Paloma Elsesser, Joan Jonas, and Isha Ambani Descended Upon Beacon for a Day at Dia

On a warm spring Saturday, the Dia Art Foundation hosted its annual Spring Benefit at Dia Beacon, drawing a cross-disciplinary crowd of artists, curators, museum leaders, and fashion figures. The event celebrated the opening of seven major exhibitions across the Beacon campus, featuring works by John Chamberlain, Lee Ufan, Kishio Suga, and Jack Whitten, and marked the rollout of a new partnership with Chanel. Guests explored over 20 galleries, enjoyed a seasonal lunch amid Chamberlain's sculptures, and participated in a special children's program, all set within the former Nabisco box-printing factory along the Hudson River.

India's Kiran Nadar Museum to take over Christie's London headquarters this summer

The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) in New Delhi will take over Christie’s London headquarters this summer for a month-long non-selling exhibition titled "The Meeting Ground: Scenes from the KNMA Collection" (16 July-21 August). The show will feature 180 works by 60 Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi artists from the 1950s to the present, drawn from billionaire collector Kiran Nadar’s vast collection of South Asian Modern art. The exhibition anticipates the delayed relocation of KNMA to a new 100,000 sq. m building near Delhi airport, designed by David Adjaye and now about 60% complete, with former Louvre Abu Dhabi director Manuel Rabaté appointed to run the museum.

Abbiamo visto tutte le mostre del Roma Gallery Weekend: ecco le 10 migliori

The third edition of the Roma Gallery Weekend has concluded, with around thirty galleries forming an official association with legal status and a dedicated budget. The event featured a VIP program of breakfasts, guided tours, and performances, aiming to attract collectors, curators, and local audiences. While the quality of exhibitions was high—28 out of 33 shows were reviewed—logistical challenges remain, including Rome's sprawling layout, limited public transport, and taxi availability. The article highlights 10 standout shows, such as Petra Feriancová's archaeological-inspired installation at Gilda Lavia and Elisa Montessori's exhibition at Monitor.

Nalini Malani’s Venice Biennale 2026 exhibition confronts violence, myth, and motherhood

Artist Nalini Malani will present a solo exhibition titled "Of Woman Born" at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026. The show features a site-specific installation commissioned by the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, comprising 67 animations with over 30,000 iPad drawings and a haunting soundscape. The work centers on the Greek myth of Orestes, who kills his mother Clytemnestra, and explores themes of violence against women, motherhood, and justice. Malani, now 80, has been a key figure in bringing Indian contemporary art to global prominence, with her work held by major institutions including Tate, MoMA, and Centre Pompidou.

25th Biennale of Sydney – Rememory

The 25th Biennale of Sydney, titled 'Rememory,' opened on March 14, 2026, across multiple venues including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, White Bay Power Station, and the Sydney Opera House. Artistic director Hoor Al Qasimi curated the event around the concept of 'rememory,' inspired by Toni Morrison's novel *Beloved*, featuring over 143 works by 83 artists and collectives from 37 countries. The biennale centers First Nations voices and diasporic communities, with standout pieces like the Ngurrara Artists' *Ngurrara Canvas II* (1997) and works by Yaritji Young. However, the event has faced controversy due to Al Qasimi's opposition to the war in Gaza, leading to criticism from donors and board members, as well as logistical disruptions from the Iran war affecting the curator and artists.

Wem die Glocke schlägt

The Kunsthalle Wien has revived its recurring exhibition format "Lebt und arbeitet in Wien" (Lives and Works in Vienna) for the fifth time since 2000, presenting 56 artists selected from a pool of 700 local practitioners. Curated by Daniel Baumann, Monika Georgieva, and Michelle Cotton, the show spans two venues—the Museumsquartier and Karlsplatz—featuring works in painting, sculpture, installation, film, and video that reflect the city's diverse artistic landscape. The exhibition marks a return after a decade-long hiatus, filling gaps left since the previous edition under the curatorial collective WHW.

