Deborah Kass (American, born 1952). <em>OY/YO</em>, 2015. Pigment, aluminum, 96 × 195 × 54 1/2 in. (243.8 × 495.3 × 138.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchase gift of Glori and Meir Cohen, Janet and James Dicke, II, Bonnie S. Englebardt Lautenberg, Steven Gombinski and Yvette Costas, Brenda Goodman, Deborah Goodman Davis and Gerald Davis, Francis Greenberger, Deborah Kass, Ellen Kern, Injoa Kim, Alice Kosmin, Mark Looney, Martha Macks-Kahn, Hilarie and Mitch Morgan, Helen and Jim Neuberger, Arthur Roger, Jonathan Rosen, Regina Scully, A.G. Rosen and Debi Sonzogni, Daryl and Steven Roth, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Rob Storr, Sara and Michelle Vance Waddell, Constance Zaytoun and Marc Weiss, Debi and Steven Wisch, Alice Zimet, Ava and Paul Zukowsky, Anonymous Donors, and Mary Smith Dorward Fund, 2020.3a-b. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Photo: Jonathan Dorado, Brooklyn Museum, DIG_E_2018_Something_To_Say_Deborah_Kass_10_PS11.jpg)

Deborah Kass (American, born 1952). OY/YO, 2015. Pigment, aluminum, 96 × 195 × 54 1/2 in. (243.8 × 495.3 × 138.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchase gift of Glori and Meir Cohen, Janet and James Dicke, II, Bonnie S. Englebardt Lautenberg, Steven Gombinski and Yvette Costas, Brenda Goodman, Deborah Goodman Davis and Gerald Davis, Francis Greenberger, Deborah Kass, Ellen Kern, Injoa Kim, Alice Kosmin, Mark Looney, Martha Macks-Kahn, Hilarie and Mitch Morgan, Helen and Jim Neuberger, Arthur Roger, Jonathan Rosen, Regina Scully, A.G. Rosen and Debi Sonzogni, Daryl and Steven Roth, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Rob Storr, Sara and Michelle Vance Waddell, Constance Zaytoun and Marc Weiss, Debi and Steven Wisch, Alice Zimet, Ava and Paul Zukowsky, Anonymous Donors, and Mary Smith Dorward Fund, 2020.3a-b. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Photo: Jonathan Dorado, Brooklyn Museum, DIG_E_2018_Something_To_Say_Deborah_Kass_10_PS11.jpg)

Deborah Kass (American, born 1952). OY/YO, 2015. Pigment, aluminum, 96 × 195 × 54 1/2 in. (243.8 × 495.3 × 138.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchase gift of Glori and Meir Cohen, Janet and James Dicke, II, Bonnie S. Englebardt Lautenberg, Steven Gombinski and Yvette Costas, Brenda Goodman, Deborah Goodman Davis and Gerald Davis, Francis Greenberger, Deborah Kass, Ellen Kern, Injoa Kim, Alice Kosmin, Mark Looney, Martha Macks-Kahn, Hilarie and Mitch Morgan, Helen and Jim Neuberger, Arthur Roger, Jonathan Rosen, Regina Scully, A.G. Rosen and Debi Sonzogni, Daryl and Steven Roth, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Rob Storr, Sara and Michelle Vance Waddell, Constance Zaytoun and Marc Weiss, Debi and Steven Wisch, Alice Zimet, Ava and Paul Zukowsky, Anonymous Donors, and Mary Smith Dorward Fund, 2020.3a-b. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Photo: Danny Perez, BkM_exterior_garden_20230727_Danny_Perez_DIG_03_PS20.jpg)

Deborah Kass (American, born 1952). OY/YO, 2015. Pigment, aluminum, 96 × 195 × 54 1/2 in. (243.8 × 495.3 × 138.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchase gift of Glori and Meir Cohen, Janet and James Dicke, II, Bonnie S. Englebardt Lautenberg, Steven Gombinski and Yvette Costas, Brenda Goodman, Deborah Goodman Davis and Gerald Davis, Francis Greenberger, Deborah Kass, Ellen Kern, Injoa Kim, Alice Kosmin, Mark Looney, Martha Macks-Kahn, Hilarie and Mitch Morgan, Helen and Jim Neuberger, Arthur Roger, Jonathan Rosen, Regina Scully, A.G. Rosen and Debi Sonzogni, Daryl and Steven Roth, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Rob Storr, Sara and Michelle Vance Waddell, Constance Zaytoun and Marc Weiss, Debi and Steven Wisch, Alice Zimet, Ava and Paul Zukowsky, Anonymous Donors, and Mary Smith Dorward Fund, 2020.3a-b. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Photo: Danny Perez, BkM_exterior_garden_20230727_Danny_Perez_DIG_06_PS20.jpg)

