Yoko Ono’s TO THE LIGHT was presented in London

21.06.2012

The Serpentine Gallery is presenting a major exhibition of Yoko Ono's work TO THE LIGHT, her first show in a London public institution for more than a decade. Consisting of new and existing works, including some that have rarely been shown in the UK, Ono presents a selection of installations and films.

Ceiling Painting

Ono's continuing interest in the relationship between the roles of artist and viewer is evident throughout the exhibition. A number of works in TO THE LIGHT position both artist and viewer as agents of change. For example, a series of instruction pieces written especially for the Serpentine Gallery can be completed physically or mentally by the viewer, while the large-scale installation AMAZE transforms the viewer from the observer to the observed.

Helmets

An important part of the exhibition is #smilesfilm, a large-scale participatory project that records people's smiles to create a global anthology of portraits. Yoko Ono made a video to encourage people to participate. Everyone could upload and send images of their smiles by hash-tagging #smilesfilm in Twitter or Instagram and became a part of the project. Now there are more than 1,500 smiles at the project site.

Play It By Trust

Working as an artist, film-maker, poet, musician, writer, performance artist and peace activist for over five decades, Yoko Ono has influenced generations of artists and received numerous prestigious awards. In her prolific career, she has embraced a wide range of media, defying traditional boundaries and creating new forms of artistic expression. Born in 1933 in Tokyo, she is a pioneer of conceptual art and her work has been presented internationally in major exhibitions and performances.

Smile

TO THE LIGHT at the Serpentine Gallery is part of the London 2012 Festival, a spectacular 12-week UK-wide celebration featuring internationally-renowned artists from Midsummer's Day on 21 June to the final day of the Paralympic Games on 9 September 2012.