Indian Art In London: Sakshi Gallery Marks 40 Years With Landmark Show By Contemporary Indian Artists This June

Sakshi Gallery, a Mumbai-based gallery founded in 1986 by Geetha Mehra, is presenting a contemporary art show titled 'Unfolding Narratives: Perspectives in Contemporary Indian Art' at London's Mall Galleries from June 30 to July 8, 2026, marking its 40th anniversary. The exhibition features works by six artists—Amit Ambalal, Manjunath Kamath, Ravinder Reddy, Rekha Rodwittiya, Shine Shivan, and Surendran Nair—with several pieces created specifically for the show. It serves as a prelude to a larger institutional exhibition planned for 2027 in London.

Unfolding narratives (...)

Sakshi Gallery is marking its 40th anniversary with an exhibition titled "Unfolding narratives: perspectives in contemporary Indian art" at the Mall Galleries in London, opening June 30, 2026. The show features works by six artists—Amit Ambalal, Manjunath Kamath, Ravinder Reddy, Rekha Rodwittiya, Shine Shivan, and Surendran Nair—who have significantly shaped Indian contemporary art. Many works were created specifically for the exhibition, offering insight into the artists' current directions. The presentation serves as a prelude to a larger institutional exhibition planned for 2027 in London.

Roberto Lugo brings monumental tribute to Puerto Rican culture to Manhattan park

Roberto Lugo has unveiled a monumental 20ft-tall urn titled *Capicú de Cariño (I Heard It Both Ways)* (2026) in Manhattan’s Madison Square Park, as part of his exhibition *Alfarero del Barrio (Village Potter)* commissioned by the Madison Square Park Conservancy. The urn features portraits of prominent Puerto Rican figures including Bad Bunny, Sonia Sotomayor, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Roberto Clemente, and the artist’s own parents, Gilberto and Maribel Lugo. The installation also includes a 15ft-tall orange fire hydrant sculpture, *Para Los Días Caliente (This Is For The Hot Ones)* (2026), and several planters and domino tables, all designed to invite public interaction and community engagement.

The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art and Christie's Unveil 'The Meeting Ground: Scenes from the KNMA Collection' - Christie's

The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) in New Delhi and Christie's London have announced a major institutional exhibition titled 'The Meeting Ground: Scenes from the KNMA Collection,' running from 16 July to 21 August 2026 at Christie's King Street. The show brings together modern and contemporary works alongside folk and indigenous art from South Asia, curated by Akansha Rastogi with a team of curators. It features artists such as M.F. Husain, S.H. Raza, Zarina Hashmi, and Jangarh Singh Shyam, and is part of KNMA's ongoing international programme.

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.

From Obama Presidential Center opening to Anne Frank to Pokemon: Chicago museums unveil ambitious summer exhibitions

Chicago museums have announced a slate of ambitious summer exhibitions, including the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, an Anne Frank exhibition, and a Pokemon-themed show. These exhibits span a range of cultural and historical topics, aiming to attract diverse audiences to the city's major cultural institutions.

Arghavan Khosravi Brings Diasporic Narratives to ‘What Remains’

Uffner & Liu in New York is presenting 'What Remains,' a solo exhibition by Iranian artist Arghavan Khosravi, running through July 2, 2026. The show features multi-paneled sculptural canvases, a freestanding sculpture, and intimate mixed-media works, including the debut of her 'Altar Series,' which reimagines medieval devotional altarpieces through a contemporary political and psychological lens.

May we suggest the art you need to see this May?

Lifestyle Asia has published a curated list of art exhibitions and events to see in May, offering recommendations for art enthusiasts looking to explore new shows and installations during the month. The article serves as a guide to notable cultural happenings, likely highlighting both emerging and established artists across various venues.

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.

India’s Kiran Nadar Museum to stage major South Asian art exhibition at Christie’s London.

The Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA) will present a major exhibition from its collection at Christie’s London this summer, running from July 16th through August 21st at Christie’s King Street headquarters. Titled “The Meeting Ground: Scenes from the KNMA Collection,” the exhibition marks the first time Christie’s annual exhibition series has been dedicated to a South Asian institution, featuring works from the New Delhi-based museum’s holdings.

