The Carnegie International Tests What “We” Still Means in a Fractured World

The 59th edition of the Carnegie International, the oldest survey of contemporary art in the United States, opens at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, featuring 61 artists and collectives from around the world and 36 newly commissioned works. Curated by Ryan Inouye, Danielle A. Jackson, and Liz Park, the exhibition is titled “If the word we,” developed in collaboration with writer Haytham el-Wardany, and for the first time partners with local institutions including the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh, Kamin Science Center, Mattress Factory, and the Thelma Lovette YMCA to engage different segments of the city’s community.

Before the Myth, There Was Yoko Ono

The Broad museum in Los Angeles has opened "Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind," the first solo museum exhibition in Southern California dedicated to the artist, musician, and activist. Spanning seven decades, the retrospective focuses on Ono's conceptual and participatory works—such as instruction pieces from her 1964 book "Grapefruit" and interactive installations like "Wish Tree" (1996)—rather than traditional art objects. Curators organized the show around themes of human responsibility, and deliberately delay the introduction of John Lennon until the exhibition's midpoint to emphasize Ono's independent career before her marriage.

‘I will always fight against fascism’: Zineb Sedira on her Tate Britain commission

Zineb Sedira has been selected for the Tate Britain commission, creating her largest UK installation to date, titled *When Words Fall Silent, Cinema Speaks…*, on view until January 2027. The site-specific work in the museum's Duveen Galleries pays tribute to radical African cinema of the 1960s and 1970s, highlighting Algeria's role as a revolutionary hub. Sedira recreates the Parisian cafes of her childhood, featuring Scopitone machines that play short music films, and draws on the legacy of the Cinémathèque Algérienne and the 1969 Pan-African Festival.

Don’t Miss: Giles Duley’s “Distortion / Memory / Resilience” at Sutton Tower

Photographer and storyteller Giles Duley has opened a two-week exhibition titled “Distortion / Memory / Resilience” at Sutton Tower on the Upper East Side of New York. The show features his powerful images documenting life during war, alongside artistic touches such as wooden school desks filled with artwork by Ukrainian children. Duley, who lost two legs and one arm after an I.E.D. injury in Afghanistan in 2011, continues to work actively in war zones including Sudan, Afghanistan, and Ukraine. Proceeds from the exhibition support his NGO, the Legacy of War Foundation, which has raised over $4 million since 2017 to help communities rebuild after conflict.

People and places

Elisa Contemporary Art Riverdale Gallery will open a new group exhibition titled "People and places" on May 20, 2026, running through September 2. The show features works by six artists: Betty Ball, Carol Bennett, Sherry Karver, Mitch McGee, Dean Moore, and Jeffrey Palladini, with a focus on uplifting summer themes including water scenes, poolside figures, and bright yellow elements. The exhibition includes new works from Ball's Land & Sea series and introduces Sherry Karver as a new gallery artist.

Louvre Abu Dhabi exhibition to trace connections across the Indian Ocean, from trade to algebra and astronomy

Louvre Abu Dhabi has announced the sixth edition of its Art Here exhibition, titled "Confluences," opening November 11, 2026 and running until February 28, 2027. For the first time, the annual exhibition will include artists from India alongside those from the GCC, expanding its geographic scope to trace centuries of cultural exchange across the Indian Ocean. Curated by Kamini Sawhney, the exhibition will feature contemporary works installed throughout the museum’s outdoor spaces, including the courtyard and Jenny Holzer’s permanent marble installation, with commissions responding to the architecture, light, and water of Jean Nouvel’s iconic dome. The exhibition is organized in partnership with Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille and coincides with the museum’s broader programming on historical trade routes.

Human Connection Cuts Through Technology at Focus Art Fair

Focus Art Fair, New York's only art fair dedicated to contemporary Asian art, returned for its fourth edition at Chelsea Industrial, running through May 24, 2026. The fair's theme, 'human-technology coexistence,' was explored through works such as Hwia Kim's interactive installation 'What if two eyes don't work together?' presented by LG Electronics, and pieces by the Ukrainian-born F-Twins (Anna and Valeriia Lyshchenko), who founded the Primarealism art movement in response to AI's encroachment on critical thinking. Other highlights included Annu Yadav's political installation 'This Land is Wounded' (2025) and Taezoo Park's 'Hacked Snoopy' (2025), which memorializes neglected technologies. The fair featured more than 40 galleries and presenters, with a notable appearance by Japanese pop icon Kento Senga, who shared his FiNGA character as a means of connecting with his grandmother suffering from Alzheimer's.

Bharti Kher Commissioned by Powerhouse Parramatta for Major Public Artwork

British Indian artist Bharti Kher has been commissioned by Powerhouse Parramatta to create a large-scale public artwork for the museum, which is set to open later this year in Parramatta, Western Sydney. Titled *Tree of Life*, the seven-meter-tall bronze sculpture features four stacked heads and incorporates clay fragments from figurines found in Indian secondhand markets, drawing on themes of ancestral memory, interconnectedness, and community.

