The Reflection Project + Add Color (Refugee Boat)
June 18–29, 2019
The Reflection Project with Yoko Ono
June 18–June 29
Multiple locations across Downtown Manhattan including the Fulton Center, Fosun Plaza, The Oculus at Westfield World Trade Center, the Seaport District and various storefront windows.
New York, NY
Yoko Ono
Add Color (Refugee Boat) (1960/2019)
June 18, 5:30–7pm, Opening Reception
June 19–June 29, 12–8pm
203 Front Street, the Seaport District, New York, NY
Curated by Lili Chopra, Executive Director of Artistic Programs, and Alice Russotti, Program Manager, Public Programs & Exhibitions, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC) presents large-scale public artworks by the artist Yoko Ono as part of the 18th annual River To River Festival, running June 18–29. Comprised of two projects—The Reflection Project and the U.S premiere of Add Color (Refugee Boat)—LMCC will stage the largest public exhibition ever of the artist’s work in Downtown New York in over 20 locations.
The Reflection Project is a visual and mnemonic counterpoint to the relentless pace of the everyday, an invitation to connect passersby to moments of personal, meditative pause through the placement of art in non-traditional spaces. Featuring Yoko Ono as the inaugural artist, The Reflection Project seeks to perform urban acupuncture with large-scale art, stimulating the city’s vast nerve network. Five of the artist’s iconic instructive text works, including IMAGINE PEACE and DREAM, will be exhibited across Lower Manhattan. Each piece is a prompt wherein Ono speaks directly to New Yorkers, rallying the collective consciousness towards heightened awareness, hope and action. LMCC’s Executive Director of Artistic Programs Lili Chopra states, “We are thrilled to present the work of Yoko Ono in the geography of Lower Manhattan. Yoko embodies the values of LMCC and NYC, adapting and powerfully questioning, enigmatic and wise, fluid yet focused. The Reflection Project and Add Color (Refugee Boat) present her work on a scale never before encountered, enabling possibilities of dreaming, imagining, and creating new, shared experiences across the channels of the city.”
Central to the project is LMCC’s partnerships with stakeholders and civic organizations that provided funding and donations of storefront spaces, screens, and other areas for exhibition display. Key points include Fosun Plaza, Fulton Center, The Oculus at Westfield World Trade Center and the Seaport District. Speaking for Alliance for Downtown New York, a major supporter of The Reflection Project, President Jessica Lappin said, “From Nevelson, Dubuffet and Noguchi to Stickymonger and Todd Gray, public art animates the streets of Lower Manhattan. We are proud to support The Reflection Project and to add Yoko Ono’s powerful voice to the chorus of art on display in our vibrant and dynamic neighborhood.”
Launching simultaneously, LMCC presents the U.S. Premiere of Ono’s Add Color (Refugee Boat) (1960/2019), a participatory installation piece shown for the first time in the United States, also on view from June 18–29.
Upon opening, the work comprises of a small boat placed within an empty space. The public will then be invited to paint their thoughts, ideas and hopes on the walls, floor and boat. As the installation progresses, messages will be written in support, contrast and literal obfuscation of one another, moving the space from visual calm to a layered visual chaos—a beautiful sea of color from afar, a restless reality upon closer inspection. Each time Add Color (Refugee Boat) is shown it both shares in the memory of past iterations, reflecting the time, place and people that come together to create it. Add Color has been previously exhibited in Mori, Japan; Thessaloniki, Greece; Leeds, England; and Leipzig, Germany. Housed in a storefront in the Seaport District, LMCC’s NYC installation of Add Color (Refugee Boat) is made possible with generous support from The Howard Hughes Corporation.
Ono commented, “I can’t wait to see The Reflection Project transform Lower Manhattan with my artworks. I hope they make busy New Yorkers stop rushing through their day to Imagine Peace, Remember Love, and Dream. My Add Color (Refugee Boat) will be in the Seaport District, once a center for immigrants, merchants, artisans and workers. Please come add your hopes and beliefs to the boat so that it is created as a reflection of all New York.” Both projects mark the first time that Ono’s works will be displayed on such a wide scale in Lower Manhattan.
About Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono (b. 1933) is a New York-based multi-media artist working in performance, instruction, film, installation, music, and writing. A forerunner in conceptual art involving collaboration, audience participation, and social activism since the early 1960s, Ono challenges viewers’ understanding of art and the world around them. Her influence spans many of the key artistic movements of the late 20th century including Fluxus, conceptual art, video art, and feminism. In addition to her work as a visual artist, Ono is also a musical pioneer, both an accomplished singer and songwriter.
About LMCC
Founded as Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (LMCC), LMCC serves, connects and makes space for artists and community. Since 1973, LMCC has been the quiet champion for independent artists in New York City and the cultural life force of Lower Manhattan.
LMCC Serves Artists through:
–Residencies that enable artists to experiment and develop their work and ideas, with professional development, financial training and networking opportunities
–Grant funding to artists that support local/neighborhood projects
–Presentation opportunities that allow artists to share their work and creative process with the public
LMCC Serves Community through:
–Free public programs in Lower Manhattan that activate neighborhoods and bring people together through performances and rich artistic experiences
–Access to artists and the artmaking process to build connections and dialogue between artists and audiences
–Grant funding for neighborhood arts and community-based organizations
SUPPORTERS:
Major support of The Reflection Project is provided by Alliance for Downtown New York.
A full list of supporters of The Reflection Project is available online at https://lmcc.net/river-to-river-festival/yoko-ono-the-reflection-project/
Add Color (Refugee Boat) is made possible with generous support from The Howard Hughes Corporation.
For press inquiries, please contact:
Chris Schimpf, Sacks & Co.
212-741-1000
chris.schimpf [at] sacksco.com