Robert Lugo’s Colossal Ode to Puerto Rico Rises in Madison Square Park

Artist Roberto Lugo unveiled a two-part public monument to Puerto Rican culture in Manhattan's Madison Square Park on May 20. The installation includes a colossal ceramic urn titled "Capicú de Cariño (I Heard It Both Ways)" featuring hand-painted portraits of his parents, reggaeton star Bad Bunny, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, alongside a 15-foot-tall orange fire hydrant sculpture "Para Los Días Caliente (This Is For The Hot Ones)" that evokes his childhood summers in Philadelphia. Both works were commissioned by the Madison Square Park Conservancy and will remain on view through December 6.

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.

Introducing the Etnia House of Arts Residency Program

Etnia Eyewear Culture, the cultural arm of Etnia Barcelona, has launched the Etnia House of Arts residency program in Venice. Housed in the restored Chiesa dell’Abbazia della Misericordia, the contemporary art space invites artists to create site-specific works during two-week residencies, using eyeglasses as a conceptual starting point to explore vision, identity, and representation. The first two residents, Conxi Sane and Greta Pllana, have already produced interventions—Membrane and The Shape I Kept—that expand the symbolic possibilities of the object.

‘Walking With Giants’ exhibition to bring larger-than-life art to COD campus

The College of DuPage (COD) will host a new outdoor exhibition titled 'Walking With Giants,' featuring large-scale sculptures and installations by various artists on its campus in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. The show aims to transform the campus environment into an immersive art experience, with works placed in public spaces for students and visitors to encounter.

Tehran exhibition gives voice to war’s silent burden through modern art

An exhibition titled "Art and War" opened on May 11, 2026, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tehran, featuring works by Pablo Picasso, Antoni Tapies, Robert Motherwell, and Juan Gris that explore the impact of conflict on modern art. The show includes Spanish anti-war artists from the post-WWII era, such as Juan Genoves, and aims to give voice to those suffering under war's burden. Visitors like student-artist Kiyana Niknam described the paintings as a universal language expressing personal pain and resilience, while project adviser Fuad Necmeddin noted that museums in Iran had reopened after wartime closures due to cultural demand.

Joy Machine’s Feel Free Examines Order, Change, and the Limits of Control

Joy Machine's exhibition 'Feel Free' explores themes of order, change, and the limits of control through a series of artworks. The show presents a visual dialogue between structured systems and the unpredictable forces that disrupt them, inviting viewers to reflect on the tension between stability and transformation.

The Contemporary Lore at Shailaja Art Gallery explores Indian art across generations

The Contemporary Lore: Sojourn of Styles and Generations Unfurled, an exhibition at Shailaja Art Gallery in Gurugram, brings together 30 works by 23 artists from across India. Curated by Kiran Mohan, the show features paintings, sculptures, and mixed media by emerging, mid-career, and established artists, including Jai Krishna Agarwal, Prem Singh, Charudatt Pande, Nilisha Phad, Ashok Bhowmick, Asit Patnaik, Bipin Kumar, and Shaji Apukuttan. The exhibition, which previewed at Bikaner House, runs for four weeks at the gallery and aims to present artists as equal partners rather than in a hierarchical art-historical progression.

Playable exhibition ‘The Art of Mini Golf’ at Battersea Arts Centre announces ninth hole artist - Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley

Rising Melbourne and Battersea Arts Centre (BAC) have announced that British artist and game designer Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley will design the ninth hole artwork for the playable exhibition 'The Art of Mini Golf' when it travels to London this summer. The exhibition, formerly known as 'Swingers', will take over BAC from 17 June to 26 July, featuring nine interactive golf hole artworks by leading women artists including Miranda July, Kaylene Whiskey, Saeborg, Delaine Le Bas, Natasha Tontey, BKTHERULA, Soda Jerk, and Pat Brassington. Brathwaite-Shirley's new commission, 'Enough Is Enough', uses video game language to critique technology's impact on society, addressing issues like surveillance, censorship, and wealth inequality.

