Until 8 February 2026, the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza and TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary present in Spain the most ambitious and experimental work of the British artist John Akomfrah.
The exhibition entitled Listening all night long to the rain reformulates in the museum rooms a work originally commissioned by the British Council for the British Pavilion of the Venice Biennale in 2024, where the artist transformed a neoclassical space with a cycle of video installations, Songs, which interweave audiovisual footage, new film sequences and immersive sound. This is the second exhibition dedicated to Akomfrah in the museum, after the presentation in 2018 of Purple.
Curated by Tarini Malik, the exhibition takes its title from an 11th-century poem written in exile by the Chinese author Su Dongpo, in which he reflects on the transitory nature of life. With a series of multi-screen installations, Akomfrah explores ecology, imperialism and migration through sound. Photo: © Maru Serrano.