MUSAC presented the largest Yoko Ono exhibition in Spain in the last decade

The Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León (MUSAC) presented Yoko Ono. Insound and Instructure, the most comprehensive exhibition of Yoko Ono (Tokyo, Japan, 1933) held in Spain in the past ten years. The exhibition was on view from November 8, 2025, to May 17, 2026, curated by Jon Hendricks, Connor Monahan, and Álvaro Rodríguez Fominaya.

Featuring more than 70 works across 1,700 square meters, the exhibition traced Ono’s career from the 1960s to the present, celebrating her pioneering role in conceptual and participatory art, performance, film, music, and peace activism.

The title Insound and Instructure originated from a concert and exhibition that Ono held on July 20, 1964, at Yamaichi Hall in Kyoto, referencing the way she integrates sound and instruction in her artistic practice. Many of her works derive from her “Instructions”—text-based pieces inviting viewers to imagine or complete the work—emphasizing the centrality of ideas over materials.

The exhibition included iconic works such as Cut Piece (1964), Voice Piece for Soprano (1961), and Draw Circle Painting (1964), along with participatory installations like A MAZE (1971) and EN TRANCE (1990). It also presented recent projects such as DOORS (2011) and INVISIBLE FLAGS (2015), reaffirming Ono’s commitment to pacifism. A selection of films, many produced with John Lennon, including RAPE (1968), FLY (1970/1971), and Freedom (1970), was also featured.

The exhibition took place amid growing international recognition of Ono’s work, with recent retrospectives at Tate Modern (London), Neue Nationalgalerie (Berlin), and the Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago, USA).

Yoko Ono: biographical note

Born in Tokyo in 1933, Yoko Ono studied philosophy at Gakushuin University before moving to New York in 1953 to attend Sarah Lawrence College. She became a central figure in the Fluxus movement, developing a conceptual and participatory practice focused on instructions, performance, and sound.

Ono’s career milestones include her Instruction Paintings (1961), the performance Cut Piece (1964), the publication of Grapefruit (1964), and her experimental films. Her collaboration with John Lennon produced influential art and peace projects such as WAR IS OVER!, the Bed-Ins for Peace, and the founding of Nutopia.

Her work has been celebrated worldwide with exhibitions including Yes Yoko Ono (2000), the IMAGINE PEACE TOWER (2007) in Iceland, and the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 53rd Venice Biennale (2009).