New Art Center and Hidden Gems: A Weekend Full of Surprises in Bruges

Nouveau centre d’art et pépites cachées : un week-end plein de surprises à Bruges

Bruges, the Flemish city known for its medieval charm and UNESCO World Heritage status, has inaugurated a new art center called BRUSK in spring 2026. Located in the museum district, the building designed by Robbrecht en Daem and Olivier Salens features a monumental 350-square-meter fresco by French artist Laure Prouvost titled "The Whispering Walls Rêve," which references the city's past and present. The center also includes a conservation and research facility, with free access to the ground floor. The article proposes a weekend itinerary starting at the Grand-Place (Markt) and highlights Bruges as a hub for contemporary creation alongside its historic treasures.

Venice Biennale: A Silent US Pavilion

Biennale de Venise : un Pavillon US silencieux

The US Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, featuring artist Alma Allen, opened to sparse crowds despite a 10% overall attendance increase at the Biennale. The pavilion was embroiled in controversy before opening: Allen was selected by the American Arts Conservancy (AAC), a private entity created in 2025 at the initiative of Donald Trump after the dissolution of the federal committee that previously oversaw the pavilion. AAC head Jenni Parido, a former pet food executive, chose the self-taught, little-known artist who had never had a solo museum exhibition. Major funders the Ford and Mellon Foundations withdrew, forcing the AAC to launch a public donation appeal. The exhibition features 25 abstract bronze, stone, and burl-wood sculptures that the artist describes as biomorphic landscapes, but critics find them pleasant yet silent, lacking the promised political or visceral resonance.

Interview with Wallace Chan, the artist who created a bridge between Venice and Shanghai through water

Intervista a Wallace Chan, l’artista che attraverso l’acqua ha creato un ponte tra Venezia e Shanghai

Wallace Chan, the Hong Kong-born artist turning 70, has launched a dual-exhibition project titled "Vessels of Other Worlds" between Venice and Shanghai, curated by James Putnam. In Venice, the show runs concurrently with the Biennale at the Cappella di Santa Maria della Pietà (Vivaldi's church), featuring three titanium sculptures inspired by Catholic holy oils, surrounded by smaller works evoking water droplets. In Shanghai, the same sculptures appear at the Long Museum (West Bund) starting July 18, 2026, on a monumental scale—seven, eight, and ten meters tall—with a kaleidoscopic interior accessible through a door in the central piece. The exhibitions also include sound compositions by Brian Eno and reference Chan's earlier Venice shows (Titans, Totem, Transcendence).

US artist takes stage in Venice exhibition

U.S. artist Alma Allen, a self-taught sculptor based in Mexico, has mounted an exhibition titled "Call Me the Breeze" at the U.S. Pavilion for the Venice Biennale after a fraught selection process. The process, which removed language on diversity, equity, and inclusion in favor of promoting "American values," caused several institutions to withdraw from vying for the commission. Allen created a bronze evil eye for the pavilion's exterior to ward off bad vibes, and his show includes a dozen new works alongside pieces from the last 20 years. The prior proposal for artist Robert Lazzarini fell apart after its institutional sponsor backed out, leading to a new project with the American Arts Conservancy as sponsor and Jeffrey Uslip as curator.

In Minor Keys A Cacophony At 61st Venice Biennale – Miranda Carroll

The 61st Venice Biennale, titled 'In Minor Keys,' opened with a central exhibition curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, who died in 2025. The show features 110 artists and collectives, realized by a team of five curators known as 'la squadra di Koyo.' The exhibition spans the Giardini and Arsenale venues, with works including Otobong Nkanga's living facade installation, Theo Eshetu's dying olive tree, and Nick Cave's vibrant sculptures. Poems and quotes by Refaat al-Areer, Etel Adnan, Toni Morrison, and Ben Okri punctuate the spaces, encouraging visitors to pause and reflect.

Wallace Chan in Venice and Shanghai

Wallace Chan will present "Vessels of Other Worlds," a monumental dual-site exhibition across Venice and Shanghai in 2026, coinciding with his 70th birthday and the 61st Venice Biennale. The exhibition premieres on May 8, 2026, at the Chapel of Santa Maria della Pietà in Venice, featuring a new series of titanium sculptures inspired by the three sacred oils of the Catholic Church, with a parallel exhibition opening on July 18, 2026, at the Long Museum (West Bund) in Shanghai, where the sculptures will be displayed at a dramatically larger scale. Curated by James Putnam, the project also includes a complementary site-specific exhibition, "Mythos," at Scala Contarini del Bovolo in Venice from April to October 2026.

You can retrace the entire career of the legendary designer Alessandro Mendini in this exhibition in Verbania

Si può ripercorrere tutta la carriera del mitico designer Alessandro Mendini in questa mostra a Verbania

A new exhibition titled "Alessandro Mendini. COSE. Stanze come mondi" has opened at Villa Giulia in Verbania, Italy, running until September 27. Curated by art historian Loredana Parmesani, the show condenses the career of legendary designer Alessandro Mendini (1931–2019) into seven rooms, each centered on one of his iconic objects—such as the Poltrona di Paglia (1974) and the Poltrona di Proust (1978)—alongside 130 total pieces including drawings, paintings, and texts. The selection was made with Mendini's daughters Elisa and Fulvia, and the layout follows the villa's 19th-century plan, turning each space into a distinct chapter of his creative journey.

Peruvian artist's solo exhibition opens at Heydar Aliyev Center [PHOTOS]

On May 21, a solo exhibition of Peruvian artist Ronald Companoca titled "The Theater of Dreams" opened at the Heydar Aliyev Center in Baku, Azerbaijan. The ceremony was attended by Leyla Aliyeva, Alena Aliyeva, Minister of Culture Adil Karimli, and other dignitaries. The exhibition features many works shown for the first time, including pieces inspired by Azerbaijani culture, such as carpet elements and national motifs. Companoca described his style as a synthesis of realistic and mystical elements, rooted in magical surrealism. An artistic performance with live characters mirroring the artwork accompanied the opening. The exhibition runs until March 1, 2027.

A fairy-tale exhibition in Milan: the paintings look like Disney film sets

A Milano una mostra da fiaba: i quadri sembrano scenografie da film Disney

The Galleria Gaburro in Milan is presenting a solo exhibition of British artist Iain Andrews, titled "Whispers from the Red Room." The show features over 30 paintings and a handcrafted diorama, the "Diorama del Leviatano," which Andrews uses as a source of inspiration. His work blends fairy-tale and nightmare imagery, drawing on his background as a psychotherapist specializing in childhood trauma. The paintings evoke the visual language of Disney films and Rococo art, with oil and acrylic works that range from large immersive canvases to small, intricate panels.