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Deborah Kass: OY/YO: Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, Stanford, CA

Current and Forthcoming exhibition
20 December 2019
  • Overview
  • Installation Views
  • Press
Overview
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
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
"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,”

-Deborah Kass

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.





  • Cantor Arts Center
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Installation Views
  • 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
    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
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Press
  • 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
  • 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

Related artist

  • Deborah Kass

    Deborah Kass

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