Yoko Ono Posted on 23rd November 202114th June 2022 by nr NR · WORLDPublished · Online Feature · Yoko OnoWords · Nicola Barrett Mend Piece for London at The Whitechapel Gallery It’s that time of year when, regardless of what you are wearing, you will always end up a little bit sweaty with cold fingers. Arriving thus at the Whitechapel Gallery, I made my way upstairs to Yoko Ono’s MEND PIECE, shedding hand sanitiser and various masks stuffed into pockets that have yet to be transferred to the laundry basket. Upon entering the gallery in which this particular exhibition is held I find myself instantly transported back to childhood visits to the only museum and gallery in my hometown. Back then one would often be plonked down at tables handed a pair of scissors and told to ‘get making.’ Back in the present, I can see piles of white pottery littering to two waist-high tables (also white) and scattered alongside them are scissors, string and sellotape. I know an arts and crafts situation when I see one! Although here the emphasis is on art, more specifically fine art. Yoko Ono first created this piece in the sixties and it has been shown around the world many times since. Mending Piece 1, from which this current work originates, first appeared in 1966 at the artists first solo show at Indica Gallery in St James’s. Legend has it this was where she first met her husband, John Lennon. On the wall is the simple instruction, “Mend carefully. / Think of mending the world at the same time.” Well, perhaps simple is the wrong word here, the last line certainly requires some deep thought. Evidence of other visitors ‘ careful mending’ is already crammed onto the white shelves which line the white walls. In the sixties, Ono’s aim was to create art that wasn’t designed to be bought and sold but instead to create works that required “concepts, ideas and instructions.” Kintsugi, the Japanese technique of mending broken pottery with gold lacquer, also played a major role in a large number of her works. The process was designed to highlight the broken parts, thus celebrating its imperfections and has been in use for centuries. Nothing so ornate or beautiful is going to be created today, certainly not by me that’s for sure. I reach for my tools, sellotape seems like a good option, and then I carefully select my bits of broken pottery. Fingers are still cold so there’s a lot of fumbling. Did I mend it carefully? Perhaps not by Ono’s standard, I’ve always had a habit of going a bit wild when sellotape is involved (no one can ever get into presents if I’m wrapping them), however when I’m done I feel rather proud of my humble creation. I pop it on the top shelf where there’s still some space left. Has the world been mended? Well, that remains to be seen. Credits Yoko Ono: MEND PIECE for London at the Whitechapel Gallery is open from the 25th of August 2021 to the 2nd of January 2022. For more information visit www.whitechapelgallery.org Designers Yoko Ono Mend Piece 1966/2018 You and I, A4 Arts Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa Photo by: Kyle MorlandIndica Gallery, 6 Mason’s Yard (off Duke Street), St James’s, London, England – Yoko Ono setting up for her first European show. November 1966 Graham Keen / TopFotoIndica Gallery, 6 Mason’s Yard (off Duke Street), St James’s, London, England – Yoko Ono setting up for her first European show. November 1966 Graham Keen / TopFoto About Founded in London in 2016, NR is an independent bi-annual print publication dedicated to showcasing diverse content in the realms of art, culture, design, fashion, music and beyond. Based in Milan since 2021, NR aims at providing in print and online, an archive of features and conversations between emerging and established creatives with a focus on empowering voices. Through the exploration of themes that transcend boundaries, challenge norms, and inspire change, NR aims to elevate the cultural conversation and celebrate the beauty of creativity in all its forms.Creative Director, Publisher and Editor-in-ChiefJade Removille Art DirectionCountersubject Graphic DesignRachele StagniContributing writersNicola BarrettMariana BerezovskaAndrea BrattaEllie BrownMatthew BurgosKayla Curtis-EvansCassidy GeorgeBilly De LucaJuule KayDara KhakpourArielle Lana LeJardeLindsey OkuboLorenzo OttoneJade RemovilleFederico SargentoneSara van Bussel Distribution WhiteCirc Ltd Distribution Enquiriesinfo@nr.world Explore InstagramSoundcloudResident AdvisorArchiveNR 18NR 17NR 16NR 15 StoreContact Stockists Boutique MagsWorld Magazines, SeoulTerminal 27, Los AngelesAssembly, New YorkVillage Books, LeedsVillage Books, ManchesterDover Street Market, LondonGood News, LondonMagCulture, LondonShreeji News, LondonNews & Coffee, BarcelonaOdd Kiosk, BarcelonaIMS, HasseltCowgirl Gallery, MalmöOFR, ParisPalais de Tokyo, ParisRosa Wolf, Berlin Avril50, PhiladelphiaBrot Books, BratislavaDorbeetle, Hangzhou © NR 2022 All Rights ReservedMade with sustainability in mind, nr.world is cleaner than 70% of web pages testedLegal About Founded in London in 2016, NR is an independent bi-annual print publication dedicated to showcasing diverse content in the realms of art, culture, design, fashion, music and beyond. Based in Milan since 2021, NR aims at providing in print and online, an archive of features and conversations between emerging and established creatives with a focus on empowering voices. Through the exploration of themes that transcend boundaries, challenge norms, and inspire change, NR aims to elevate the cultural conversation and celebrate the beauty of creativity in all its forms.Creative Director, Publisher and Editor-in-ChiefJade Removille Art DirectionCountersubject Graphic DesignRachele StagniContributing writersNicola BarrettMariana BerezovskaAndrea BrattaEllie BrownMatthew BurgosKayla Curtis-EvansCassidy GeorgeBilly De LucaJuule KayDara KhakpourArielle Lana LeJardeLindsey OkuboLorenzo OttoneJade RemovilleFederico SargentoneSara van Bussel Distribution WhiteCirc Ltd Distribution Enquiriesinfo@nr.world Explore InstagramSoundcloudResident AdvisorArchiveNR 18NR 17NR 16NR 15 StoreContact Stockists Boutique MagsWorld Magazines, SeoulTerminal 27, Los AngelesAssembly, New YorkVillage Books, LeedsVillage Books, ManchesterDover Street Market, LondonGood News, LondonMagCulture, LondonShreeji News, LondonNews & Coffee, BarcelonaOdd Kiosk, BarcelonaIMS, HasseltCowgirl Gallery, MalmöOFR, ParisPalais de Tokyo, ParisRosa Wolf, Berlin Avril50, PhiladelphiaBrot Books, BratislavaDorbeetle, Hangzhou © NR 2022 All Rights ReservedMade with sustainability in mind, nr.world is cleaner than 70% of web pages testedLegal
