Visitors are invited to participate in an interactive installation by world-famous artist, musician and activist Yoko Ono. MEND PIECE for London begins with a set of simple instructions: ‘Mend carefully. / Think of mending the world at the same time.’
On entering Galleries 5 and 6, take a seat at a table on which are placed broken fragments of ceramic cups and saucers and some simple materials for repair – scissors, glue, twine and tape. When you have finished ‘mending’, you can display the results of your efforts along the shelves on the walls.
Ono first presented this work as Mending Piece I at her 1966 solo exhibition at Indica Gallery, London, a renowned centre for countercultural art. Titled Yoko at Indica: Unfinished Paintings and Objects, almost every work in the exhibition was designed to be completed through the actions of visitors. Such instruction-based works established Ono as an important figure in the development of both Fluxus and Conceptual art. Her extensive career has since spanned performance, writing, visual art, experimental music and film. A commitment to participation and collaboration has also informed ongoing and tireless campaigns for peace and non-violence.
MEND PIECE for London draws on the Japanese tradition of kintsugi, the art of repairing broken pottery using lacquer mixed with precious metals such as gold and silver. The process nurtures breakage as an important part of an object’s history, rather than seeking to disguise it. In this artwork, the physical act of repair becomes a timely metaphor for a different kind of mending which takes place in the mind and through community.
| Duration | 25 August 2021 - 02 January 2022 |
| Times | Tuesday-Sunday 11am-6pm Thursday until 9pm |
| Cost | Free |
| Venue | Whitechapel Gallery |
| Address | 77-82 Whitechapel High Street, London, E1 7QX |
| Contact | / info@whitechapelgallery.org / www.whitechapelgallery.org |