In 1964, Yoko Ono self-published an anthology of “instructions” entitled Grapefruit.

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The work gave guidance on staging specific acts or visualizing certain scenes, all to radically empower readers to create—or become—an artwork.

The unusual text also helped inspire one of the greatest songs of all time.

A new retrospective dedicated to Ono at Tate Modern, “YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND,” highlights her provocative, if often overlooked, artistic perspective. Whether staging a peaceful sit-in or being disrobed with scissors by an audience, Ono has asked us to imagine and participate together. Individual acts can lead to collective action Ono argues in her art.

Grapefruit, written between 1953 and 1963, was itself a groundbreaking work of conceptual thinking from the Japanese-American artist, one emblematic of the postmodern shifts from traditional notions of art. It featured so-called “scores” outlining directives—such as “Painting to be stepped on” and “Painting to be constructed in your head”—for readers to then enact. Ono’s final product was uniquely placed in an individual’s hands or dreamy imagination.

The unconventional book also shaped one of the most celebrated popular songs of all time: “Imagine.” Famed Beatle John Lennon (1940–1980) told the BBC in 1980 that “Imagine” was inspired by it:

Actually, that should be credited as a Lennon-Ono song because a lot of it—the lyric and the concept—came from Yoko. But those days I … omitted to mention........

© Observer