Next Episode of Art21’s Art in the Twenty-First Century to Premiere in June

Art21 has announced the premiere of "Human Nature," the next episode of its documentary series *Art in the Twenty-First Century*, set to air on PBS on June 10, 2026. The episode features artists Lenka Clayton, Josh Kline, Delcy Morelos, and Sin Wai Kin, and explores themes of humanity's impact on the environment, social and economic systems, and interpersonal relationships. Directed by Ian Forster and produced by Andrea Chung, the episode will also be available on Art21.org, YouTube, and PBS Digital Platforms, with an advance screening on May 28 at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Robin Williams Center in Manhattan.

The exhibition "The Charm of Flowers" will open in honor of the 290th anniversary of the Rundāle Palace

An exhibition titled "The Charm of Flowers" will open at Rundāle Palace in Latvia to mark the palace's 290th anniversary. It explores the history of exotic garden flowers in Europe, their popularity in the Duchy of Courland-Semigallia, and the symbolic meaning of flowers in 17th- and 18th-century art. The show features works from major European museums including the National Art Gallery named after Boris Voznyatsky in Lviv, Het Loo Palace Museum, the Rijksmuseum, and the National Art Museum named after M. K. Čiurlionis. A key highlight is the multimedia installation "Tulipomania" by Dutch artist Joost Agassi, which offers a contemporary take on the 17th-century Dutch tulip mania.

Young Artists Reimagine Van Gogh’s Starry Night Through the Bombay Skyline

An exhibition titled "How the Akanksha Children Found Their Colours" will open on May 29 at 47-A Gallery in Khotachi Wadi, Girgaum, Mumbai, running until June 7. The show features artworks created by children from underserved communities who reinterpreted iconic artists such as Vincent van Gogh, M. F. Husain, Jamini Roy, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Banksy, including a Mumbai-skyline version of van Gogh's "The Starry Night." The exhibition is organized by 47-A Gallery, a venue housed in a restored 19th-century Portuguese-style bungalow, and aims to highlight the children's creative expression and personal narratives.

Plains Art Museum marks Smithsonian relationship with new Indigenous exhibit

The Plains Art Museum in Fargo, North Dakota, has been awarded a Smithsonian Affiliation, becoming the only institution in the state with such a designation. The partnership grants the museum access to Smithsonian programs, including artwork loans, touring exhibitions, educational resources, and professional development. The first public display of this collaboration is the new exhibit "Know Your Treaty: Wiwahokichiyapi," which opened in late April. The touring Smithsonian show, developed by the National Museum of the American Indian, examines the history of treaties between Indigenous nations and the U.S. government through photographs and text, while the museum has supplemented it with works by Indigenous artists from its permanent collection and loans.

Double Take: Recurrent Dialogues in the Art of Herbert Bayer

The Resnick Center for Herbert Bayer Studies in Aspen, Colorado, is opening a new exhibition titled "Double Take: Recurrent Dialogues in the Art of Herbert Bayer" on June 12, 2026. The show features over 70 works by Bayer, many rarely seen, on loan from the Denver Art Museum, the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, and the George Eastman Museum. The exhibition pairs and clusters Bayer's works to explore the interdependency of mediums across his career, from 1930s surrealist photomontages to 1970s geometric abstractions.

California Light and Space (The 21st Century Version) (OPENING RECEPTION)

David Zwirner gallery in Los Angeles is presenting "California Light and Space (The 21st Century Version)," a group exhibition organized by curator Helen Molesworth. Running through August 1 at the gallery's 606 N Western Avenue location, the show features contemporary artists from LA's diverse arts scene, exploring how the city's unique geography—its light, space, and basin topography—shapes their work. The exhibition draws a parallel to the Light and Space movement of the 1960s and 1970s, but focuses on a younger generation working across various media.

BETWEEN DOG AND WOLF CANADA BRINGS TWILIGHT TO THE VENICE BIENNALE

Abbas Akhavan, born in Tehran in 1977, represents Canada at the 61st Venice Biennale with an exhibition titled "Entre chien et loup" (Between Dog and Wolf). Commissioned by the National Gallery of Canada and curated by Kim Nguyen, the installation transforms the Canada Pavilion into a monumental Wardian case—a 19th-century plant transport device—converted into a greenhouse for Victoria water lilies. The lilies, native to South America and germinated at the Orto Botanico di Padova from seeds provided by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, reference their prominent display in the Crystal Palace during the 1851 Great Exhibition. The exhibition runs until November 22, 2026.

