Stanford University
Outdoor Sculpture

Deborah Kass: OY/YO

December 20, 2019–Ongoing

A yellow sculpture with the oversized letters Y and O

Deborah Kass, (U.S.A., b. 1952), OY/YO, 2019. Aluminum, polymer and clear coat, 96 x 194½ x 52 in. Installation view at the Cantor Arts Center. Gift of Debi and Steven Wisch and the Rehmus Family. Photo by Farrin Abbott

Museum Entrance

 

Brooklyn-based painter, printmaker and sculptor Deborah Kass is known for working at the intersection of art history, popular culture and identity -- particularly related to Jewish culture and elements of difference – all three of which come together in OY/YO. Commissioned in 2019, OY/YO greets visitors to the Cantor at its front entrance.

OY/YO explores the combination of imagery and language: “oy,” as in “oy vey,” is a Yiddish term of fatigue, resignation or woe; “yo,” is a greeting associated with African American slang. In addition, “yo” in Spanish means “I.” Each usage has been co-opted in popular culture. “The fact that this particular work resonates so beautifully in so many languages to so many communities is why I wanted to make it monumental,” Kass told the New York Times.

Visitors are encouraged to take pictures of OY/YO, share on social media, and tag @cantorarts.

 

 

Say hello to OY/YO!

OY/YO in the News

Stanford has a new yellow social media magnet.

‘YO’: Stanford has a new, bright-yellow social media magnet

Read the SF Chronicle's Datebook review of OY/YO. By Sam Whiting.

Saying hello to OY/YO at Cantor Arts Center

Read the Stanford Report news piece on Deborah Kass monumental sculpture.