On the afternoon of Friday, October 3, three of the museum’s student interns delivered impressive gallery talks about artwork from the current exhibition, Ralph Steadman: And Another Thing. Iffat Ikram ‘28 presented insightful commentary on the representation of the subjects in Steadman’s Animal Farm illustrations. Her gallery talk compared two illustrations, In the Beginning and How it all Went Wrong, and discussed the specific moments they represent in George Orwell’s novella. The presentation outlined the key plot points of Animal Farm, and discussed the ways in which Steaman’s compositional choices foreshadow the corrupting nature of power that Orwell sought to portray.

Lucy Read ‘27 then led the audience through a close-looking of Steadman’s Mother and Child #2. The black-and-white ink illustration is a work that Steadman created in the 1980s in support of World Aid’s stamp-out-famine initiative. Lucy’s commentary centered on the compositional choices the artist made, and they ways in which they cement Mother and Child #2 as one of Steadman’s most politically charged pieces. 

Brigid Gaffny ‘28 closed out the program with wonderful context for two works belonging to Steadman’s Gonzovationist series, Philippine Eagle Thinkin’ and Di Dodo. She highlighted the extensive work Steadman has done for animal conservation causes and gave context to the artist’s unique “Dirty Water” illustration technique that can be seen throughout the show. 

Yoko Ono’s 1964 Cut Piece
Image from MoMA

Kate Gilmore’s 2004 My “Love is an Anchor”
Image from �ֲ���ý Museum of Art

A recent exhibition at the �ֲ���ý Museum of Art titled “In Yor Way,” focused on Kate Gilmore, a feminist performance artist famous for her videos that depict women struggling against a barrier. For example, Kate is depicted in an enclosed space, her foot encased in a cement bucket, or a group of women tearing down a large piece of clay. In these videos the women are dressed in the most conventional feminine attire- floral dresses, high heels and red lipstick. The pieces, often featuring Gilmore herself, are meant to be a commentary on the everyday struggles women face in today’s society. Gilmore is not afraid of putting herself in dangerous positions for her art, and because of this she is known for pushing the boundaries of a classic performance art piece. Last fall semester I had the privilege of working on Gilmore’s exhibition with the museum’s director, and through research I discovered another female performance artist, Yoko Ono, who similarly pushed the boundaries of what art can be, in order to inspire wide social change in her audiences.

Yoko Ono is a female Japanese performance artist who is well known for her multimedia performances, songwriting and peace activism. She is also the second wife and widow of John Lennon- the couple together did several performances including their “Bed-ins for Peace”. Her relationship with The Beatles star is often how Ono is remembered, however the way she pushed the boundaries of performance art is arguably more notable- one of the performances that exemplifies Ono’s daring is “Cut Piece” from 1964.

This piece was first performed in Tokyo in 1964, and was performed at least four more times in Japan, London and the United States. Ono kneels on an empty stage with a pair of scissors in front of her. She says nothing except to outline the parameters of the performance- the audience members are welcome to come on stage one by one, cut off any piece of her clothing and take the piece back to their seat as a souvenir; the ending of the performance is decided by Ono in the moment. At first, the audience is hesitant- they come up and cut small pieces of her shirt or skirt and hastily return to their seats. However as the performance goes on, they become bolder. A man comes up and cuts off the front of her bra, and another cuts off the strap- at this point Ono brings her hands up to cover up her body. It continues like this for some time before Ono ends it.

This performance is meant to bring the audience into the work itself and have the artist and the audience interacting on an intimate level. Art to Ono is no longer about the artist giving the audience the established, final product. It is instead about the audience influencing the art. There is also never a definitive ending, only one chosen by Ono, and the duration of the performance changes with the audience. It is a constant and fluid piece of work, one that continuously surprises the viewer. There has been analysis done that imagines this piece is a protest against war, particularly the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The way Ono’s clothing is cut and torn replicates the clothing of the people of Japan after the bomb fell. Her intention to have audience members take souvenirs home is to have this performance continue on in the world even after she says her part is done. There is hope that audience members will look at their cut pieces of clothing, remember the turmoil caused by war, and change their actions to bring about peace.

