Ay-O
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ay-O is a Japanese-born artist who has been associated with Fluxus since its beginnings in the 1960s. Ay-O was introduced to George Maciunas by Yoko Ono in 1961 and formally joined Maciunas in Fluxus in 1963. Ay-O was known for his Finger Boxes and for his performance events when he was active in Fluxus. He worked closely with fellow Fluxus artists, George Maciunas, Emmett Williams, Dick Higgins and Nam June Paik.
Ay-O has established a reputation in the avant gardes of Japan, Europe and the United States. In Japan, he is known as the "Rainbow Man" for his use of colorful, rainbow-striped motifs in his artwork. 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 not been active internationally in recent years, and biographical information is scarce. He last exhibited internationally at the Emily Harvey Gallery in 1996. His last major project in English was a Collective Portrait of George Maciuanas, that he co-edited with Emmett Williams and Ann Noel.
[edit] Publications
- Mr. Fluxus: A Collective Portrait of George Maciunas 1931-1978, Thames & Hudson, 1998
- Niji: Ai O hanga zen sakuhinshu, 1954-1979, Published in English by Sobunsha
- Ouzel, Chikumasyobo Publishing, 1978
[edit] References
- Hannah Higgins, Fluxus Experience, University of California Press, 2002
- Owen Smith, Fluxus: The History of an Attitude, San Diego State University Press, 1999
- Midori Yoshimoto Into Performance: Japanese Women Artists In New York, p41, Rutgers University Press, 2005
[edit] External links
- Ay-O at Emily Harvey Gallery
- Ay-O in the Fluxus Archives, includes work examples
 |
This artist-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
