› Articles
Women's Room ReviewYoko Ono's Museum Kampa exhibit, Women's Room, defeats not only art and good taste, but plain sanity.
|
||||||
|
She has been hailed as an avant-garde icon. Someone whose work is "audacious, original and brutally honest". That I will credit her with. Whoever said that must have been an extremely rare polite critic. This one is not. Upon entering Museum Kampa, the visitor is greeted by strips of white tape with the words "YOKO ONO" printed continuously through them, circling each wall. You have to laugh. From a self-proclaimed "serious artist", this was nothing short of PR work of the sort made famous in the hugely successful British sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, a satire on the fashion and art world. You could easily imagine Patsy and Eddie staggering around, bottle of champagne in one hand, cigarette in the other, loudly proclaiming "Bollocks darling! Sheer bloody bollocks!" And most probably making much more derogatory comments about Ono than one would dare print here. Enter the first exhibit and it contains a mere 60 photographs of Yoko Ono. Beautiful black-and-white snapshots they may well be, but why are they there? We are paying to see her work, not to see her or to view someone else’s work. Indeed, these are the only real photographs of any substance throughout the whole exhibition. Yoko with her signature white cap and dark sunglasses in each and every one. The same photos, only from different angles. Beside these are A4 sheets placed at varying angles, proclaiming “IMAGINE PEACE”. But wait, it can only get worse. In the main exhibition room, in between yet more photos of herself, she has scribbled little sentences such as: “This line is a part of a very large circle...”, “This room slowly evaporates each day...”, “This room moves at the same speed as the clouds”! Yet, some of her work is admittedly, quite interesting and revelatory. A Blueprint for the Sunrise (2000), her musical ensemble - and probably the most overlooked piece in her collection - reveals a lot more about Yoko Ono (“Daddy can’t touch me, mummy can’t take me”), than all the other slightly brainless creations; OK, her focus is conceptual photography and she is a master of disengagement, but just how far can conceptual be stretched until there is nothing left? “Wouldn’t it be nice to be a star?” she sings, which is mixed and repeated to great effect. And you could begin to feel quite sorry for her. Life, as we know only too well, has not been the kindest to poor Yoko. She is not poor, but a very clever woman. One who has made the most of her ruffled past, and succeeded on a minimal amount of talent, but a lot of determination. Artists aren’t called controversial for nothing. Think Tracey Emin, Turner Prize or Saatchi Gallery. However, the more you listen to her music, the more it sounds like a cunning and manipulative play for sympathy and understanding, rather than an honest cry from a wounded soul, which, of course, is what she wants us to think. The exhibition ends with four films – Fly, Rape, Cut Piece and Freedom. Rape is the longest piece of film, lasting 77 minutes. It consists of a woman lying motionless on a bed, as flies walk all over her naked body. The most striking thing about the film is the woman’s dark pubic hair and large underarm growth. The picture on the screen remains the same throughout, apart from the movement of the flies, accompanied by the screams/groans/moans of the woman being raped. It is difficult to interpret accurately . From the adjoining room it sounded like a monkey being strangled. Hardly avant-garde and, judging by the quick departure of two other visitors, slightly disturbing. “Flies supplied by New York City, 1970”. The End. Go, and you will leave 120 Kč lighter and with a curious sense of happiness; for here is a woman that puts Stanley Kubrick on a par with Forrest Gump. Women's Room is at Museum Kampa in Kampa Park. More info... The show ends on Febraury 29th. |
Article added on Wed 14th Jan, 2004 [last updated Thu 29th Sep, 2005]Share this page 
|
| COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE | ||
| READ ALL ART AND CULTURE ARTICLES MORE ART AND CULTURE ARTICLES |
|
Interview: Al Di Meola by Frank Kuznik American Jazz Guitarist Added on Fri 11th May, 2012 (Last updated Fri 11th May, 2012) |
|
Cycle to Work Campaign by www.dopracenakole.net Alernative Commuting Added on Mon 16th Apr, 2012 (Last updated Mon 16th Apr, 2012) |
|
Prague Youth Theatre Summer Courses by Prague Youth Theatre Press Release Added on Thu 12th Apr, 2012 |
|
Review: The Eden Game by Sam Beckwith Staged Reading of Havel Play Added on Sun 1st Apr, 2012 (Last updated Mon 23rd Apr, 2012) |
|
Ladies Only by Lucie Kavanová Women-Only Train Compartments Added on Thu 16th Feb, 2012 (Last updated Thu 16th Feb, 2012) |
|
Interview: Jean-Paul Bourelly of the Black Stone Raiders by Frank Kuznik Jazz/Blues Guitarist Added on Tue 7th Feb, 2012 (Last updated Tue 7th Feb, 2012) |
|
In the Name of Havel by Ivana Svobodová Renaming Czech Streets Added on Fri 13th Jan, 2012 (Last updated Fri 13th Jan, 2012) |
|
Steamin' on the Piazzeta by Mary Matz Národní Divadlo Piazzeta Sauna Added on Tue 27th Dec, 2011 (Last updated Tue 27th Dec, 2011) |
|
Commentary: Art and Democracy Sent to Prison by Erik Tabery Roman Týc & Ztohoven Added on Tue 20th Dec, 2011 (Last updated Tue 20th Dec, 2011) |
|
Pacey: Doing It My Way by PTV Staff Paul Pacey Interview Added on Fri 16th Dec, 2011 (Last updated Tue 20th Dec, 2011) |
|
The Nightlife of a Great Yogi by Petr Třešňak Swami Maheshvarananda Sex Scandal Added on Mon 12th Dec, 2011 (Last updated Mon 12th Dec, 2011) |
|
Follow-Up: Who's Afraid of Alexei Zakharov? by Hana Čápová Dolní Olešnice Update Added on Tue 6th Dec, 2011 (Last updated Tue 6th Dec, 2011) |
|
Quiet Revolution by Mary Matz How Ballet is Changing Added on Thu 24th Nov, 2011 (Last updated Thu 24th Nov, 2011) |
|
The Best Prague Blogs in the English Language by Isabella Woods Expat Blogosphere Added on Thu 17th Nov, 2011 (Last updated Thu 17th Nov, 2011) |
|
The Beauty of Dumplings by Lucie Kavanová Knedlíky Láznička Added on Thu 17th Nov, 2011 (Last updated Thu 17th Nov, 2011) |
| READ ALL ART AND CULTURE ARTICLES |
Visit the Art and Culture main page
Find listings, help forums, tips and more
Galeria Harfa
The biggest shopping & administration mall in Prague
Ristorante Soave
La cucina italiana
Century 21
World Leader in Real Estate
MORE ARTICLES
Prague TV Home | Contact | About | FAQ | Site Map | Search | Advertise | Privacy | Terms of Service
Prague TV is a Real Time Production. ©2012 All rights reserved.
