Art News. Vasari Codex

museum exhibitions schedule May 16, 2026 visibility 6 link 6 artists, 2 galleries

Artist appointed, axed then reinstated from Venice Biennale triumphs

Khaled Sabsabi, a Lebanese Australian artist, presents his installation 'conference of one's self' at the Australia Pavilion of the Venice Biennale, alongside a second work 'khalil' in the main exhibition 'In Minor Keys' curated by Koyo Kouoh. His participation follows a tumultuous period in February 2025 when he was initially appointed to represent Australia, then controversially sacked by Creative Australia's board after a political dispute triggered by Senator Claire Chandler's comments, and later reinstated. Sabsabi is now one of only three artists in the Biennale's 131-year history to show in both a national pavilion and the main exhibition.

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Syrian artist Ismail Nasra explores silence and solitude in new Damascus exhibition

Syrian visual artist Ismail Nasra has opened a new exhibition at Zawaya Art Gallery in Damascus, featuring 28 medium- and large-scale works that mark a departure from his earlier dense, colorful style. The paintings, created over three years on aged and weathered fabrics, employ muted palettes, abstraction, and negative space to explore themes of silence, absence, and emotional solitude. Solitary female figures and recurring bird motifs—symbols of freedom and escape—dominate the compositions, with the natural textures and cracks of the fabric becoming integral to the artwork.