Inspire

July 17, 2020

This week brings two very different sets of instructions. For those of you who have been following the #GrapefruitAtHome challenge from the beginning, you may notice that this is the second Clock Piece we have selected, although the instructions themselves are different. Yoko Ono often used the same title for multiple pieces, not seeing them necessarily as exclusive to one over the other. Ono’s titles were typically straightforward, so if the work involved a clock or passing of time, it would likely be titled Clock Piece.

Yoko Ono’s Painting to Be Stepped On is an iconic early work that questioned what a painting could be. She wrote these instructions and completed this work in her infamous Chambers Street Loft between 1960 and 1961, where she hosted a series of experimental performances by artists, dancers, musicians, and composers. In 1961, Fluxus founder George Maciunas offered Yoko Ono her first solo show in AG Gallery. To create Painting to Be Stepped On, Ono found some canvas at an Army surplus shop and then took it to her loft. Instead of stretching the canvas, she cut out pieces and decided what remained would be Painting to Be Stepped On. For the show, she placed it on the ground and included her written instructions.

Yoko Ono. Painting to Be Stepped On, 1960/1961. Installation view, Paintings & Drawings by Yoko Ono, AG Gallery, New York, July 17–30, 1961. Photo: George Maciunas. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The Gilbert and Lila Silverman Fluxus Collection Gift, 2008. © 2015 George Maciunas

So, we challenge you to create your own Painting to Be Stepped On and share it with us!

Here are your #GrapefruitAtHome challenges for this week:

Challenge 1: Yoko Ono, Painting to Be Stepped On, 1960.
Challenge 2: Yoko Ono, Clock Piece, 1963.

Catch up on previous #GrapefruitAtHome challenge instructions.

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