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. Amgueddfa Cymru is the first venue to host the exhibition as it tours across the UK.
This profound 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. The immersive audio-visual piece is a journey of sights and sounds that draw out specific moments in time, events in our collective histories that have shaped individuals and societies. By listening, watching and engaging with the piece we are encouraged to listen as a form of activism against historic and enduring injustices.
Proudly presented by Amgueddfa Cymru, British Council, and Art Fund, Lisson Gallery and Smoking Dogs Films, this exhibition brings the transformative power of contemporary art to Wales. 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.
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. 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 work that featured in 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.’
