Performa Arts : Fluxus Weekend

Fluxus Weekend

In the spirit of Fluxus, Performa will produce an intensive 52-hour program across New York City, collaborating with members of the Performa Consortium. A five-part program will be presented in several key Fluxus forms, honoring the history and prompting the making of new Fluxus actions, objects, music, film, and ideas for the twenty-first century. The projects, ranging in size from large events to small-scale gestures, will be concentrated in downtown Manhattan in tribute to Fluxus history, and to George Maciunas and the Fluxus pioneers who lived and worked there.

source: http://11.performa-arts.org/performa-presents/fluxus-weekend

Nobody @ sky

Exhibition at the Stendhal Gallery

Find more videos like this on International Union of Mail-Artists


Dadaland, Fluxus, Mail-Art and Rubber Stamps. Video of the exhibition at the Stendhal Gallery, New York. Curator: John Held Jr. April 15th till May 29th 2010. Video by Ruud Janssen

Fluxus Holland Stamp

D.I.Y - Stendhal Gallery

D.I.Y. at Stendhal Gallery

Stendhal Gallery is pleased to present the exhibition D.I.Y., which will be on view from May 7 through July 25, 2009. Opening Reception: Thursday, May 7, 6 – 8 pm

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 06, 2009 – D.I.Y.
Stendhal Gallery
May 7 – July 25, 2009
Opening Reception: Thursday, May 7, 6 – 8 pm

Stendhal Gallery is pleased to present the exhibition D.I.Y., which will be on view from May 7 through July 25, 2009.

The concept of Do It Yourself began as a philosophy related to the American Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th and early 20th century in which a search for an authentic, meaningful style was carried out as a reaction to the “soulless” aesthetic that developed out of the Industrial Revolution. A DIY subculture soon followed, explicitly critiquing modern consumer culture while encouraging people to take technologies and civic responsibilities into their own hands to solve needs. The exhibition examines how the Fluxus movement of the 1960s applied the DIY philosophy to practice, establishing an interdisciplinary, anti-art approach directed towards bridging the gap between artist community and society. First coined by its charismatic “Chairman” George Maciunas in 1961, Fluxus described a movement with origins in Futurist Theater, silent film, Zen, comedy, Vaudeville, and Dada. The movement aimed to interrupt the rigidly hierarchal, formalist conventions of postwar art and the burgeoning commodity culture of the 1960s. Critical to Fluxus’ DIY objective was a reconstruction of the arts from a context of consumer culture and passive reception to an active culture of engagement. Artists collectively viewed themselves as social catalysts carrying out communal projects that pioneered the exploration of artistic collaboration, ‘intermedia,’ sexual politics, and racial diversity. Fluxus influenced conceptual art, performance art, political art, mail art, minimalism, artists’ books, new music, and mass-produced art. Often viewed as humorous, thrifty, ephemeral, and spontaneous, the featured works reveal a deeper set of utopian ideals in which attributes of Efficiency, Economy, Form and Function could stimulate social change. On view will be works on paper, film, posters, diagrams, maps, charts, and documents by artists George Maciunas, Jonas Mekas, George Brecht, Ben Vautier, Yoko Ono, Paul Sharits, Henry Flynt, Shigeko Kubota, Ken Friedman, Chieko Shiomi, La Monte Young, and Paula Scher.

George Maciunas’ anarchic flair attracted like minds who infused Fluxus with intelligence and wit. Influenced by the ready-made sounds of avant-garde composer John Cage, ready-made objects of Marcel Duchamp, and ready-made actions and gestures of Ben Vautier and George Brecht, Fluxus advocated a ‘concrete art’ derived from daily life. Emphasis shifted from what an artist makes to the artist’s personality, actions, opinions, and theories. A progressive artist/theorist, inventor, and cultural entrepreneur, Maciunas rigorously instilled these views in his graphic work for Fluxus, and visionary architectural projects Prefabricated Building System and Fluxhouse Cooperatives in downtown SoHo, New York. Trained in graphic design and architecture at Cooper Union School of Art, he contributed to the work of many artists in the exhibition with his text and image based designs. He developed a branded identity for Fluxus, defining its copyright, trademark, logos, letterheads, name cards, envelopes, posters, and three-dimensional announcements and displays. Unveiled for the first time will be a never fully realized graphic project by Maciunas. The works are based on medieval illustrations and etchings of cruelty and torture, also on view, revealing his conceptual process. Also presented will be a rare group of works and documents that Maciunas used in Fluxus graphic projects.

Fluxus’ international, interdisciplinary currents reached Japanese born artist Yoko Ono whose conceptual work found inspiration in the teachings of John Cage and Zen. Ono first met Maciunas in 1959 and they formed a creative relationship. They carried out numerous collaborations that continued through her relationship with John Lennon, ending with Maciunas’ untimely passing in 1978. On view for the first time will be Ono’s Grapefruit (1963-64), an ambitious 150-piece collection of instructions composed of type on postcard measuring 7 ¾” x 6 ¼” with handwritten notes. First published as a book in 1964, it is divided into chapters entitled Music, Painting, Event, Object, and Film. Ono’s work posits a major shift from the traditional role of the artist. These Zen-like meditative texts are meant to be performed, and remain incomplete until an outside person (or persons) participates. A milestone in the evolution of conceptual art and performance art, it is the best-known and most widely distributed publication in this genre. Also featured is Do It Yourself Fluxfest (1966), a 20-piece collection conjoining short instructional texts by Ono with Maciunas’ graphic illustrations. First printed in “3 newspaper events for the price of $1,” the No. 7, February 1966 issue of the Fluxus magazine cc V TRE, the compilation underscores the Fluxus idea that anyone can make art. These amusing pieces find meaning in the humorous dialogue that exists between Ono’s instructions and Maciunas’ skillful treatment of text with relation to pictorial motifs.

