affordable art fair bargains

The Affordable Art Fair opened its latest New York edition on March 30 at the Metropolitan Pavilion, featuring 72 galleries from six continents. The fair, now in its 15th year in New York, offers artwork priced between $100 and $10,000, with at least half of each booth's inventory under $5,000. Highlights include Lucy Sparrow's felt grocery items for $100, Orson Kartt's mixed media prints for $250, and Yann Guitton's oversized $20 bill artwork. The fair also offers themed tours such as “Female Voices” and “Finds Under $500.”

Your Summer Guide: 20 Art World Highlights Not to Miss

ARTnews has published a summer guide highlighting 20 art world events and exhibitions not to miss in the coming months. Featured highlights include the opera 'El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego' at the Metropolitan Opera, the 'Costume Art' exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a Björk show titled 'echolalia' at the National Gallery of Iceland, a book on the Venice Biennale by Massimiliano Gioni, Raven Halfmoon's 'Flags of Our Mothers' at Ballroom Marfa, a Pierre Huyghe exhibition at Fondation Beyeler Basel, a James McNeill Whistler retrospective at Tate Britain, and the inaugural Medina Triennial in New York.

‘I paint the kind of people I’m attracted to’: Hernan Bas on hiding from the world in Venice

Cuban-American artist Hernan Bas has been living in Venice, painting tourists while reflecting on the ironies of mass tourism and his own status as a visitor. His new series, titled "The Visitors," comprises 30 paintings that will be exhibited at Ca' Pesaro, Venice's modern art museum, alongside the Venice Biennale. The works range from bleak to satirical, depicting young white men in tourist scenarios—such as a grinning youth at Holi in India or another cradling a koala—and explore themes of alienation, innocence, and the uncanny. Bas, who is gay, acknowledges that his subjects are often the kind of people he is attracted to, and he emphasizes narrative as central to his practice, aiming to be a conceptual artist who happens to paint.

Stockholm's Market Art Fair wants to prove the 'periphery is now essential'

The 20th edition of Stockholm's Market Art Fair for Modern and contemporary art opens in a new waterfront venue at Magasin 9 in the Frihamnen docks area, running until 26 April. This year, 54 dealers—mostly from the Nordics—are joined by international galleries from the US and UK, including Anthony Wilkinson gallery (London) and albertz benda (New York). The fair expanded its reach last year by opening applications to galleries without existing Nordic ties. Notable presentations include new works by Ólafur Elíasson (i8 gallery, Iceland), dystopian paintings by Munan Øvrelid (Galleri Haaken, Oslo), and textile works by Petra Lindholm (Magnus Karlsson gallery). Prices range from SEK 28,000 to €195,000, with strong early sales reported.

The Top 10 Exhibitions to See Around the World This May

Ocula's global team of editors has curated a list of the top 10 exhibitions to see worldwide in May, highlighting diverse shows from Rio de Janeiro to New York. Featured exhibitions include Jungjin Lee's photographic works blending Icelandic landscapes and intimate objects on traditional Korean paper, a millennial-themed group show titled "Genuine Premium Fake Economy" examining precarity through artists like Jasmine Gregory and Buck Ellis, Joan Semmel's solo exhibition "Continuities" at Xavier Hufkens and Alexander Gray Associates showcasing her erotic self-portraiture at age 93, and Wynnie Mynerva's Berlin Gallery Weekend show addressing colonial violence and Andean mythology.

In Venice, Hernan Bas Paints the Problem With Modern Tourism

American artist Hernan Bas has created a series of 40 paintings critiquing modern tourism, set to open in May at Ca' Pesaro–International Gallery of Modern Art in Venice during the Biennale. Titled "The Visitors," the exhibition depicts young white male American tourists engaging in objectionable behaviors worldwide—from begpacking to visiting disaster sites—painted with Bas's signature attention to clothing details. The works were developed during a residency in Venice, a city emblematic of overtourism, in collaboration with Victoria Miro, Lehmann Maupin, and Perrotin galleries.

Artist Olafur Eliasson brings the outside world thrillingly to life inside the art gallery

Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson's major survey exhibition 'Presence' has opened at the Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) in Brisbane, Australia. Curated by Geraldine Kirrihi Barlow, the show synthesizes three decades of Eliasson's immersive installations, photography, and sculpture, including iconic works like 'Riverbed' (2014) and 'The cubic structural evolution project' (2004), both from QAGOMA's permanent collection. A spectacular new installation also titled 'Presence' features a pulsing artificial sun using mirrors and monofrequency light to create an illusion of infinite space.

bjork echolalia iceland gallery

Björk, the Icelandic pop icon and multidisciplinary artist, is opening an exhibition of immersive works titled "Echolalia" at the National Gallery of Iceland, coinciding with the 2026 Reykjavik Arts Festival. The show features installations tied to her forthcoming album and her 2022 album Fossora, including "Ancestress" and "Sorrowful Soil," the latter a tribute to her late mother. Simultaneously, the museum will host "Metamorphlings," the first museum retrospective for James Merry, the embroiderer behind many of Björk's masks, presenting over 80 works from the past decade.

