Exhibition
YOKO ONO
MUSIC OF THE MIND
Yoko Ono with Glass Hammer, 1967, HALF-A-WIND SHOW, Lisson Gallery, London, 1967, photo © Clay Perry / artwork © Yoko Ono
Since the 1950s, Yoko Ono has been ahead of her time, leaving her mark on visual arts, music and activism. To honour her groundbreaking work, Gropius Bau presents the comprehensive solo exhibition YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND. Spanning the first floor and the atrium of Gropius Bau, the show brings together over 200 works from seven decades, revealing her radical approach to language, art and participation that continues to speak to the present moment.
YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND spans a wide range of Ono’s work, from her “instruction pieces” – written instructions that guide readers to imagine, experience, make or complete the work – to installations and performances, as well as films, music and photographs. Visitors are invited to activate Ono’s instructions, exchanging handshakes with strangers in Painting to Shake Hands (1961/2025) or bringing their shadows together in Shadow Piece (1963/2025).
In the atrium of Gropius Bau, which is freely accessible, a banner from Ono’s ongoing PEACE is POWER campaign (2017/2025) can be seen alongside her Wish Tree for Berlin installation (1996/2025). Wish Tree for Berlin is an open invitation to visitors to write their wishes for peace on small pieces of paper and tie them to the branches of one of the nine trees in the atrium. It also offers a place to sit, write and rest, providing space to contemplate peace as a positive and driving force.
YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND is organised by Tate Modern, London, in collaboration with Gropius Bau, Berlin, and Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf.
The exhibition is curated by Patrizia Dander, Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs, Gropius Bau and Juliet Bingham, Curator, International Art, Tate Modern; with Sonja Borstner, Assistant Curator, Gropius Bau and Andrew de Brún, Assistant Curator, International Art, Tate Modern.
Exhibition Management Gropius Bau: Lisa Tietze und Sophie Winckler, Project Management
On the occasion of YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND, the Neue Nationalgalerie presents YOKO ONO: DREAM TOGETHER from 11 April through 14 September 2025. Concurrently, Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k.) presents the work TOUCH by Yoko Ono from 2 March through 31 August 2025 in the context of its n.b.k. Billboard series.
Funded by
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Partner: Wall, Bouvet
Media partner: Tagesspiegel, radio3, arte, Monopol, Madame, DIFFUS, BerlinArt Link, Rausgegangen, Flair, H.O.M.E., Artsof the Working Class