A 60 piece collection of George Brecht’s groundbreaking “event scores” (c. 1960s) will be on view. Designed by Maciunas, these minimal works consist of words and short instructional phrases printed in black ink type on small white card stock. Influenced by the theories of John Cage, Brecht conceived of his “event scores” as an extension of music culminating in a multi-sensory experience that was open, generative, and undefined, rejecting any possibility of “authorship.” Mediating between language and performance, they are realized in the “readymade” actions of everyday situations, emphasizing the unity of art and life. Maciunas regarded Brecht’s work for its inclusive, antihierarchal, and accessible attributes viewing it as the archetype of Fluxus performance.

The exhibition will also feature Maciunas’ Name Tags (1964-68), playful interpretations of artists’ names including Emmett Williams, Diter Rot, Benjamin Patterson, and Barbara Moore expressed in Fluxus’ signature typography and design. Also on view will be Shigeko Kubota’s Flux Napkins (1965) and Chieko Shiomi’s Spatial Poem no. 2: A Flux Atlas (1968), Fluxus graphic projects produced in collaboration with Maciunas. Screening through out the gallery is a selection of films from Fluxfilm Anthology featuring Paul Sharits’ Word Movie (1966), Sears Catalogue 1-3, Dots 1&3, Wrist Trick, and Unrolling Event and Ben Vautier’s Jen e vois rien Je n’entends rien Jen e dis rien (1966), La traverse du port de Nice á la nage (1963), Fair un effort (1969), Regardez moi cela suffit (1962). Henry Flynt’s pamphlet Communists Must Give Revolutionary Leadership in Culture (1965) makes a systematic evaluation of the political and social implications of contemporary design and its effects on culture spanning areas such as architecture, music, cars, and film. Also featured will be a rarely exhibited selection of works on paper by Paula Scher, an artist who has wholly extended her role to the political and social spheres – she designed the “O” banner in support of the 2008 presidential campaign, and is an active member of the Art Commission of the City of New York. D.I.Y. will be accompanied with an original essay by Fluxus artist and scholar Ken Friedman.

D.I.Y. marks the 31st anniversary of George Maciunas’ passing. The exhibition has been organized and produced by Harry Stendhal.

For further information please contact:

Stendhal Gallery 545 West 20th St. New York, NY 10011
T 212.366.1549 F 347.287.6775 email gallery@mayastendhalgallery.com
http://www.mayastendhalgallery.com/ http://www.jonasmekas.com/ http://www.paulascher.com/ http://www.georgemaciunas.com/

Queens Library Gallery : Transmit

These are the invitation and the first pages of a catalogue of the exhibition TRANSMIT held in 1999 at the Queens Library Gallery in New York. The theme: Fluxus, Mail-Art, Networks.

Yoko Ono at 75 admits it: she's a witch

Yoko Ono at 75 admits it: she's a witch

Monday Feb 18 15:34 AEDT

Yoko Ono doesn't have it easy. Even today, hardcore Beatles fans still blame her for the break-up of the band considered by many to be the best pop group of all time shortly after her marriage to John Lennon nearly 40 years ago.

She's been berated as the evil witch in the Beatles fairy tale and as a woman who was only after riches when she married the legendary singer and songwriter whom many consider the Beatles' heart and soul.

Ono doesn't seem bothered by the accusations. To the contrary, she plays along. Last year, she brought out a remix album of old songs entitled Yes, I'm a Witch. She says she considers all women witches and all witches magical beings. Women shouldn't be ashamed of that, says Ono, who turned 75 on Monday.

Petite, lively and bursting with energy, Ono has not lost her provocative nature. Ono, who came from a wealthy Japanese banking family, continues to work tirelessly as an artist, author, filmmaker, singer, composer, feminist and pacifist.

But Lennon remains the reference point of her life. She still lives in the New York City apartment where they were residing when Lennon was gunned down in December 8, 1980, at the age of 40. Ono was present when the gunman, Mark David Chapman, a one-time fan, shot Lennon five times. A photo of Lennon's broken, blood-splattered glasses appeared on the cover of her 1981 album, Season of Glass.

The apartment has become Ono's refuge. She says it is significant to her because it is the place that she and Lennon shared.

The two met in 1966 at an art exhibit opening in London and later began a productive artistic relationship.

They married in Gibraltar on March 20, 1969. During their honeymoon, they stayed in their hotel bed for a week, declaring the action a "bed-in for peace" at a time when the anti-Vietnam War movement of the 1960s was climaxing.

They collaborated on a mix of rock and experimental music in the Plastic Ono Band, and the single Give Peace a Chance in 1969 became a pacifist anthem. Shortly after that, the Beatles broke up.

Lennon best expressed his love for Ono, who was seven years his senior, in the song Ballad of John and Yoko. But the relationship also had difficulties.

After a two-year separation, the birth of their son, Sean, in 1975 helped create a new feeling of family togetherness. Lennon stayed home with the child while Ono organised and directed his empire, something she is still doing today with great success.

Lennon once said Ono was the most famous unknown artist in the world. Everyone knows her name, he said, but no one knows what she does.

Before meeting Lennon, Ono had established herself as an avant garde concept artist in New York. In 1962, for example, she staged the Wall Piece for Orchestra, in which she continually banged her head on the stage to musical sounds, and her 80-minute film Bottoms, released in 1966, showed 365 naked back sides as a petition against the Vietnam War.

She marked the millennium with a piece called Freight Train, in which she rolled the wagon of a train pocked by 4,000 bullet holes into Berlin in a reference to a millennium of violence.

source: http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=172609