‘John Akomfrah: Listening All Night To The Rain’ at Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

19 September 2025

From 4 November 2025 – 8 February 2026, the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza and the TBA21Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary presents 'Listening All Night To The Rain', a new exhibition by John Akomfrah, specially conceived for the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza. Akomfrah reimagines his most ambitious and experimental work to date, originally commissioned for the British Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale.

The exhibition takes its title from an 11th-century poem by Chinese writer Su Dongpo, written during his political exile, in which the author reflects on the transitory nature of life. Through a series of immersive, multi-channel film and sound installations, Akomfrah continues his exploration of postcolonialism, ecology, and aesthetics, with a particular focus on the sonic.

In these installations, bodies of water serve as connective tissue between the broad and complex geopolitical narratives he presents. Akomfrah reflects on memory and monumentality by layering archival material. Through theatrical stagings, the artwork becomes a kind of manifesto, inviting listening as a form of activism.

Find out more via the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza.

Image: John Akomfrah: Listening All Night to the Rain was commissioned by the British Council for the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, 2024. Image: Taran Wilku. © Smoking Dogs Films. Courtesy Smoking Dogs Films and Lisson Gallery.