anti-war stance and participatory art principles.

Throughout her career, Yoko Ono (find more here) has tackled key themes such as peace, feminism, and activism. The exhibition showcases works like SKY TV 1966 and Helmets (Pieces of Sky) 2001, reflecting her commitment to peace and freedom. Films like FLY 1970-1 and Freedom 1970 highlight Ono’s exploration of feminist themes and empowerment. Ono’s advocacy for peace and humanitarian causes, particularly alongside John Lennon, is highlighted through projects like Acorns for Peace 1969 and the WAR IS OVER! billboard campaign 1969. Tate Modern also presents recent works like Add Colour (Refugee Boat) 2016, addressing urgent issues of crisis and displacement. The exhibition concludes with Ono’s participatory installation My Mommy Is Beautiful, inviting visitors to attach photographs of their mothers and share personal messages. 

Yoko Ono, Add Colour (Refugee Boat), 2016, at MAXXI Foundation. photo © Musacchio, Ianniello & Pasqualini

Yoko Ono, Add Colour (Refugee Boat), concept 1960, installed in YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND, Tate Modern, London, 2024. photo © Tate (Lucy Green)

Yoko Ono,White Chess Set, 1966, installed in YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND, Tate Modern, London, 2024. photo © Tate (Reece Straw)

Yoko Ono,PEACE is POWER, 2017, installed at ‘Yoko Ono: The Learning Garden of Freedom’ at Fundação de Serralves – Museu de Arte Contemporânea, Porto, 2020. photo © Filipe Braga

Yoko Ono, Sky TV 1966/2014. Courtesy the artist. Installation view courtesy of Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. photo © Cathy Carver

Yoko Ono, FLY 1970 – 71. courtesy the artist

Yoko Ono, Wish Trees for London, 2024 installed in YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND Tate Modern, London. photo © Tate (Reece Straw)

Yoko Ono, Bag Piece, 1964, installed in YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND, Tate Modern, London, 2024. photo © Tate (Reece Straw)

Yoko Ono, Apple, 1966 from Yoko Ono: One Woman Show, 1960 – 1971, MoMA, NYC, 2015. Photo © Thomas Griesel

Yoko Ono, Bag Piece, 1964, installed in YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND, Tate Modern, London, 2024. photo © Tate (Reece Straw)      

Yoko Ono, Shadow Piece, installed in YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND, Tate Modern, London, 2024. photo © Tate (Lucy Green)

Yoko Ono, My Mommy is Beautiful, 2004, installed in YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND, Tate Modern, London, 2024. photo © Tate (Reece Straw)

1/6

Yoko Ono, Helmets (Pieces of Sky), 2001, installed in YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND, Tate Modern, London, 2024. photo © Tate (Lucy Green)

Yoko Ono, My Mommy is Beautiful, 2004, installed in YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND, Tate Modern, London, 2024. photo © Tate (Reece Straw)

Yoko Ono, Shadow Piece, 1963, installedin YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND, Tate Modern, London, 2024. photo © Tate (Reece Straw)

Yoko Ono, Cut Piece 1964. Performed by Yoko Ono in ‘New Works by Yoko Ono’, Carnegie Recital Hall, NYC, March 21 1965. photo © Minoru Niizuma

Yoko Ono, Freedom 1970. courtesy the artist

Yoko Ono, Grapefruit, Page 11, SECRET PIECE, 1964. courtesy the artist

project info: 

name: YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND
artist: Yoko Ono | @yokoono

location: Tate Modern | @tate, Bankside, London
dates: 15 February – 1 September 2024