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Art Reviews |
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Strange Fruit
Yoko Ono’s “Grapefruits” performed live at Capitol Hill Arts Center
Seattle School members Korby Sears, Ben Houge and Mike Min
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Before John Lennon ever set foot on this continent, Yoko Ono was already a rock star. She was challenging the boundaries between performance, music composition, audience and concept-driven visual art when Americans were still saying, “The Beatles? Lennon?” Given the parallels between the social climate of the 1960s and today, it’s not surprising that Ono’s works from this period represent her recognizable oeuvre, as much for their reckless requests of audience compliance as for the way in which she circumvents social protocol to cast her pieces into a larger human experience of sound, physicality and the unscripted passage of time.
Ono’s early conceptual work (1960-66) has enjoyed a re-enchantment in the last few years. As our visual culture sets itself in uncategorizable realms, many interdisciplinary artists are contextualizing their explorations in the history of performance art as established by Fluxus artists such as George Maciunas, John Cage and Ono herself. It was this root-tracing that brought Seattle School, a local performance group piloted by composers Ben Houge, Mike Min, Korby Sears, and Guy Whitmore, to a set of loosely-defined scores Ono published in 1964 as an art book titled “Grapefruits.
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Seattle School member Korby Sears feels a kinship with Ono through “Grapefruits,” because, he says, “these works often involve discipline, confrontation, humiliation, endurance and surprise revelations of emotions that the audience didn’t realize they harbored, often splitting the audience in two. And yet there is always a Zen vaudeville humor that never fails to lead to haunting moments of lucidity after the guaranteed belly laugh.” You may remember Seattle School from their renegade performance “Fear, Karaoke, Discipline and Paintball” at Polestar back in November and the more recent “HUNG,” which debuted at Consolidated Works on March 18.
With the blessing of Ono herself, the help of her archivist Jon Hendricks and a cast of twenty performers, Seattle School will manifest their desire to offer an experiential witnessing of Ono’s “Grapefruits,” as well as construct yet another participatory performance for local audiences. “Grapefruits,” as curated by the Seattle School, will include “Cut Piece” (1961), “Sky Piece for Jesus Christ” (1965), “The Pulse for Chamber Music” (1962) and “Bag Piece” (1964) among others. “Grapefruits” will be performed at the Capitol Hill Arts Center on April 7, 2004 as a benefit for the CHAC Community Development Program. Here’s your chance to write Ono a note in grapefruit juice. The show starts at 8pm. $10 suggested donation. —Tania Kupczak
More information at seattleschool.net and capitolhillarts.com. |
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Another Look: Frye Viewpoints
Frye Art Museum, 704 Terry Ave, Seattle,
through May 2
Though the Frye’s curatorial outlook can be, at times, somewhat conventional and conservative, it almost unfailingly attempts to situate itself on the side of high art. “Another Look,” culled from the museum’s own collection, proves that this can be a good thing indeed. With emphasis on variety and technique, this exhibit gives a surprising overview through a relatively small sampling of works. From the masterly iconography of Odd Nerdrum and the exceptional realism of Steven Assael to the haunting work of Tim Lowly and the almost surreal arrangement of George Fischer’s “Cherry Pie,” this show considers almost every aspect of representational art. It’s also free, so one could do a lot worse in search of “accessible” art that’s also thought-provoking and somewhat challenging. —Kristopher Monroe
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Corrie Greening: Numerosity
Capitol Hill Arts Center, 1621 12th Ave, Seattle, through April 30
Corrie Greening’s four pieces that make up “Numerosity”—specifically designed to suit the lower-level bar of the Capitol Hill Arts Center—invite the viewer to take part not only in the art but also in the process of construction. The works are truly not complete until the audience makes them their own. Stretching the limitations of fine art, Greening allows spectators to touch the pieces and even change their color and order. This is done in a genuine effort to let the audience satisfy their own artistic needs. Overall, these installations feel a bit like shopping (if you don’t like it in blue, you can have it in red!). On one hand, they act as a mirror statement for consumer culture’s emphasis on options. On the other, they act as the ultimate middle finger to the hawk-eyed museum security guard that dared you to put your grubby mitts on that priceless work. —Brian J. Baar
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Larger Than Life Heroes:
Prints of Sumo Wrestling
from The Donn F. Draeger Collection,
Seattle Asian Art Museum, 1400 E Prospect St,
Seattle, through August 29
Culled predominantly from the Edo Period (1615-1868), this collection of woodblock prints marks Sumo wrestling’s rise in popularity in Japanese culture. Through its use as a political fundraiser, Sumo wrestling gained widespread attention during this time and ushered in what has become known as Japan’s premier modern-day sporting event. These prints rely heavily on powerful composition and dynamic lines, reflecting not only the ominous strength of the wrestlers, but also the iconic nature of these men. With dominant emphasis on the individual and alluring color, the prints draw a strong parallel to comic book superheroes. The difference here is these guys were for real. —BJB
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"Tsurutaki and Kajgahama with eshomawashi apromn" at SAAM |
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