In 1961, Yoko Ono dedicated one of her well-known screaming pieces to performance artist Simone Forti, who died in Los Angeles last week. That same year, Forti presented Five Dance Constructions and Some Other Things in Ono’s Manhattan loft. Separated by only two years in age, with Ono the elder, the two artists shared a great deal in common.
In a never-before-published conversation with scholar and curator Julia Bryan-Wilson, Forti looks back on her connection with Ono, her thoughts on aging, and the arc of her career over the decades. As always, she speaks with characteristic charm and humility.
In the news, police arrested 16 protesters who carried portraits of people killed by ICE agents in a US Senate building. Also in DC, seven Smithsonian museums closed after a faulty cooling system caused disruptions.
Also today: Artist Anna Boghiguian discusses her woven tapestries exploring Armenia’s natural history, an artist has been commissioned to reimagine Frieze London’s restrooms, and the harp is hot again. Read our weekly columns Art Movements and Required Reading for more. Happy Friday!
—Hakim Bishara, editor-in-chief
