Growing Freedom: The Instructions of Yoko Ono / The Art of John and Yoko

Yoko Ono is a leading experimental and avant-garde artist. In Tokyo during the 1950s, she introduced original questions about the concept of art and the art object, breaking down the traditional boundaries between branches of art. She has since been associated with conceptual art, performance, Fluxus, and 1960s happenings—one of the few women to participate in these movements. Through her performances and activism, she created a new kind of relationship with both spectators and fellow artists—including her late husband, John Lennon—by inviting them to play an active part in the creative process. In addition, her influence brings together Eastern and Western cultures, which extend and strengthen each other in continuous innovation.

Inspired by the spirit of the revolutionary pocketbook, this publication features installation views from the exhibition, some never before published photos, and essays by co-curators Gunnar B. Kvaran and Cheryl Sim as well as Caroline Andrieux, Naoko Seki, and a foreword by Monika Kin Gagnon. They then present the collaborative projects for peace undertaken by Ono and Lennon, including the Acorn project, the War is Over peace campaign, and their Bed In projects, which took place fifty years ago. Ultimately, Yoko Ono seeks to impart the artist’s massive impact on contemporary art practices, art reception, and activism through art.

This publication was produced on the occasion of LIBERTÉ CONQUÉRANTE/GROWING FREEDOM: The Instructions of Yoko Ono and the Art of John and Yoko on view at the Vancouver Art Gallery October 9, 2021 - May 1, 2022.

Foreword by Monika Kin Gagnon
Contributions by Gunnar B. Kvaran and Cheryl Sim, Caroline Andrieux, Naoko Seki