See exhibition by Erin Jane Nelson, ‘Living and Working,’ at UAB’s AEIVA through Sept. 26

The Abroms-Engel Institute for the Visual Arts (AEIVA) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham presents “Living and Working,” a survey exhibition of artist Erin Jane Nelson, running through September 26. This is Nelson’s largest solo exhibition to date and her first survey, spanning a decade of her practice across photography, textiles, and ceramics. The exhibition will travel to the Knoxville Museum of Art in August 2027, and AEIVA is co-publishing an exhibition catalog with Institute 193. The opening reception is May 21, and free community programming includes summer drop-in tours, a pinhole camera workshop, Science Nights in partnership with the Birmingham Zoo, and a chamber music event.

Actions for the Earth: Art, Care & Ecology

The article titled 'Actions for the Earth: Art, Care & Ecology' discusses an exhibition or initiative that explores the intersection of art, environmental care, and ecological awareness. It likely highlights how artists and cultural institutions are responding to climate change and ecological crises through creative practices and community engagement.

Tilda Swinton to Perform at Guggenheim Bilbao in June

Actress and performance artist Tilda Swinton will stage a performance titled 'House of Gestures' at the Guggenheim Bilbao on June 5 and 6. The work, a collaboration with fashion historian and curator Olivier Saillard, is commissioned by Dom Pérignon as part of its 'Creation is an eternal journey' series. The piece explores gesture, presence, and transformation, set in the museum's atrium, and is free and open to the public with advance registration.

When Shells Become Weapons

Wenn Muscheln zu Waffen werden

Swedish artist Lotta Antonsson, born in 1963, presents her exhibition "I am Everything" at Fotografiska in Stockholm, featuring around 50 works that repurpose found black-and-white photographs from 1960s and 1970s fashion and lifestyle magazines. She overlays these images of women in objectifying poses with shells, stones, and crystals, creating assemblages that obscure faces or add threatening details like crystal vampire teeth on actresses Ali MacGraw and Jane Fonda. The show opened during the Stockholm Art Fair and draws on Antonsson's extensive archive, including East German erotic magazines sourced from Berlin flea markets.

À Nîmes, la peinture sans entrave de Tursic & Mille envahit le Carré d’art

The article covers the retrospective exhibition of French artist duo Ida Tursic and Wilfried Mille at the Carré d'art in Nîmes. Titled "Dissonances à géométries variables," the show traces their career from student works at the École nationale supérieure d'art de Dijon to recent paintings, featuring a critical, humorous, and materially rich approach to figurative painting. The duo draws from press images, internet sources, art history, and archives, disrupting reproductions with paint splatters and odd details, and the exhibition is organized thematically from "happiness" to "melancholy."

Interview with Ramuntcho Matta: Brion Gysin: The Last Museum Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris

The article is an interview with Ramuntcho Matta about the exhibition "Brion Gysin: The Last Museum" at the Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris. It explores the life and work of Brion Gysin, a multifaceted artist associated with Surrealism, the Beat Generation, and the invention of the Dreamachine. The exhibition traces Gysin's career through his calligraphy, painting, and multimedia works, including collaborations with William S. Burroughs and Ian Sommerville. A complementary show, "Underwood 2246449-5 (Les diables de Brion)," organized by Matta at New Galerie, features Burroughs's typewriter and related instruments.

Sophie Von Hellerman “After a Dream” at Greene Naftali, New York

Greene Naftali presents Sophie von Hellermann's eighth solo exhibition, "After a Dream," featuring pairs of figures drawn from literature, art history, the artist's personal acquaintances, and imaginative constructs. The show explores creative relationships through the charged dynamic of the couple, presenting narrative chimeras that examine different forms of alignment and connection.

Greg Parma Smith at Hoffman Donahue

Greg Parma Smith presents a solo exhibition at Hoffman Donahue gallery, featuring a series of new paintings. The show includes 18 documented images of the works, which explore themes of abstraction and materiality through layered surfaces and vibrant color palettes.

