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Deborah Kass, OY/YO at the Weitzman: Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History

Current and Forthcoming exhibition
1 May 2022 - 1 May 2023
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Overview
Installation view, Deborah Kass, OY/YO 2022. Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia, PA.
Installation view, Deborah Kass, OY/YO 2022. Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia, PA.

“I created OY/YO thinking about the American promise of equality and fairness and our responsibilities to make the country a better place for all,” says Kass. “With hate and division now on the rise, it is urgent to see our commonalities, what we share, and what brings us together.”

 

 

Beginning on Saturday, April 30th, Brooklyn-based artist Deborah Kass’ monumental “OY/YO” sculpture will open on the grounds of the Weitzman, at 5th and Market Streets on Independence Mall, for the next 12 months. The bright yellow aluminum statue is creative word play using just two letters, with several meanings. One side says “YO,” referencing the attention-getting phrase used throughout Philly, as well as “I” in Spanish, while the other side reads “OY,” a popular Yiddish phrase used in Jewish and American culture.

 

At 8-feet tall, 16-feet wide, and 5-feet deep, “OY” will become part of Old City’s cultural fabric and a destination for tourists and locals alike. Kass first created “OY” as a painting in 2011 and, in 2015, turned it into a sculpture that sat in New York’s Brooklyn Bridge Park in 2015.

 

“I created OY/YO thinking about the American promise of equality and fairness and our responsibilities to make the country a better place for all,” says Kass. “With hate and division now on the rise, it is urgent to see our commonalities, what we share, and what brings us together.”

  • Weitzman National Museum of Jewish American History
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Installation Views
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Videos
  • YO/OY artist Deborah Kass views new Old City installment

    YO/OY artist Deborah Kass views new Old City installment

    FOX 29 News Read more
  • Deborah Kass: New Sculpture Set To Be Installed Outside Philly’s Weitzman National Museum Of American Jewish History

    Deborah Kass: New Sculpture Set To Be Installed Outside Philly’s Weitzman National Museum Of American Jewish History

    CBS Philly Read more
Press
  • Deborah Kass’s OY/YO in front of the Weitzman / Photograph by Jessi Melcer. Courtesy of Philadelphia Magazine.

    Deborah Kass: Of Teacups, Shared Trauma and Shared Destiny: Reflections on the Weitzman’s Reopening

    Laura Swartz, Philadelphia Magazine, May 12, 2022
  • The new sculpture outside the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History isn't just a two-letter message — it's two words, depending on what side you view it from. Photo courtesy of John McDevitt & KYW Newsradio.

    Deborah Kass: New outdoor sculpture has literal double meaning

    John McDevitt, KYW Newsradio, May 3, 2022
  • Courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirier and Tom Gralish.

    YO - or OY - sculpture put in its place on Independence Mall

    Tom Gralish, The Philadelphia Inquirer, May 2, 2022
  • Installation view, Deborah Kass, OY/YO 2022. Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia, PA.

    Deborah Kass: 55 Things to Do in Philadelphia This Weekend

    Patrick Rapa, Philadelphia Magazine, April 30, 2022
  • Deborah Kass, OY/YO, 2020. Acrylic polyurethane aluminum on stainless steel base (can be outdoor), 37 x 73 x 19 1/2 in.

    Deborah Kass: Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History reopening after 2 years

    Laura Smythe, Philadelphia Business Journal , April 25, 2022
  • A rendering of the Deborah Kass' "OY/YO" sculpture in Philadelphia. Courtesy of Barry Halkin

    Deborah Kass: "OY/YO" sculpture coming to Philadelphia

    Mike D'Onofrio, Axios Philadelphia , April 21, 2022
  • Rendering of the OY YO art installation coming soon to 5th and Market Streets, Philadelphia. The art is the creation of Deborah Kass and is being installed on loan for at least a year by the Weitzman National Museum of Jewish History. Image courtesy of Deborah Kass & Barry Halkin

    Deborah Kass: A new shtick for Philly

    Frank Kummer, The Philadelphia Inquirer , April 19, 2022
  • Rendering of OY/YO, a sculpture by Deborah Kass. Courtesy of the artist and Kavi Gupta gallery.

    OY/YO Sculpture Coming To Philly

    A.A. Cristi, Broadway World, April 18, 2022
  • Installation view, Deborah Kass, OY/YO 2022. Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia, PA.

    Deborah Kass: Popular 'OY/YO' sculpture to be displayed near Independence Mall for one year

    Michael Tanenbaum, Philly Voice, April 18, 2022
  • Gavin Gong, 4 (left) poses for a photo on Deborah Kass’ “Oy/Yo” sculpture outside the Cantor Arts Center in Palo Alto. Photo: Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

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

    Sam Whiting, San Francisco Chronicle, January 13, 2020
  • Deborah Kass, OY/YO, 2015 (courtesy the artist and Kavi Gupta gallery)

    Does this Brooklyn sculpture say "OY?" Or is it saying "YO?"

    Erin Blakemore, Smithsonian Magazine, November 13, 2015
Events
  • OY/YO | Conversation with Deborah Kass and Thom Collins

    OY/YO | Conversation with Deborah Kass and Thom Collins

    Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia, PA 27 Oct 2022
    After several months and thousands of selfies since the installation of the monumental OY/YO sculpture at The Weitzman, the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History os excited to welcome the artist and creator back to the Museum for a special program. Brooklyn-based artist Deborah Kass will sit down with her friend Thom Collins, Neubauer Family Executive Director and President of the Barnes Foundation, in the Weitzman’s Dell Theatre. Kass and Collins will discuss the roles of art on the streets, in civic life, and protest- here in Philadelphia and...
    Read more

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  • Deborah Kass

    Deborah Kass

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