Watching this performance is an almost ritualistic experience- the silence from Ono is countered by the nervous laughter and hushed voices of the audience. The way she is kneeling brings up images of how Japanese women are taught to sit. Although she was poor at the time and did not have many expensive pieces of clothing, Ono chose to wear her best outfit for each “Cut Piece” performance. She believed that the audience should be getting the best souvenir they could have; after all they are as big a part of the performance as she is.

I highly suggest readers watch recordings of this performance. It is both a spiritual experience as well as a lesson on the cost of war and the necessity for peace.

For more information on Ono’s Cut Piece, check out the Museum of Modern Art’s Learning section at:

Meg DiRuggiero, ’18
AVC History and Criticism

The scene of the greatest economic and cultural metamorphosis of our time, China is not only at the center of the world’s attention but has arguably the most vital, imaginative, and uncontainable art scene in the world.The Rising Tide investigates China’s meteoric march toward the future through the work of some of its most talented emerging artists, whose work reflects the country’s rising influence as an economic, political and cultural force in the global arena.

In recent years, Chinese artists, especially those working in photography and video, have gained international recognition for their powerful works capturing the social and aesthetic confusion created in a rapidly changing society. To the Chinese avant-garde, materialism is all pervasive, and the dominant consumer culture has altered people’s mentalities. Interestingly, their work, influenced by Western ideals and art practice, remains distinctly Chinese in its content and aesthetic.

Produced within the dual context of globalization and urbanization, the work of artists Cao Fei, Xu Zhen, Yang Yong, Wang Qingsong, Chen Qiulin, Birdhead, and Zhang O examines the collision between the present and the future, and the confusion and ambiguity that characterize the new China. Their work is often a stunned attempt to deal with the dynamic and tectonic forces transforming China. The Rising Tide captures this momentous time in China’s history while exploring the work of artists, who comment with intelligence, wit, foreboding and nostalgia.

View movie trailer:

Join us in the museum for the opening reception of Activator, an exhibition of installation work by 7 contemporary artists: Nate Aldrich & Zach Poff, Astrid Bowlby, Amy Stacey Curtis, Eric Hongisto, Nicola Lopez, and Jason Rogenes.

Artist talks: 7 PM, Olin Art Center

January 11: Astrid Bowlby, Nicola Lopez
January 12: Eric Hongisto, NB Aldrich & Zach Poff
January 18: Jason Rogenes
February 2: Amy Stacey Curtis

Tuesday Curator’s Tours @ noon: Liz Kelton Sheehan
January 24 & March 14

Internationally known for his surprising and provocative explorations of culture and consumerism, William Pope.L’s Black Factory is his most participatory, community-oriented project yet. It aims to re-energize discussions about race in America by inviting people to share objects that represent “blackness” to them.

At once a mobile marketplace that trades in provocation and a nomadic laboratory for crafting consciousness, the Black Factory gathers, shapes, and repackages materials and experiences that challenge us to see the creative potential nested within the polarized politics of race in America. Whenever the Black Factory appears and sets up operations, it catalyzes a participatory process of public engagement with issues of cultural difference. It combines sculpture, installation and performance to pose questions about identity, community, and consumption that get under our skin and stay there where they belong.

By collecting, recycling and peddling the ingredients for re-thinking blackness, the Black Factory transforms the tensions and contradictions of race into a dynamic field of possibility. The Factory performs an inward-reaching outreach effort. It encourages us to take hold of the stereotypes of race and class which bind us to our indecision and apathy and to turn them inside out. It challenges us to grapple with the habitual ways in which we consume products, identities and ideologies. It extends open arms to those who feel certain that they have already settled all of these difficult questions, as well as to those who are still actively struggling with them. It asks us to rise to the task of collaborating in the creation of a community built not upon erasing but rather embracing our own differences and contradictions.

The Black Factory previewed at the �ֲ���ý College Museum of Art last May before leaving for its first official stop at MassMoCA, where it was part of the exhibition Interventionists: Art and Social Change. It will be parked at �ֲ���ý through the end of May, when it embarks on the 2005 nationwide tour.

Black Factory brochure