Ono's cut: a live performance sparks debate on art's vulnerability
Los Angeles – Yoko Ono’s groundbreaking performance art piece, ‘Cut Piece,’ is about to be resurrected, not as a static image in a gallery, but as a visceral, live event at the Redcat Theatre. This isn’t a mere re-staging; it’s a reckoning with the work’s inherent risk – the complete exposure of the artist to the unpredictable whims of her audience.
A spectacle of raw vulnerability
The Broad museum’s retrospective, ‘Music of the Mind,’ features a haunting projection of the 1964 Carnegie Hall performance, where Ono sat motionless as strangers wielded scissors, dismantling her clothing. But the museum is doubling down, staging two performances on July 17th and 18th, entrusted to Los Angeles artist MPA. It’s a bold move, prompting a critical examination of how a piece so deeply rooted in vulnerability translates to a contemporary context.
“Looking at documentation of Cut Piece in the gallery, we are a step removed,” notes Sarah Loyer, curator at The Broad. “The immediacy of the live experience will undoubtedly shift the dynamic.”
The artist's apprehension
MPA, a seasoned artist known for her politically charged work exploring the intersection of the body and power, acknowledges a distinct unease. “I’m not scared of having scissors near me,” she states bluntly. “My concern is about the piece’s relevance – can it still cut through the noise?” She paused, considering, “Will it just be a hollow echo of the original, a re-enactment without the sting?”
Connor Monahan, Ono’s studio director since 2008, cautions against viewing these performances as mere reproductions. “Every presentation is a new performance,” he explains, “defined by the specific context – the audience, the time, the place. Ono didn’t intend for it to be fixed.” He highlights the piece’s inherent complexity: a meditation on audience participation, hesitation, and the unpredictable nature of human response. The instructions remain the same – the people and circumstances never do.
Evolving with time
Researching the work, MPA discovered that Ono’s relationship with ‘Cut Piece’ itself evolved dramatically. Initial anger at the objectification of women’s bodies transformed into a gesture of peace. “Initially, Yoko created the piece out of anger for the treatment of women’s bodies,” she recalled. “This time I do it with love for you, for me, and for the world.”
The choice of attire – garments by Victor Barragán and Aliona Kononova, both known for their engagement with war and state violence – underscores this evolution. MPA is meticulously preparing, meditating and walking, drawing on her experience in figure modeling to achieve the stillness required. The potential for a provocative moment – perhaps a stray snip at her ponytail – remains a subtle, persistent worry. But her fear is largely tempered by Ono’s own unwavering composure, a demonstration of the power inherent in wordless presence.
Beyond the scissors
“There really is such a potency in remaining wordless and having such a commanding presence,” MPA reflects. “It reaffirms for me within live art what our power is.” The performance, a “total offering” to the audience, establishes a precedent of openness, inviting a direct confrontation with the piece’s core themes. It’s a reminder that ‘Cut Piece’ isn’t just about scissors; it’s about the choices we make, the hesitations we hold, and the ways we respond to one another – a potent and unsettling reflection of humanity itself.