The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago will become the exclusive U.S. venue for "Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind," a comprehensive solo exhibition dedicated to the artist, musician, and activist Yoko Ono (b. 1933, Tokyo, Japan; currently residing in New York, NY), opening in October 2025.

Traveling from Tate Modern in London, where it achieved record-breaking attendance, and developed in close collaboration with Ono’s studio, this groundbreaking retrospective spans seventy years of Ono’s innovative career. The exhibition features over 200 works, including participatory instruction pieces and scores, installations, a curated music room, films, music, photography, and archival materials.

The exhibition highlights significant works from throughout Ono’s decades-long career, including the landmark performance piece "Cut Piece" (1964), a foundational work in performance and feminist art; her collaborations with prominent musicians such as John Cage, Ornette Coleman, and her late husband, John Lennon; selected activations of instruction-based artworks from her influential book "Grapefruit"(1964); innovative films from the 1960s and 1970s such as "FLY" (1970–71) and the once-banned "Film No.4 (Bottoms)" (1966–67), which she created as a "petition for peace"; recent works like her ongoing installation "Wish Tree" (1996–present); and public artworks emblematic of Ono’s enduring commitment to peace activism.

Image: Yoko Ono with Glass Hammer, 1967, from Half-A-Wind Show, Lisson Gallery, London, UK, 1967. Artwork © Yoko Ono. Photo © Clay Perry.