Joe Brainard at Chris Sharp Gallery

Joe Brainard's work is currently on view at Chris Sharp Gallery in an exhibition documented with 68 images and no videos. The show presents the artist's pieces, though no text descriptions accompany the images on the page.

Free Summer Exhibitions in 2026 Across Paris and Île-de-France: This Season’s Must-See Events

A curated guide lists free summer exhibitions across Paris and Île-de-France for 2026, including shows at Fluctuart, Perrotin Gallery, Petit Palais, Bourse de Commerce, Rachel Hardouin Gallery, and Domaine de Chamarande. Highlights include "Everybody's Searching for Their Cat" at Fluctuart (May 7–August 23), JR's "Les Esquisses de la Caverne" at Perrotin (June 5–July 25), the return of "We are (still) here" street-art exhibition at Petit Palais (June 20–September 20), and free late hours at Bourse de Commerce on the first Saturday of each month.

"One of the most dramatic Biennales": 11 unmissable art shows to see at Venice

Theo Christelis reports from the opening week of the 2024 Venice Biennale, describing it as one of the most dramatic editions in recent memory. Key events include the death of main curator Koyo Kouoh and German Pavilion artist Henrike Naumann, the resignation of the prize jury over the participation of Israel and Russia, a protest by Pussy Riot, and a boycott by half the participating artists. Amid the turmoil, Christelis highlights unmissable shows including the Indian Pavilion (returning after seven years), Jenny Saville at Ca' Pesaro, Michael Armitage at Palazzo Grassi, and presentations at the British, Japanese, and Saudi Arabian Pavilions.

Multidisciplinary Exhibition Opens at The Parrish

A multidisciplinary solo exhibition titled "Sanford Biggers: Drift" has opened at the Parrish Art Museum in Watermill. The exhibition was organized by Chief Curator Corinne Erni and Curator Scout Hutchinson, and was marked by a public conversation between artist Sanford Biggers and Erni. The discussion focused on Biggers' use of textiles, symbolism, and layered cultural references.

A Major Exhibition on Elsa Schiaparelli opens at the V&A

A major exhibition dedicated to the pioneering fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli has opened at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London. The show explores Schiaparelli's innovative designs, her collaborations with surrealist artists like Salvador Dalí, and her lasting influence on fashion and visual culture.

Yoo Young-kuk’s inner landscapes spotlighted in Seoul retrospective

The Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) has opened its largest-ever retrospective of pioneering Korean abstract painter Yoo Young-kuk, titled "Yoo Youngkuk: A Mountain Within Me," marking the 110th anniversary of his birth. Running through Oct. 25 at SeMA's Seosomun branch, the exhibition brings together 178 works, including 115 oil paintings, drawings, photographs, archival materials, and previously unseen pieces, as well as BTS RM's collection "Mountain." Rather than a chronological format, the show begins in 1964—the year of Yoo's first solo exhibition—and moves backward and forward through time, highlighting his geometric compositions and bold primary colors inspired by the mountains and sea of his hometown Uljin.

James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain — a plunge into the rush of the modern world

Tate Britain presents a major exhibition of James McNeill Whistler's work, showcasing his immersive depictions of early industrial life alongside masterpieces of Victorian portraiture. The show brings together a wide range of Whistler's paintings, prints, and works on paper, highlighting his innovative approach to capturing the energy and atmosphere of the modern world in the late 19th century.