Deborah Kass (American, born 1952). OY/YO, 2015. Pigment, aluminum, 96 × 195 × 54 1/2 in. (243.8 × 495.3 × 138.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchase gift of Glori and Meir Cohen, Janet and James Dicke, II, Bonnie S. Englebardt Lautenberg, Steven Gombinski and Yvette Costas, Brenda Goodman, Deborah Goodman Davis and Gerald Davis, Francis Greenberger, Deborah Kass, Ellen Kern, Injoa Kim, Alice Kosmin, Mark Looney, Martha Macks-Kahn, Hilarie and Mitch Morgan, Helen and Jim Neuberger, Arthur Roger, Jonathan Rosen, Regina Scully, A.G. Rosen and Debi Sonzogni, Daryl and Steven Roth, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Rob Storr, Sara and Michelle Vance Waddell, Constance Zaytoun and Marc Weiss, Debi and Steven Wisch, Alice Zimet, Ava and Paul Zukowsky, Anonymous Donors, and Mary Smith Dorward Fund, 2020.3a-b. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Photo: Danny Perez, BkM_exterior_garden_20230727_Danny_Perez_DIG_05_PS20.jpg)

Deborah Kass (American, born 1952). OY/YO, 2015. Pigment, aluminum, 96 × 195 × 54 1/2 in. (243.8 × 495.3 × 138.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchase gift of Glori and Meir Cohen, Janet and James Dicke, II, Bonnie S. Englebardt Lautenberg, Steven Gombinski and Yvette Costas, Brenda Goodman, Deborah Goodman Davis and Gerald Davis, Francis Greenberger, Deborah Kass, Ellen Kern, Injoa Kim, Alice Kosmin, Mark Looney, Martha Macks-Kahn, Hilarie and Mitch Morgan, Helen and Jim Neuberger, Arthur Roger, Jonathan Rosen, Regina Scully, A.G. Rosen and Debi Sonzogni, Daryl and Steven Roth, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Rob Storr, Sara and Michelle Vance Waddell, Constance Zaytoun and Marc Weiss, Debi and Steven Wisch, Alice Zimet, Ava and Paul Zukowsky, Anonymous Donors, and Mary Smith Dorward Fund, 2020.3a-b. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Photo: Danny Perez, BkM_exterior_garden_20230727_Danny_Perez_DIG_02_PS20.jpg)

Deborah Kass (American, born 1952). OY/YO, 2015. Pigment, aluminum, 96 × 195 × 54 1/2 in. (243.8 × 495.3 × 138.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchase gift of Glori and Meir Cohen, Janet and James Dicke, II, Bonnie S. Englebardt Lautenberg, Steven Gombinski and Yvette Costas, Brenda Goodman, Deborah Goodman Davis and Gerald Davis, Francis Greenberger, Deborah Kass, Ellen Kern, Injoa Kim, Alice Kosmin, Mark Looney, Martha Macks-Kahn, Hilarie and Mitch Morgan, Helen and Jim Neuberger, Arthur Roger, Jonathan Rosen, Regina Scully, A.G. Rosen and Debi Sonzogni, Daryl and Steven Roth, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Rob Storr, Sara and Michelle Vance Waddell, Constance Zaytoun and Marc Weiss, Debi and Steven Wisch, Alice Zimet, Ava and Paul Zukowsky, Anonymous Donors, and Mary Smith Dorward Fund, 2020.3a-b. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Photo: Paula Abreu Pita, BkM_exterior_20230919_DIG_14_Paula_Abreu_Pita_PS20.jpg)

Deborah Kass (American, born 1952). OY/YO, 2015. Pigment, aluminum, 96 × 195 × 54 1/2 in. (243.8 × 495.3 × 138.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchase gift of Glori and Meir Cohen, Janet and James Dicke, II, Bonnie S. Englebardt Lautenberg, Steven Gombinski and Yvette Costas, Brenda Goodman, Deborah Goodman Davis and Gerald Davis, Francis Greenberger, Deborah Kass, Ellen Kern, Injoa Kim, Alice Kosmin, Mark Looney, Martha Macks-Kahn, Hilarie and Mitch Morgan, Helen and Jim Neuberger, Arthur Roger, Jonathan Rosen, Regina Scully, A.G. Rosen and Debi Sonzogni, Daryl and Steven Roth, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Rob Storr, Sara and Michelle Vance Waddell, Constance Zaytoun and Marc Weiss, Debi and Steven Wisch, Alice Zimet, Ava and Paul Zukowsky, Anonymous Donors, and Mary Smith Dorward Fund, 2020.3a-b. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Photo: Paula Abreu Pita, BkM_exterior_20230919_DIG_13_Paula_Abreu_Pita_PS20.jpg)

Deborah Kass (American, born 1952). OY/YO, 2015. Pigment, aluminum, 96 × 195 × 54 1/2 in. (243.8 × 495.3 × 138.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchase gift of Glori and Meir Cohen, Janet and James Dicke, II, Bonnie S. Englebardt Lautenberg, Steven Gombinski and Yvette Costas, Brenda Goodman, Deborah Goodman Davis and Gerald Davis, Francis Greenberger, Deborah Kass, Ellen Kern, Injoa Kim, Alice Kosmin, Mark Looney, Martha Macks-Kahn, Hilarie and Mitch Morgan, Helen and Jim Neuberger, Arthur Roger, Jonathan Rosen, Regina Scully, A.G. Rosen and Debi Sonzogni, Daryl and Steven Roth, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Rob Storr, Sara and Michelle Vance Waddell, Constance Zaytoun and Marc Weiss, Debi and Steven Wisch, Alice Zimet, Ava and Paul Zukowsky, Anonymous Donors, and Mary Smith Dorward Fund, 2020.3a-b. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Photo: Paula Abreu Pita, BkM_exterior_20230919_DIG_15_Paula_Abreu_Pita_PS20.jpg)

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Is it YO or is it OY? Or is that the point?