Omaggio a Luigi Ghirri ad Artbox su Sky Arte

The new episode of Artbox on Sky Arte, airing May 26, focuses on the exhibition "Luigi Ghirri. A series of dreams. Paesaggi visivi e paesaggi sonori" at the Musei Civici and Teatro Valli in Reggio Emilia, which explores the unique relationship between Luigi Ghirri's photography and music. The episode features curator Ilaria Campioli and Adele Ghirri, president of the Fondazione Luigi Ghirri and the artist's daughter. Additionally, Maria Vittoria Baravelli's segment "Invito al viaggio" examines female royalty through art, cinema, and fashion, and the program visits the Galleria d’Arte Moderna Ricci Oddi in Piacenza to discuss recent renovations by architect Piero Lissoni. The episode also includes a book review of "Histoire des galeries d’art en France" by Alice Ensabella.

Story of Max Peiffer Watenphul, the Bauhaus painter who found his new homeland in Italy

Storia di Max Peiffer Watenphul, il pittore del Bauhaus che trovò in Italia la sua nuova patria

A major retrospective titled "Max Peiffer Watenphul. Pittore del Bauhaus" has opened at the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (GNAMC) in Rome, curated by Gregor H. Lersch, director of the Museo Casa di Goethe. The exhibition explores the complex artistic journey of Max Peiffer Watenphul (1896–1976), a German Bauhaus-trained painter who found a second home in Italy. It highlights his multidisciplinary approach, his troubled painting style marked by unusual materials and scratched surfaces, and his deep connection to Italy, where he fled after Nazi persecution and where he lived until his death.

In Venice two new cultural realities in the Civic Museums circuit: a contemporary art center is born in Mestre and the Wagner Museum enters the network

A Venezia due nuove realtà culturali nel circuito dei Musei Civici: nasce un centro d’arte contemporanea a Mestre e entra nella rete il Museo Wagner

The Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (MUVE) has opened a new contemporary art museum called MUVEC (Casa delle Contemporaneità) at the Centro Candiani in Mestre, inaugurated on April 24. Simultaneously, MUVE has signed an agreement with the Casinò di Venezia and the Associazione Richard Wagner to bring the Museo Wagner in Ca' Vendramin Calergi into its network starting in 2027, expanding the MUVE circuit to 14 museums (excluding MUVEC). MUVEC features a permanent collection spanning from 1948 to the present, drawn from the Galleria d'Arte Moderna di Venezia Ca' Pesaro, and will host temporary exhibitions including a 2026 show on Klimt, Schiele, Kokoschka and the body.

ON THE IM-POSSIBILITY OF COMMUNICATING. “DICHO A MANO”, BY FELIPE PINEDA

SOBRE LA IM-POSIBILIDAD DE COMUNICARSE. “DICHO A MANO”, DE FELIPE PINEDA

The exhibition "Dicho a mano" by Chilean artist Felipe Pineda, curated by Ayelén Ruiz at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Santiago, explores the difficulty of communication when words fail, turning to the body and hands as alternative languages. Pineda draws on his migratory experience in London and references mutilated classical sculptures from the British Museum, while a recent theft of one piece adds an unexpected dimension. The show reflects on barriers in art and human connection, proposing that even failed communication carries a desire to be understood.

Clasutta Explores the Dynamics of Love in Solo Exhibition at Whitestone Gallery Singapore

Indonesian artist Clasutta presents a solo exhibition titled "Roommates?" at Whitestone Gallery Singapore, exploring the emotional dynamics of love and relationships through her playful painting style. The exhibition is part of a larger curatorial narrative called "Through Reverie: Love and Memory," which also features a concurrent presentation by Malaysian artist C.K. Koh titled "Folded Glimpses," drawing from his personal photographic archive. Clasutta's works trace the subtle shifts from lighthearted beginnings to spaces shaped by attachment, expectation, and unspoken negotiation, portraying love as fluid and ever-changing.

A Persian Garden Blooms on Governors Island

Artist Bahar Behbahani organized a four-hour event called "Damask Rose: A Gathering" on Governors Island, transforming three shallow fountains with handwoven carpets and crocheted canopies. The gathering featured West African musical improvisation, Kurdish poetry, a cyanotype workshop, and communal activities like hair braiding and tea ceremonies, involving over two dozen community groups including the Asia Contemporary Art Forum and Eat Offbeat. The event was part of Governors Island Arts's annual Interventions series, curated with associate curator Juan Pablo Siles.

Monopol verlost 5 × 2 Tickets für "Tirailleurs"-Ausstellung im HKW

Monopol magazine is giving away 5 × 2 tickets for the exhibition "Tirailleurs" at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) in Berlin. The show, which runs under the full title "Tirailleurs: Von Kanonenfutter zu Avantgarde – Die vergessenen Soldat*innen, die Europa befreit haben," highlights the largely forgotten history of African soldiers (tirailleurs) who fought for France in both World Wars, many forcibly recruited and deployed on the front lines. Featuring over 30 international artists with new commissions, the exhibition includes installations, films, photographs, and archival materials addressing colonial violence, memory politics, and the enduring impact of imperial power structures. Artists such as Dior Thiam, Daniel Lind-Ramos, Nadia Kaabi-Linke, and Mario Pfeifer contribute works that recover names, reframe historical images, and connect past colonial dynamics to present-day conflicts like the war in Ukraine.

