donald locke spike island exhibition review

A major survey of Donald Locke's work, titled "Resistant Forms," has opened at Spike Island in Bristol, England, in collaboration with Ikon Gallery in Birmingham and Camden Art Centre in London. Featuring over 80 works spanning five decades, the exhibition includes early biomorphic ceramics, monochromatic black paintings from the 1970s, collage paintings, mixed-media sculptures, and personal writings and photographs. Highlights include the black paintings series addressing colonial subjugation, such as "The Cage" (1976–79), and later whimsical works like "Reconstructed Bottle with Pearls #11 (Pearls for Mahalia)" (2008). The show traces Locke's journey from his birth in Guyana, his time in the UK as part of the Windrush Generation, and his eventual move to the US, where he lived until his death in 2010.

Marina Abramović Is the Unlikely Star of the New Balloon Museum

Marina Abramović Is the Unlikely Star of the New Balloon Museum

Performance artist Marina Abramović has created a large-scale inflatable installation for the new permanent New York outpost of the Balloon Museum. Titled *Snowy/Windy/Spring On The Planet Z*, the immersive work transforms the Tin Building into an imagined extraterrestrial meadow filled with balloon sculptures, light, and air currents, opening in July 2026.

cosima von bonin loewe fall winter 2026 paris fashion week

German sculptor Cosima von Bonin transformed the Loewe Fall/Winter 2026 runway at Paris Fashion Week into a whimsical maritime environment. The presentation featured her signature oversized plush sea creatures—including whales, clams, and crabs—alongside a new series of canine sculptures titled "The Beaux," which referenced her recent survey at Mudam Luxembourg.

nybg holiday train show whitney museum

The New York Botanical Garden's 34th annual "Holiday Train Show" features miniature replicas of New York landmarks crafted from natural materials by the botanical artists of Applied Imagination. This year's edition adds two new models: the recently renovated Delacorte Theater in Central Park and the Whitney Museum of American Art's Meatpacking District flagship, designed by Renzo Piano. The Whitney replica, built over three months by artist Ava Roberts and fabrication director Kaitlin Schmidt, uses a new two-way mirrored acrylic glass technique for the windows and incorporates materials like purple smoke bush branches, horse chestnut bark, and fallen Zelkova bark. The company, founded by Paul Busse in 1991 and now run by his daughter Laura Busse Dolan, creates whimsical versions of landmarks using leaves, sticks, fungi, and other dried plant materials.

What you (perhaps) didn't know about Alexander Calder

Ce que vous ne saviez (peut-être) pas sur Alexander Calder

The Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris has launched the exhibition "Calder. Rêver en équilibre," prompting a retrospective look at the life and technical mastery of Alexander Calder. The article explores the artist's journey from his arrival in Paris in 1926 to his interactions with avant-garde masters like Duchamp and Miró, highlighting how he defied traditional artistic labels through his innovative use of movement and simple materials.

‘You look at it and you just feel better’: this year’s Photoville festival highlights

The 15th annual Photoville festival in New York features over 90 photographic exhibits, ranging from whimsical subjects like cosmic-looking apples in "Old Apples" to hard-hitting reportage on wildfires, water access inequalities, and ICE's impact on communities. Notable exhibits include "Special Girls," showcasing 1990s photos of trans women from the Remsen Wolff archive, and "Point of View," pairing self-portraits by Dutch college students with Rijksmuseum artworks. Other highlights include Lexi Parra's "The Avillas," documenting a family after a matriarch's self-deportation, and "Puppies Behind Bars," a photo series on incarcerated men raising service dogs at Green Haven prison.

Alma Allen Offers a Quiet Vision in Venice—Even as Questions Swirl the U.S. Pavilion

Alma Allen's exhibition "Call Me the Breeze" has opened at the U.S. Pavilion for the 61st Venice Biennale. The Utah-born sculptor presents a pared-down, whimsical show that contrasts with the bombastic work of his predecessors, grouping new and old pieces to explore themes of conflict, mourning, and transcendence inspired by Hieronymus Bosch's *Visions of the Afterlife*. The exhibition was produced hurriedly over a few months, and Allen, who typically leaves his works untitled, felt compelled to explain his art for the first time in 30 years amid controversy surrounding his commission.

design miami 2025 brings out creatures and comfort

Design Miami 2025 preview drew a bustling crowd with over 70 exhibitors under the theme "Make Believe." Highlights included Katie Stout's whimsical carousel featuring marine animals, Roham Shamekh's biomorphic "Roots" sofa with integrated headphones, and ATRA's futuristic "Intelligence of Evolution" seating system upholstered in Hermès fabric. The Spanish silver brand Garrido showcased collaborations with Peter Marino, while the fair's 20th anniversary edition embraced a carnivalesque atmosphere with popcorn and mirrored walls.

rene magritte les lalannes exhibition di donna galleries

Di Donna Galleries in New York will present a major exhibition titled “Magritte and Les Lalanne: In the Mind’s Garden,” opening October 8, 2025, in collaboration with London-based Ben Brown Fine Arts. The show features over 50 works—paintings, works on paper, and sculptures—by Belgian Surrealist René Magritte and French sculptors François-Xavier Lalanne and Claude Lalanne, including rare loans from private collectors and the Lalanne estate. Highlights include Magritte’s *L’ami intime* (1958), which sold for £33.66 million at Christie’s, and François-Xavier Lalanne’s *Hippopotame I* (1968/1998) and “Sauterelle” Bar (1970).

