Ay-O: Some Hanging Pieces No. 10, Object Mandala
September 26 - November 2, l996 Opening Thursday, September 26, 6:00 - 8:00 Emily Harvey Gallery is pleased to present "Some Hanging Pieces No. 10, Object Mandala" a new installation by Fluxus artist Ay-O. The exhibition will open Thursday, September 26 and continue through November 2, l996. This project is the tenth in a series of hanging installations that were not originally conceived as a series. Ay-O created his first hanging installation, "Rainbow Streamer," for Charlotte Moorman's 5th Annual Avant Garde Festival in l967. Subsequent installations included "Rainbow Laundry," a clothesline complete with laundry which was hung between the two towers of the World Trade Center in l977 for 13th Annual Avant Garde Festival and "Transparent Flag," an installation of 21 transparent flags around the perimeter of the New York Passenger Ship terminal in l980 for the last Annual Avant Garde Festival. In l993, for his 9th such installation, Ay-O filled the Emily Harvey Gallery with clotheslines hung with his own clothing and that of his art world friends & family. In "Object Mandala," Ay-O suspends over 225 everyday objects in a grid-like plane--just out of reach, above the viewers' heads--transforming the gallery into a virtual universe of objects. These familiar objects, hanging like some kind of secular ex-votos, transcend reality. They are, in fact, reality formally removed from the real. The objects assume a new, ambiguous meaning for the viewer to contemplate. Ay-O is one of the few artists of his generation who have established themselves in both Europe and the United States. In Japan, he is known as the legendary "Rainbow Man" for the familiar multi-colored, rainbow-striped motifs of his prints, paintings and sculptures. One of the leading Japanese-born modern artists of the postwar period, Ay-O represented Japan at the Venice Biennale in l966 and at the Sao Paolo Biennale in l971. He also built the famed "Tactile Rainbow" at the Osaka World's Fair in l970. Ay-O has been a vital member of the international Fluxus group since it began over three decades ago. His "Finger Box" series became an icon of Fluxus exhibitions and his performance events provided some of the most memorable images of the Fluxus festivals and concerts. Working with colleagues such as George Maciunas, Emmett Williams, Dick Higgins and Nam June Paik, Ay-O has helped to create a revolution in the aesthetic consciousness of our time.
Press Release: September 15, 1996
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