Two limited editions by Yoko Ono were created especially for the n.b.k. editions program, on the occasion of her two-part n.b.k. Billboard series in the urban space of Berlin (intersection Friedrichstrasse / Torstrasse, within walking distance of Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k.), titled FLY (September 11, 2024 – February 23, 2025) and TOUCH (March 2 – August 31, 2025).

Essential to Ono’s work is her experimental approach to language and conceptual use of scores and instructions, as her strong belief in the power of thought, action, and words to create peace. The artist’s billboard campaigns since the 1960s are reminiscent of her instructions on a formal and conceptual level. Written in minimalistic language and with clear messages, they invite active participation – IMAGINE PEACE; DREAM; War is over! If you want it!

The word TOUCH – similar to FLY – functions as a conceptual key, as a „seed“ in her work and serves as the starting point for several pieces in different mediums as performances, texts, poetry, music and instructions.

Yoko Ono (*1933 in Tokyo, lives and works in New York) has received numerous accolades, including the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Biennale (2009), the International Human Rights Award Dr. Rainer Hildebrandt Medal (2012), and the Oskar Kokoschka Prize (2012). Her work has been exhibited at the Gropius Bau, Berlin; Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin (both 2025); Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf (2024); Tate Modern, London (2024); Nobel Peace Center, Oslo (2023); CIRCA/Serpentine (2022); Museum der bildenden Künste Leipzig (2019); and the Museum of Modern Art, New York (2015), among other venues.