YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND

In the organizer's words:

Yoko Ono was ahead of her time - and has had a decisive influence on art, music and political activism with her artistic work since the 1950s. With the major solo exhibition YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND, the Gropius Bau is paying tribute to the artist's groundbreaking work. On the second floor and atrium of the Gropius Bau, the exhibition brings together more than 200 works from seven decades and sheds light on Ono's radical approach to language, art and participation, which continues to have an impact today.

YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND spans the spectrum from Ono's so-called instructions - written instructions that invite visitors to imagine, experience, create or complete a work - to installations and performances, films, music and photographs. Visitors can put Ono's instructions into practice in various places: In Painting to Shake Hands (1961/2025), for example, they are invited to shake hands with other people, or in Shadow Piece (1963/2025) they can let their own shadow become part of a painting.

In the atrium of the Gropius Bau, which is accessible free of charge, the installation Wish Tree for Berlin (1996/2025) can be seen alongside a banner from Ono's ongoing campaign PEACE is POWER (2017/2025). It invites visitors to write their wishes for peace on small pieces of paper and tie them to one of the nine trees. The work also offers a place to sit, write and rest, providing space to reflect on peace as a positive and driving force.

YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND is organized by the Tate Modern, London, in collaboration with the Gropius Bau, Berlin, and the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Düsseldorf.

The exhibition is curated by Patrizia Dander, Deputy Curatorial Director, 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, Project Management

On the occasion of YOKO ONO: MUSIC OF THE MIND, the Neue Nationalgalerie is showing YOKO ONO: DREAM TOGETHER from April 11 to September 24, 2025. At the same time, the Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k.) will be presenting TOUCHO ONO: DREAM TOGETHER from March 2 to August 31, 2025 as part of the n.b.k. Billboard series the work TOUCH by Yoko Ono.