Philly museum showcases innovations in fine art screenprinting by NYC’s Brand X

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has become the official repository for the archive of Brand X Editions, a New York City-based print studio founded in 1979. Under a new agreement, 350 archival screenprints by artists including Chuck Close, Helen Frankenthaler, Rashid Johnson, KAWS, and Mickalene Thomas have been transferred to the museum, with one copy of every future print to be added over the next decade. The museum has launched the exhibition "Brand X Editions: Innovation in Screenprinting," featuring about 90 works, including Johnson's monumental "Untitled Large Mosaic" printed with 293 colors and Close's complex self-portrait using 91 colors.

Hito Steyerl “Mechanical Kurds” at Villa Arson, Nice

From February 20 to May 31, 2026, Villa Arson art center in Nice presents "Mechanical Kurds," a video installation by German artist Hito Steyerl. The work blends fiction, documentary, and critical speculation to examine invisible micro-labor chains, the geopolitics of images, and the delegation mechanisms behind so-called autonomous technologies.

‘Vandalised, disembowelled and dismembered’: Artist Jack Milroy gives books a brutal treatment with beautiful results

The artist Jack Milroy has launched a new solo exhibition titled 'Bibliophilia' at Shapero Modern in London, featuring his signature 3D cut-out artworks. The 87-year-old artist transforms books and everyday objects, such as sardine tins, into intricate sculptures where illustrated figures like birds and fish appear to escape their physical confines. The show marks Milroy's first collaboration with the gallery, which is uniquely situated beneath an antiquarian bookshop, providing a thematic contrast between preserved rare volumes and Milroy’s "vandalised" artistic interpretations.

Wonderstruck: an art exhibition that will make even weary adults feel like kids again

Queensland's Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) in Meanjin/Brisbane has opened 'Wonderstruck', a major free exhibition featuring over 100 works from its collection. The show includes large-scale installations by artists such as Patricia Piccinini, Ron Mueck, Michael Parekōwhai, Yayoi Kusama, and Tobias Putrih, with interactive elements encouraging visitors to touch the art. Highlights include Kusama's 'The Obliteration Room', a participatory installation where visitors cover a white space with colorful stickers, and works created by local high school students in a workshop with artist Gemma Smith.

Takashi Murakami Casts His Spell Again

Takashi Murakami is back in the spotlight with a new exhibition, “Stepping on the Tail of a Rainbow,” opening May 25 at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The show features a full-scale replica of a portion of an ancient temple at Nara, Japan, and highlights the artist’s signature Flowers series. Murakami, known for his manga- and anime-inspired characters, has also become a fashion icon, with followers including Usher, Pharrell Williams, and entrepreneur Sarah Andelman. The article captures a press event where Murakami sketched portraits of artist Shahzia Sikander, dressed in a whimsical outfit designed to captivate his audience.

Witness a poetic dialogue between humanity and nature come alive at this exhibition in New Delhi

Artist Yashika Sugandh presents 'Vartaman,' a solo exhibition exploring the relationship between humanity and nature, at the Living Traditions Centre, Bikaner House, New Delhi, from September 27 to October 1, 2025. The show features intricate paintings and mixed-media works that blend whimsical hybrid creatures—such as snails carrying giraffes and turtles becoming tomatoes—with motifs like tree branches, reflecting Sugandh's reverence for the natural world. After its run at Bikaner House, the exhibition will continue at Black Cube Gallery, New Delhi, until October 31.

schiaparelli fashion exhibition review

The Victoria & Albert Museum presents "Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art," the first UK retrospective dedicated to the Italian designer Elsa Schiaparelli. The exhibition highlights her central role within the Parisian avant-garde of the 1930s, showcasing her famous collaborations with artists like Salvador Dalí, Alberto Giacometti, and Meret Oppenheim. By displaying iconic pieces such as the 1938 skeleton dress alongside personal notes and related artworks, the show argues that Schiaparelli was not merely a follower of Surrealism but a primary catalyst for its innovation.

Whitney Museum of American Art invites visitors to take in the river view

The Whitney Museum of American Art is celebrating the tenth anniversary of its Meatpacking District building by inviting visitors to experience Mary Heilmann's installation "Long Line" on the fifth floor. The work features a large-scale mural of sea green and foamy white waves, accompanied by whimsically colored boxy chairs that visitors can rearrange. The installation, which runs until January 19, 2026, encourages rest and contemplation, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering views of the Hudson River. Curator Laura Phipps notes that Heilmann, who created the inaugural commission "Sunset" for the building in 2015, has long prioritized visitor comfort and seating in her work.

