Yoko Ono might most famously be known as the widow of the late John Lennon, but she's a trailblazing artist and formidable activist in her own right. This fall, a new solo exhibition dedicated to her nine decades of life and work is coming to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) in Chicago, the only U.S. venue to be mounting the remarkable retrospective.
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From Saturday, October 18, 2025, through Sunday, February 22, 2026, the MCA will host "Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind" at the Griffin Galleries of Contemporary Art, fresh off a run at the Tate Modern in London, where the exhibition reportedly set attendance records, per The Chicago Tribune.
According to the MCA, "Music of the Mind" will be one of the most comprehensive exhibitions to date of the celebrated artist, musician and peacekeeper, celebrating key moments of Ono's career and showcasing art "driven by ideas and expressed in poetic, humorous and profound ways."
Tracing Ono's career since the 1950s, the show will feature over 200 works across a variety of media and genres, including performance footage, music and sound recordings, scores, film, photography, installation and archival materials.
"Participatory artworks—a key aspect of Ono’s practice—also feature in the exhibition, and visitors are invited to partake in several interactive, instruction-based artworks throughout 'Music of the Mind,'" reads an official description of the show.
Among the highlighted works will be Ono’s landmark performance Cut Piece (1964); her film Fly (1970–71); the banned Film No.4 (Bottoms) (1966–67), which Ono created as a “petition for peace;” and her collaborations with notable musicians John Cage, Ornette Coleman and her late husband Lennon.
More recent pieces on display include Ono’s ongoing project Wish Tree (1996–present), as well as public artworks like Imagine Peace (2003) and Peace is Power (2017). Chicago locals can also expect to see Ono’s peace-driven creations on billboards around the city and at the MCA.
“The exhibition reveals Ono’s innovative approach to language, art and participation that continues to speak to the present moment,” reads the MCA’s description. It “underscores Ono’s legacy of radical performance and her significant and influential contributions to visual art, including Fluxus and Conceptualism, music, film and activism.”
It will be a city-wide Yoko Ono extravaganza—and we're here for it.