Episode No. 737 of The Modern Art Notes Podcast features curators Beverly Adams and Jamillah James.
With Christophe Cherix, Adams is the co-curator of “Wifredo Lam: When I Don’t Sleep, I Dream” at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. The exhibition includes more than 130 works made between the 1920s and 1970s, making it the most extensive Lam retrospective presented in the United States. “When I Don’t Sleep, I Dream” argues that Lam, a Cuban-born artist who spent much of his life in Spain, France, and Italy, was a prototypical transnational artist. It is on view in New York through April 11, 2026. The exhibition catalogue was published by MoMA; Amazon and Bookshop offer it for $60-70.
Jamillah James has organized the presentation of “Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind” at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The exhibition is one of the most comprehensive presentations to date of the pioneering Fluxus artist, musician, and world peace activist. “Music of the Mind” includes over 200 works across a vast array of media, including performance footage, music and sound recording, film, photography, installation, and more. It is on view at the MCA through February 22, 2026. An exhibition catalogue was published in North America by Yale University Press. Amazon and Bookshop offer it for $38-47.
Air date: December 18, 2025.

Wifredo Lam, The Jungle, 1942-43.

Wifredo Lam, The Spanish Civil War, 1937.

Wifredo Lam, Mother and Child, 1939.

Wifredo Lam, Satan, 1942.

Wifredo Lam, Mofumbe, 1943.

Wifredo Lam, The Siren of the Niger, 1950.

Wifredo Lam, Large Composition, 1949.

Wifredo Lam. Untitled, 1958.

Wifredo Lam, Umbral, 1950.

Wifredo Lam, The Abalochas Dance for Dhambala, the God of Unity, 1970.
