Instruction Paintings

In order to propose further research into non-Western avant-gardes and modernist narratives, this paper explores the contributions of Japanese-American artist Yoko Ono to our understanding of the narratives of modernism and contemporary art. Ono’s work is examined through her interactions with both Japanese and American avant-garde artists and philosophies, thus using Ono’s life and work as one potential case study in demonstrating the important dialog between East and West which manifested into several important avant-garde movements and artworks. My paper further seeks to complicate the traditional Western-centric narratives of art history by acknowledging intersectional readings of works and artists’ histories, by looking at Ono’s unique experience as a Japanese woman living in America, eventually marrying a pop singer whose fame would affect her public image for decades.