From simple blue to haute couture suit: workwear studied at the Musée Postal

Du simple bleu au tailleur haute couture, le vêtement de travail étudié au musée Postal

The Musée Postal in Paris has reopened with a new name and identity, launching its first exhibition titled "Sous toutes les coutures" ("Under All Seams"). Curated by Elodie Goëssant and Didier Filoche, the show brings together 420 pieces, artworks, and archival objects to explore the history of workwear in France, from uniforms and protective clothing to high-fashion collaborations. It traces the evolution of work attire from the 18th century to the present, highlighting how women lacked dedicated work clothing until the 1970s and how airlines like Air France pioneered partnerships with luxury houses such as Christian Dior to dress flight attendants as national ambassadors.

“Paroles, Paroles” at Centre d’Art Contemporain—la synagogue de Delme

The article announces the group exhibition “Paroles, Paroles” at the Centre d’Art Contemporain—la synagogue de Delme, featuring six artists, performers, and poets (including one duo). The show examines how language—its words, accents, and expressions—reflects political, social, and technological shifts, and how linguistic hybridization, transformation, and adaptation reveal both freedoms and constraints.

Bouchra Khalili “Circles and Storytellers” at Mosaic Rooms, London

Mosaic Rooms in London has reopened with "Circles and Storytellers," the first public UK solo exhibition by French-Moroccan multidisciplinary artist and educator Bouchra Khalili. The show features interconnected works including *The Circle Project* (2023), a mixed media installation that explores themes of civic imagination and alternative forms of community and belonging.

Meet the artists behind the women’s Western art exhibition at Southwest Art Gallery and Science Center

The Southwest Art Gallery and Science Center in Dickinson, North Dakota, hosted a public artist reception on May 14 for its women’s Western art exhibition, featuring regional female artists whose work depicts the landscapes, wildlife, and culture of the Northern Plains and American West. The exhibition includes paintings, sculptures, and mixed-media works centered on ranching, farming, and rural life, and will remain on display through June 12. Featured artists include Daphne Clark, Afton Ray Rossol, Barb Kalenze Kraft, Oksana Zvyagelskiy, Trish Stevenson, and Kelsey Jacobson, each sharing personal stories of how art became a creative outlet and source of healing.

A Gallery Turned Casino: How Below Grand's "Club Bar" Blurs the Lines of Contemporary Art, NYC

Below Grand, a gallery on Orchard Street in New York, has transformed its space into "Club Bar," an immersive exhibition curated by Marissa Graziano that blurs the line between art and entertainment. The show features a pool table, free beer and hot dogs, and a white roulette table dealt by artist Sam Guy, where guests gamble for raffle tickets to win artworks. The exhibition includes works by Alexis Akua, Thomas Bohm Jr., Alex Cassetti, Angela Dufresne, and others, with a suggested donation of $25 for five plays and raffle tickets.

"Seasons and Soliloquies" by Zack Thurmond

Zack Thurmond will present a solo exhibition titled "Seasons and Soliloquies" at Idaho Art Gallery (IAG) in downtown Boise, opening Thursday, May 7, 2026, from 5 to 9 pm. Thurmond, a largely self-taught artist with a BFA from Boise University, creates paintings rooted in direct observation of place, often starting as plein air studies and expanding into larger studio works. His pieces are held in collections across North America and Europe, and he currently serves as Chief Preparator at the Boise Art Museum.

Phoenix Art Museum to offer nostalgic new exhibit highlighting vintage automotive posters and fashion

Phoenix Art Museum will debut 'Modern Treads: The Discount Tire Poster Collection' in June 2025, featuring over a dozen oversized vintage automotive posters from Discount Tire's collection, dating from 1900 to 1930. The collection, started by founder Bruce Halle in the 1980s and now comprising over 500 posters, highlights developments in the automobile and tire industries at the turn of the 20th century. The exhibition also includes two period fashion ensembles from the museum's collection, showing how early drivers dressed for protection. Co-curated by Susan Driver of the Discount Tire Collection, the show runs through January 2027 in the Lower-Level Katz Wing.

Orlan, Marina Abramović, Ai Weiwei and Roger Ballen lead a major exhibition on love in Paris

A major group exhibition exploring the theme of love has opened in Paris, featuring works by renowned contemporary artists including Orlan, Marina Abramović, Ai Weiwei, and Roger Ballen. The show brings together diverse perspectives on love, intimacy, and human connection through various media such as performance, photography, and installation.