A NEED-TO-KNOW list of the must-see, hear, and read moments in the coming year

Renowned artist and wife of the late John Lennon, Yoko Ono’s artwork is known to elicit intense reactions, her avant-garde paintings, and performance and conceptual art always managing to make strong social statements. Art lovers in the country are thus in for a treat as the legendary artist makes her way to the country this month, to showcase her works for the first time here. Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi, opens OUR BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS, sprsyoko Ono’s solo exhibition, ead across multiple gallery venues, and will include interventions in public spaces in the city, alongside a much-anticipated performance by the artist herself. Wanting for the works and the performance to speak for themselves, Ono reveals little about what one can expect at the show. “The individual title of the main work is called REMEMBER US. The work is a participation piece, for us to heal the lives of the women in our world together,” she says.

The basic premise Ono says she is trying to communicate through her works is about “bringing change to our lives by believing we can”. It thus made sense to do a show in India. “I was thinking about the women in India and wanting to connect with them to heal their pain, when a call came asking me to do my exhibition there,” she says. “So I jumped at the opportunity.” And what does she think of the country itself? “A vast land of deep spiritual thoughts and intelligence, met with material greed and assault from outside,” she summarises crisply. (Jan 13-March 10)