Exhibition | Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar, 'Sanctuary' at SETAREH, Düsseldorf, Germany

Sassan Behnam-Bakhtiar presents his exhibition 'Sanctuary' at SETAREH gallery in Düsseldorf, Germany. The show features the artist's latest works, exploring themes of refuge and inner space through his distinctive painterly language.

Arte Museum, BTS team up for immersive "Arirang" exhibition in Las Vegas, Busan and New York

Digital art venue Arte Museum, operated by Seoul-based design company d'strict, has partnered with K-pop group BTS for a large-scale immersive exhibition titled "Arte Museum X BTS The City Arirang." Inspired by BTS's new album "Arirang," the exhibit debuted on Wednesday at the museum's Las Vegas branch and will run through June 17, with subsequent openings in Busan on June 5 and in New York at a later date. The show features five original media artworks—including "No. 29," "Body to Body," "Swim," "2.0," and "Into the Sun"—alongside an updated "Arirang Wave" installation, an interactive "Live Sketchbook" space, and a BTS-themed cafe. It is part of the band's "The City" project, which extends the concert experience into local venues during their "Arirang" world tour.

Maintenance Work Brings Together Artists Examining Care as Process

Maintenance Work: Practices of Care, an exhibition opening at The Good Rice Gallery, brings together artists working across installation, performance, video, and sculpture. Curated by Berenice Berlan and Sowon Kim, the show features works from 18 artists including Abeer Al-Tamimi, Flavia Carolina D’Alessandro, and Jieyi Chen, exploring maintenance not as a finished act but as an ongoing process shaped by care, repetition, and attention. The exhibition runs from 21st to 24th May 2026, with a private view on 21st May.

Arte Museum Las Vegas debuts BTS immersive exhibit as part of citywide 'The City' project

Arte Museum Las Vegas has launched a BTS-themed immersive exhibition titled "ARTE MUSEUM X BTS THE CITY ARIRANG," running from May 20 to June 17, 2026. Produced by digital design company d'strict, the exhibition is part of "THE CITY," a larger project connecting multiple urban locations with BTS's tour period. The installation pairs digital visual works with tracks from BTS's fifth studio album, ARIRANG, and includes a retitled "ARIRANG GARDEN" zone featuring five media art pieces. The exhibition opens a week before BTS's Las Vegas concert dates (May 23–28) and extends two weeks after.

Santarcangelo Festival 2026: The Village Fills with Performances, Speaking of the Body as a Political Space Under Pressure

Santarcangelo Festival 2026, il borgo che si riempie di performance parlando di corpo come spazio politico sotto pressione

The 56th edition of the Santarcangelo Festival, titled "Deep Pressures," will take place from July 3 to 12, 2026, in the historic town of Santarcangelo, Italy. Curated by Tomasz Kirenczuk in his final year as artistic director, the festival transforms the town into a "city-festival" with over 100 events including performances, concerts, and participatory practices. The program explores the body as a political space under pressure—from geopolitical conflict and colonial legacies to emotional and social tensions. Key works include "In relation to whom?" by Palestinian artists Marah Haj Hussein and Nur Garabli, "When I Saw the Sea" by Lebanese choreographer Ali Chahrour, and "Homem Novo" by Mozambican artist Yuck Miranda, among others. The festival was presented at Mambo in Bologna, with Kirenczuk emphasizing that the role of the festival is to be unsettling, not reassuring.

Arte Museum launches immersive BTS exhibition inspired by 'Arirang'

Arte Museum in Las Vegas has opened "Arte Museum X BTS The City Arirang," an immersive exhibition created in partnership with Hybe's citywide fan experience project "The City." The show, launched on Wednesday ahead of a BTS concert in the city, centers on BTS's fifth studio album "Arirang" and translates its themes into multisensory visual installations. Operated by Seoul-based digital design company D'strict, the exhibition features five signature media artworks including "No. 29" and a new edition of the iconic "Wave" installation titled "Arirang Wave." The exhibition will travel to Busan and New York after its Las Vegas run through June 17.