“Voglio porre domande che non avranno mai risposte”. Intervista all’artista Ndayé Kouagou in mostra a Reggio Emilia

Ndayé Kouagou, an artist from Montreuil (1992) based in Paris, presents his first solo exhibition in Italy, "Heaven's truth," at Collezione Maramotti in Reggio Emilia, running until July 26, 2026. The show features his video installation "A coin is a coin" (2022) and is part of the 21st edition of Fotografia Europea 2026, themed "Fantasmi del quotidiano." During the opening, Kouagou performed with poet and actress Salber Lee Williams, composing and deconstructing phrases into the expression "Please Be Yourself." The exhibition will travel to Heidelberger Kunstverein from September 3, and new works co-produced with the institution will appear at the 18th Lyon Biennale (September 19 – December 13, 2026). In an interview, Kouagou discusses his background as a self-taught visual artist and performer, having worked as a motion designer in advertising and as a DJ, and emphasizes writing as his central expressive medium, comparing himself more to a writer than a visual artist.

Mimmo Jodice in mostra al nuovo Museo del Tesoro di San Gennaro a Napoli. Rare foto ‘barocche’ a colori

Mimmo Jodice, the renowned Italian photographer who died in October 2025 at age 91, is being honored with a new exhibition at the Museo del Tesoro di San Gennaro in Naples. The show, curated by former Capodimonte director Sylvain Bellenger, presents Jodice's rare color photographs from the 1980s—his only color project—which focus on 17th-century Neapolitan Baroque paintings by artists such as Caravaggio, Jusepe de Ribera, and Artemisia Gentileschi. The exhibition runs until January 10, 2027, and also marks the inauguration of newly renovated welcome spaces at the museum, designed by Vanni del Gaudio.

Julie Mehretu — Perceptual Infrastructure and the Post-Retrospective Condition

Julie Mehretu's latest exhibition, "Our Days, Like a Shadow (a non-abiding hauntology)," is on view at Marian Goodman Gallery in New York from April 14 to June 6, 2026. The show presents paintings that push beyond traditional representation, creating immersive perceptual environments through dense layers of abstraction, cartographic traces, and architectural fragments. The works, including the TRANSpaintings series created with Nairy Baghramian, extend Mehretu's practice into spatial expansion, where painting behaves like infrastructure without becoming literal architecture.

When satire met paper: ‘Ink & Outrage’ is now open at the Driehaus Museum

The Driehaus Museum in Chicago has opened 'Ink & Outrage: 18th-Century Satirical Prints in London & Dublin,' an exhibition of some 100 prints by Georgian-era caricaturists including James Gillray and Thomas Rowlandson. Curated by Silvia Beltrametti and William Laffan, the show explores the rise of visual satire in 18th-century England and features side-by-side comparisons of original English prints with unauthorized Irish copies, highlighting issues of plagiarism and intellectual property.

Major Exhibition Surveys 60 Years of Chicano Art Across the United States

The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture in Riverside, California, has opened a major exhibition titled "We the People: Chicano Art in the U.S.A.," surveying 60 years of Chicano art across the United States. Organized by artist and curator Benito Huerta, the show features 126 works by 61 artists drawn from the collection of Cheech Marin, the museum's permanent holdings, recent acquisitions, and artist loans. The exhibition spans painting, sculpture, installation, printmaking, and mixed media, including works by historic collectives like Los Four and Con Safo alongside contemporary artists, exploring themes of migration, labor, cultural memory, identity, and everyday life.

Major Exhibition Creates World Class Art Trail Across North Yorkshire

An exhibition featuring works by 50 leading contemporary artists will be staged across four venues in North Yorkshire, England, from April to September 2025, as part of the 20th anniversary of the Aesthetica Art Prize. The venues include Skipton Town Hall, the Mercer Art Gallery in Harrogate, Scarborough Art Gallery, and Woodend Gallery, with free entry at most sites. The exhibition is a joint venture between Aesthetica and Culture North Yorkshire, the council's culture and archive service, and is divided into four thematic parts: Future(s), Perception, Intervention, and Transformation.

Brook Hsu ”The Barcelona Pavilion (including work by Georg Kolbe)” at Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler, Berlin

Brook Hsu's exhibition "The Barcelona Pavilion (including work by Georg Kolbe)" at Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler in Berlin presents a series of works that interweave references to architecture, film, literature, and animal carcasses. The show's title alludes to Mies van der Rohe's iconic Barcelona Pavilion and the sculptor Georg Kolbe, whose work was originally installed there, while the list of pieces—ranging from paintings like "Daybreak:Orange Tree" to works dedicated to figures such as Anne Wiazemsky and Pasolini—creates a dense, associative network of cultural and personal memory.

