Advertisement

Yoko Ono Talks Art, Life And The Pursuit Of Perfection

Yoko Ono.
Yoko Ono.

Yoko Ono.

What was the first piece of art that touched you and why?

Van Gogh. I like the way he depicted life honestly as he saw.

You talk directly to the viewer in your work, ‘Telephone in Amaze’ [Yoko periodically rings a telephone and speaks to whoever answers]. What will you tell them?
I just answer to what they say.

Your work reflects a belief in the ability of individuals to work together to create change. What personal experiences have reaffirmed this belief?
There was no personal experience that reaffirmed this belief. I am just hoping to be able to work together to create a positive change.

How has growing older changed your approach to life and to art?
It's getting to be more enjoyable.

Do you think women are still subject to the same expectations today as they were in the 60s? What has changed?
There is very little change yet, you know. There are so many women in the world who are still suffering the unsufferable.

According to Yeats, “One must choose between perfection of the life and perfection of the work”. Do you agree?
Perfection does not exist in either of them. That's why it's fun. Perfection, if we get it, is death.

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement?
That I'm staying alive.

War is Over (if you want it) is on at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, 15 November, 2013 – 23 February, 2014.

RELATED:
John Lennon: the legend shaped by the women he loved