John Akomfrah. Listening All Night To The Rain

From 4 November to 8 February 2026, the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum will be putting on an exhibition of work by the British-Ghanaian artist John Akomfrah, in the temporary exhibition galleries (floor -1). In this project, he is reformulating his most ambitious and experimental exhibition to date, starting from the commission for the British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2024. 

The museum and TBA21–Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary are working together on this new exhibition by John Akomfrah, curated by Tarini Malik. The title, Listening All Night To The Rain, refers to the 11th-century poem written in exile by the Chinese author Su Dongpo, reflecting on the fleeting nature of life. Through eight immersive film and sound installations, the artist combines geopolitical documentation and the filming of fictional scenes to give voice to people representing the British diaspora, adopting a non-linear and cyclical view of time and connecting diverse places and moments in history. 

John Akomfrah is known for his films and video installations presented on multiple screens through which he explores the power of art to rewrite history, addressing themes such as racial injustice, colonial legacies, diaspora, migration and climate change. His career began as a member of the Black Audio Film Collective (BAFC), a group of seven artists founded in 1982. The first film released by this collective was Handsworth Songs (1986), about the 1985 protests in Birmingham and London.

In recent years, Akomfrah's video works have transformed into large multi-screen installations, exhibited in museums and galleries around the world. In 2017, he was awarded the Artes Mundi Prize, the highest British award for international art. 

Image credits:

John Akomfrah. Canto VII, Listening All Night To The Rain. British Pavilion 2024 © Image by Jack Hems