Plan Your Travel Year: 8 Art Shows Worth Traveling for This Year

Major museums across the United States are launching significant exhibitions in 2026, including retrospectives of Frida Kahlo in Houston and Nick Cave in Washington, D.C., and a landmark show on sculptor Edmonia Lewis in Salem. These shows are part of a broader cultural moment, with many institutions mounting exhibitions to coincide with the nation's 250th anniversary, aiming to reframe art historical narratives and highlight previously overlooked artists.

Olafur Eliasson stages public wake for the Great Salt Lake in Utah

Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson presented 'A symphony of disappearing sounds for the Great Salt Lake,' a large-scale multimedia installation in Salt Lake City’s Memory Grove Park. The work featured a three-story luminous sphere projecting visuals of wind currents and geothermal light, accompanied by a soundscape of migratory birds, brine flies, and frogs. Commissioned by the Salt Lake City Arts Council and Bloomberg Philanthropies, the ten-day public event served as a creative wake for the rapidly receding lake.

Olafur Eliasson Uses Art and Sound to Raise Climate Awareness in Utah

Danish-Icelandic artist Olafur Eliasson has created a new installation in Utah that combines art and sound to raise awareness about climate change. Drawing on his childhood experiences in Iceland and Denmark, the work uses natural elements and sensory engagement to connect viewers with environmental issues. The piece is part of a broader effort by the artist to use immersive, site-specific art to provoke reflection on humanity's relationship with the planet.

5 exhibitions across the globe celebrating women who shaped art and culture

Five museums across the globe are opening exhibitions this month that celebrate women who have shaped art and culture. The shows include Björk's multidisciplinary "Echolalia" at the National Gallery of Iceland in Reykjavík, Iris van Herpen's New York exhibition, Marina Abramović's historic showing at Venice's Gallerie dell'Accademia, the Tate Modern's first major Frida Kahlo retrospective, and centenary tributes to Marilyn Monroe. The article notes that despite women making up 51% of visual artists worldwide, their work remains underrepresented in public institutions, with 78% of London galleries showing more male than female artists.

A vocabulary of touch: exhibition of sculpture by blind and partially blind artists opens in Leeds

The Henry Moore Institute in Leeds has opened "Beyond the Visual," the first major UK exhibition of sculpture centered on blind and partially blind artists and curators. Co-curated by Ken Wilder, Aaron McPeake, and Clare O'Dowd, the show features works by 16 international artists including Henry Moore, Barry Flanagan, Lenka Clayton, Emilie Louise Gossiaux, David Johnson, and others. The exhibition prioritizes touch, sound, and sensory engagement, with all objects available to handle, textured flooring mats, high-contrast signage, and audio descriptions. It includes new commissions such as David Johnson's "Nuggets of Embodiment" (2024-25), made of 10,000 stone-plaster Digestive biscuits with Braille text.

Olafur Eliasson: Your curious journey | June 21 - September 21, 2025

The article announces Olafur Eliasson's traveling exhibition 'Your curious journey,' running from June 21 to September 21, 2025, at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. Featuring 17 works spanning installation, painting, sculpture, and photography, the show reflects on the Icelandic-Danish artist's three-decade career and marks his first major presentation in the Asia-Pacific region. The exhibition will later travel to the Singapore Art Museum, Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Museum MACAN in Jakarta, and MCAD Manila - Museum of Contemporary Art and Design.

PKM gallery to open Lee Jung-jin exhibition 'Unseen/Thing' Wednesday

Photographer Lee Jung-jin has launched a major solo exhibition titled "Unseen/Thing" at PKM Gallery in Seoul, marking her first solo show in six years. The exhibition is divided into two parts: her latest "Unseen" series, captured during a 2024 trip to Iceland, and her "Thing" series from the early 2000s, which features analog still lifes printed on traditional Korean hanji paper. The new works depart from Lee’s previous focus on the static silence of deserts, instead capturing the volatile, forceful energy of the Icelandic landscape.

Dani Guindo’s Dramatic Aerial Photos Reveal the Ghostly Outline of an Icelandic Glacier

Dani Guindo’s Dramatic Aerial Photos Reveal the Ghostly Outline of an Icelandic Glacier

Spanish artist Dani Guindo has released a striking new aerial photography series titled *Terminus*, which captures the Múlajökull glacier in Iceland. Using a drone, Guindo documented the glacier's intricate rivulets and, more significantly, a ghostly semi-circular outline etched into the rocky landscape below, revealing the glacier's former, much larger footprint.

Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir: Pocket Universe

The Icelandic Art Center will present "Pocket Universe," a multidisciplinary exhibition by artist, poet, composer, and filmmaker Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir, representing Iceland at the 61st Venice Biennale. The exhibition, held at the Icelandic Pavilion's new location at Docks Cantieri Cucchini, explores shifting perspectives through hope, imagination, and belief, blending sound, performance, moving image, sculpture, and installation. It features a moving image work centered on a character called "Creature Zero" searching for the "original rock," and incorporates themes of luck, chance, and transformation through playful, game-like structures.

WHO ARE THE CURATORS THAT WILL LEAD THE NEXT BIENAL DE SAO PAULO

The Fundação Bienal de São Paulo has appointed Amanda Carneiro and Raphael Fonseca as chief curators for the 37th Bienal de São Paulo, scheduled for 2027 at the Pavilhão Ciccillo Matarazzo in Ibirapuera Park. Carneiro, a curator at MASP since 2018 and an artistic organizer for the 2024 Venice Biennale, and Fonseca, a visual arts curator at Culturgest and curator-at-large at the Denver Art Museum, will lead the largest visual arts event in Latin America.

The weird, wiggly universe of Icelandic artist Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir

The article profiles Icelandic artist Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir, whose multidisciplinary practice spans visual art, performance, music, poetry, and filmmaking. It describes a recent performance at Reykjavik's Mengi venue where the audience was invited onstage to be stirred with an imaginary spoon, and highlights her upcoming project 'Pocket Universe' representing Iceland at the Venice Biennale, installed in a former shipyard. The piece also explores her fluid relationship with time, her admiration for artists like Meredith Monk and Laurie Anderson, and the tight-knit, artist-run creative ecosystem of Reykjavik that shapes her work.

In A State Of Flux: Tumi Magnússon’s Exhibition Is A Meditation On Movement And Change

Contemporary artist Tumi Magnússon has opened a solo exhibition titled "Herefrom Thereto Therefrom Hereto" (Héðan þangað þaðan hingað) at the Reykjanes Art Museum in Keflavík, Iceland. Curated by Gavin Morrison, the show marks a significant return for both the Copenhagen-based artist and the U.S.-based curator to the Icelandic art scene. The exhibition features a dialogue between Magnússon’s early post-conceptual paintings from the late 1990s and his more recent explorations in video, sound, and digital imagery.

Ragnar Kjartansson's politically charged soap opera—halted by the Russia-Ukraine war—goes on show in Reykjavík

Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson's video work *Soap Opera*—a recording of his durational performance *Santa Barbara: A Living Sculpture*—is on view for the first time at i8 Grandi in Reykjavík. The original performance, staged at the V-A-C Foundation's GES-2 House of Culture in Moscow from December 2021 to February 2022, featured Russian and Ukrainian actors reenacting episodes of the American soap opera *Santa Barbara*, which had been a cultural phenomenon in post-Soviet Russia. The production was halted at episode 81 on February 24, 2022, the day Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Around the World

Einmal um die Welt

The article previews the national pavilions at the Venice Biennale, where 99 countries present exhibitions across the Giardini, Arsenale, and venues throughout the city. It highlights Iceland's pavilion, featuring Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir's project "Pocket Universe" at the Docks Cantieri Cucchini, a multimedia work combining performance, sound, moving image, and installation centered on a film about a creature.

Icelandic artist Roza Gisladottir to hold first solo exhibition in Yerevan

Icelandic artist Roza Gisladottir will hold her first solo exhibition in Armenia, titled *Reflection of Time*, opening May 11 at the Centre for Contemporary Art (HayArt Centre) in Yerevan. The show features 23 works, including sculptures and photographs, with five large-scale installations placed along Mashtots Avenue and Saryan Street at the “Art Crossroads.” Gisladottir is donating five works to the museum’s permanent collection. The exhibition is supported by the Yerevan Municipality and the Honorary Consulate of Iceland in Armenia.

WaterFire Arts Center Unveils Immersive Summer Exhibitions in Providence

The WaterFire Arts Center in Providence, Rhode Island, is launching two large-scale summer exhibitions in its 15,000-square-foot Main Hall. From June 9–12, artist Yuval Gur presents "RIFT: A Sonic Environment for Multi-Timescale Listening," an immersive sound installation using environmental recordings from Iceland that transforms sound into a physical, felt experience. From July 2 through August 30, the group show "America, Unfinished?!" features artists from Rhode Island and across the country, selected via open call, exploring themes of labor, migration, memory, and civic life through interactive installations and mixed media, with live performances on Thursday evenings.