Listening All Night To The Rain: John Akomfrah’s celebrated work heads to Wales

A ‘profound’ multimedia installation from one of the leading voices in experimental film and colonial history is to be presented at Amgueddfa Cymru from this spring – the first venue to host the exhibition as it tours across the UK.

Sir John Akomfrah’s Listening All Night To The Rain is a multimedia installation which was commissioned by the British Council for the British Pavillion at the 60th Venice Biennale in 2024. 

This celebrated work was originally presented in Venice as a series of eight overlapping works, known as ‘Cantos’. Amgueddfa Cymru is delighted to present Cantos IV, V and VI at National Museum Cardiff from 24 May – 7 September 2025, with the tour supported by the British Council and Art Fund.

Akomfrah, who lives and works in London, is renowned for his influence on experimental film and the study of colonial history and racialised identity. This work is no exception.

Beautiful imagery is contrasted with painful truths as the pieces weave together narratives of migration, rebellion, activism, discrimination and environmental impact. It pays homage to marginalised voices including the Windrush generation and reflects on pivotal moments in colonial and post-colonial history.   

Each multi-layered piece incorporates newly filmed material alongside archival video footage and still images, weaved together with rhythmic sounds, audio clips and text. This deeply immersive and reflective exploration encourages the act of listening as a form of activism.

“New perspectives”

Sir John Akomfrah said: “Bringing Listening All Night To The Rain to the UK after its time at the British Pavilion in Venice allows the conversations the work started to continue unfolding.

“The project’s overlapping installations reflect how both personal and collective memories are shaped by histories of migration, displacement and political intervention.

“My hope is that exhibiting the work in the British context will open up new perspectives on how these narratives evolve across generations and continue to resonate today.”

Ruth Cocks, Director, British Council Wales said: “We are so excited to bring John Akomfrah’s Listening All Night To The Rain exhibition to Cardiff. This is a significant moment for Wales.

“After its acclaimed debut at the Venice Biennale, one of the most important platforms for visual arts in the world, it’s an honour to present such a powerful piece at our National Museum and enable new audiences to experience this thought-provoking work for themselves.

“The installation offers a narrative that transcends borders, exploring migration, identity, and shared human experiences. By bringing John’s work to our capital city, we hope to encourage the people of Wales to engage with his vision, creativity, and important messages.’

Undo Things Done

Alongside Listening All Night To The Rain, National Museum Cardiff will also host Welsh artist Sean Edwards’ exhibition, Undo Things Done. Edwards represented Wales at the 58th Venice Biennale in 2019;

Undo Things Done explores the artist’s upbringing on a Cardiff council estate in the 1980s, capturing and translating what he calls a condition of ‘not expecting much’ into a shared visual language; one that evokes a way of living familiar to many. It was acquired by Amgueddfa Cymru for the national collection, and this will be the first time that the work will be presented at National Museum Cardiff.

Amgueddfa Cymru’s Director of Collections and Research, Dr Kath Davies, said: “Listening All Night To The Rain is a poignant and deeply reflective piece which draws on events in our shared human histories that have shaped and affect how we see and experience the world.”

Dr Davies added: “We are honoured that National Museum Cardiff will be the first UK venue and are grateful to the British Council for supporting this tour.

“We are also pleased to be presenting Sean Edwards’s Undo Things Done alongside Sir John Akomfrah’s installation.

“Having been originally presented at the Venice Biennale, both exhibitions are testament to the calibre of Welsh and British contemporary artists within an international context.”

Tickets for Listening All Night To The Rain (24 May 2025 – 7 September 2025) are free to book. More information is available from John Akomfrah’s Listening All Night to the Rain