It’s definitely both! This monumental sculpture grew from an earlier painting that Kass created only featuring the word “OY” in a parody of a painting called OOF by Ed Ruscha. Kass was inspired to take it further when a friend pointed out the connection between OY and YO.

Kass has said: “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.”

OY/YO

Deborah Kass

Contemporary Art

On View:

About this Brooklyn Icon
The Brooklyn Museum is commemorating its 200th anniversary by spotlighting 200 standout objects in its encyclopedic collection.

OY/YO is Deborah Kass’s monumental tribute to Brooklyn’s rich cultural landscape. The sunny yellow sculpture has greeted Brooklyn Museum visitors since 2018, exclaiming “YO” in bulky all-caps to those approaching from Grand Army Plaza while facing Washington Avenue with an equally emphatic “OY.” “Yo,” a familiar greeting, and “oy,” an exclamation of frustration, are both baked into Brooklyn’s shared vocabulary thanks to the influence of local Black, Italian American, and Jewish communities. They are also terms that have repeatedly appeared in Kass’s artworks since 2009, each a tongue-in-cheek nod to prominent white male artists of the 20th century. She borrowed Ed Ruscha’s bold yellow letters, the self-referential title of the 1901 painting Yo, Picasso (I, Picasso), and the impressive size of Robert Indiana’s steel Love sculptures. Then, she transformed those elements to honor the diversity that has historically been overshadowed by famous white men.

Since its inclusion in Something to Say, an exhibition that spotlighted the Museum’s role as a shared space for civic dialogue, OY/YO has held a prominent position on the front plaza—a site of community gathering, whether in celebration, memorial, or protest.

ARTIST Deborah Kass, American, born 1952

MEDIUM Pigment, aluminum

DATES 2015

DIMENSIONS 96 × 195 × 54 1/2 in. (243.8 × 495.3 × 138.4 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Contemporary Art

ACCESSION NUMBER 2020.3a-b

CREDIT LINE Purchase gift of Glori and Meir Cohen, Janet and James Dicke, II, Bonnie S. Englebardt Lautenberg, Steven Gombinski and Yvette Costas, Brenda Goodman, Deborah Goodman Davis and Gerald Davis, Francis Greenberger, Deborah Kass, Ellen Kern, Injoa Kim, Alice Kosmin, Mark Looney, Martha Macks-Kahn, Hilarie and Mitch Morgan, Helen and Jim Neuberger, Arthur Roger, Jonathan Rosen, Regina Scully, A.G. Rosen and Debi Sonzogni, Daryl and Steven Roth, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Rob Storr, Sara and Michelle Vance Waddell, Constance Zaytoun and Marc Weiss, Debi and Steven Wisch, Alice Zimet, Ava and Paul Zukowsky, Anonymous Donors, and Mary Smith Dorward Fund

EXHIBITIONS

Something to Say: Brooklyn Hi-Art! Machine, Deborah Kass, Kameelah Janan Rasheed, and Hank Willis Thomas

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Deborah Kass (American, born 1952). OY/YO, 2015. Pigment, aluminum, 96 × 195 × 54 1/2 in. (243.8 × 495.3 × 138.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchase gift of Glori and Meir Cohen, Janet and James Dicke, II, Bonnie S. Englebardt Lautenberg, Steven Gombinski and Yvette Costas, Brenda Goodman, Deborah Goodman Davis and Gerald Davis, Francis Greenberger, Deborah Kass, Ellen Kern, Injoa Kim, Alice Kosmin, Mark Looney, Martha Macks-Kahn, Hilarie and Mitch Morgan, Helen and Jim Neuberger, Arthur Roger, Jonathan Rosen, Regina Scully, A.G. Rosen and Debi Sonzogni, Daryl and Steven Roth, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Rob Storr, Sara and Michelle Vance Waddell, Constance Zaytoun and Marc Weiss, Debi and Steven Wisch, Alice Zimet, Ava and Paul Zukowsky, Anonymous Donors, and Mary Smith Dorward Fund, 2020.3a-b. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Photo: Jonathan Dorado, Brooklyn Museum, DIG_E_2018_Something_To_Say_Deborah_Kass_10_PS11.jpg)

EDITION AP 2/2 (Edition of 4, 2 AP)

IMAGE DIG_E_2018_Something_To_Say_Deborah_Kass_10_PS11.jpg. Photo: Jonathan Dorado, Brooklyn Museum, 2018

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Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

Is it YO or is it OY? Or is that the point?

Kass has said: “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.”

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OY/YO

Deborah Kass

Contemporary Art

On View:

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OY/YO

Deborah Kass

Contemporary Art

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