Yosra Mojtahedi, Iranian artist who moved from painting to astonishing living sculptures

Yosra Mojtahedi, artiste iranienne passée de la peinture à de stupéfiantes sculptures vivantes

Yosra Mojtahedi, an Iranian artist born in 1986, has transitioned from painting to creating stunning living sculptures. Her work, characterized by black and white contrasts, features sculptures that breathe, have hair, and incorporate torn tights and synthetic locks, evoking themes of identity, censorship, and bodily autonomy. She recently presented a spectacular installation titled "Isthme noir" at the Espace Monte-Cristo in Paris and an exhibition at the Abbaye de Maubuisson, where her spiritual universe unfolds across multiple rooms. Mojtahedi's practice includes sound elements in Persian or Kurdish, and she views her sculptures as "bodies" that are both intimate and political.

Nolan Lucidi “Bildersaal” at Kunsthaus Glarus

Kunsthaus Glarus presents "Bildersaal," the first institutional solo exhibition by Swiss artist Nolan Lucidi (b. 2000, based in Basel). The installation combines videos and objects to explore male homosexual desire drawn from literature, art history, and personal experience, while also interrogating formal language and claims to authority.

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.

Kooky, crazy and eclectic: ‘Imagination runs wild’ at the Mary Sims exhibition

Artist Mary Sims is the subject of a new exhibition at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens in Memphis, featuring her eclectic and imaginative works. The article highlights a signature piece titled "Merlin," inspired by a 1978 photograph of interior designer Rodgers Menzies dressed in a yellow caftan, purple cloak, and newspaper cone hat, posing by a stone lion outside a now-demolished Union Avenue mansion. The exhibition showcases Sims' kooky, crazy, and imaginative style.

Phoenix Airport Museum Celebrates Museum Month

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is celebrating Museum Month and International Museum Day (May 18) by highlighting the Phoenix Airport Museum's exhibitions. The museum, which began as an art program in the 1960s with Paul Coze's mural "The Phoenix" and officially became a museum 38 years ago, has presented over 500 exhibitions focusing on Arizona's culture. It now houses more than 1,000 artworks across 40 display areas, including architecturally integrated pieces and portable works. Current exhibitions include "Spectral Alchemy" (15 local artists exploring light), "Fluoresce" (blacklight paintings), "Time & Place" (paintings by Martin Dimitrov), "Runway Fashion" (vintage flight attendant uniforms), and several others in Terminals 3 and 4, both pre- and post-security.

Artist’s Perspective: Anila Quayyum Agha

Artist Anila Quayyum Agha will give a talk at the Frist Art Museum in Nashville on May 22, 2026, discussing her exhibition "Anila Quayyum Agha: Interwoven." The survey spans two decades of her practice, including immersive installations, works on paper, paintings, and sculptures that draw on themes of migration, identity, and inequality, as well as influences from Indo-Islamic architecture, poetry, and the California Light and Space movement.

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.

Inside Museo Jumex’s Soccer-Inspired Art Shows

Museo Jumex in Mexico City is staging two soccer-inspired exhibitions. "Football & Art: A Shared Emotion" runs through July 26, featuring works across painting, sculpture, installation, photography, and video that explore football's cultural impact in Mexico and beyond. Highlights include Sofía Echeverri's textile commission about Mexico's 1971 Women's World Cup qualifiers and Tercerunquinto's sculptural installation using salvaged seats from Azteca Stadium. "Objects of Glory" opens June 10 in partnership with Qatar Museums and the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, showcasing historic memorabilia such as Diego Maradona's match-worn jersey from the 1986 World Cup quarter-final and Pelé's boots from the 1970 World Cup.