One of LACMA's first commissions finds new life at David Geffen Galleries

Alexander Calder's monumental fountain sculpture "Three Quintains (Hello Girls)" has been reinstalled at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's new David Geffen Galleries, more than 60 years after it was first commissioned for the museum's original 1965 campus. The colorful, whimsical piece features four water jets that propel mobile-like paddles, and its water jets were turned back on in March 2025. The sculpture now anchors the northeast corner of the new building, placed alongside the main cafe and near the W.M. Keck Education Center, with a technically advanced filtration system to address previous environmental challenges.

District Gallery hosts Hunt Slonem for opening of new exhibition

District Gallery in Shaker Heights, Ohio, will host internationally acclaimed artist Hunt Slonem for the opening of his new exhibition, “Spring Awakening,” on May 29. The 73-year-old New York-based painter, known for his neo-expressionist depictions of bunnies, butterflies, and tropical birds, will attend a sold-out VIP reception. The exhibition runs through June 27 and marks Slonem’s first solo show in Cleveland.

lucy sparrow brings a felted sugar high to art miami

British artist Lucy Sparrow has brought a new felted candy shop installation titled "Sugar Rush" to Art Miami, featuring hand-sewn and hand-painted confectionery treats like Snickers, Peppermint Patties, and Twix, priced at $50 each. The interactive project, presented by London's TW Projects, includes affordable items such as $5 jellybeans and a $10,000 case of Haribo gummies, continuing Sparrow's decade-long tradition of delighting Miami Art Week audiences with her playful felt sculptures. Sparrow's career breakthrough came in 2016 when her installation "Sparrow's Deli" was purchased by 21C Museum Hotels, and she has since created notable projects including a felt bodega in New York and a felt McDonald's in Miami.

Two new ceramic exhibitions open at the Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings

The Yellowstone Art Museum in Billings, Montana, has launched two new ceramic-focused exhibitions: "Folktales and Fanfare" and "Embedded in the Overlap." A central highlight of the new programming is the work of Ukrainian ceramicist Janina Myronova, whose exhibition features whimsical stoneware figures and drawings that explore themes of home, hope, and human connection. Myronova’s work, including her 2023 piece "Two Heads Are Better Than One," blends traditional ceramic techniques with dreamlike narratives.

The Haas Brothers’ Creative Creations Are on Tour

The Haas Brothers, twin artists Simon Haas and Nikolai Haas, are the subject of a midcareer survey exhibition that is currently touring the United States. The show highlights their whimsical, colorful, and often functional sculptures and furniture pieces that blend craft, design, and fine art.

Five Women Artists Bring 'Psychedelic' Sense of Play to Pioneer Square Exhibit

The Beauty Shop collective, a group of five female artists based in the Puget Sound region, has launched a new group exhibition titled "The Party Mix" at Gallery 110 in Seattle's Pioneer Square. Featuring works by Arni Adler, Lynette Charters, Saundra Fleming, Kate Harkins, and Ingrid Sojit, the show presents a diverse array of media unified by a "psychedelic" sense of play, intuitive creative processes, and a focus on the female figure. The exhibition, which runs through March 28, was born out of a collaborative support network that began during the COVID-19 pandemic.

cats medieval manuscripts walters art museum

The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore has opened an exhibition titled "Paws on Parchment," exploring the depiction of cats in medieval manuscripts from Europe, Asia, and the Islamic world. The show was inspired by a 15th-century Flemish manuscript that still bears the inky paw prints of a cat that walked across the pages while they were drying. Curator Lynley Anne Herbert assembled the exhibition after discovering the manuscript in the museum's collection, researching medieval poetry, bestiaries, and encyclopedic works to understand historical attitudes toward cats. The exhibition runs through February 22, 2026, and is the first of three shows dedicated to animals in art.

Stephen Morrison’s Trompe-L’œil ‘Dog World’ Paintings Are Fetching

Artist Stephen Morrison is presenting a solo exhibition titled 'Dog Show #5: Field Recordings' at SLAG&RX gallery in New York. The show features his vibrant, trompe-l'œil paintings that embed canine features into compositions of everyday objects and textiles, referencing his personal connections to Paris, New York City, and Maine.

What We Saw at Buffalo Prescott’s 'Vernal 2026'

Buffalo Prescott’s Detroit headquarters is hosting 'Vernal 2026,' a spring-inspired contemporary arts exhibition running through June 27, with a public opening on May 22. The exhibition features works by resident artists including Jessica Wildman Katz, Halima Afi Cassells, Cyrah Dardas, Sara Nickleson, and Tony Printz, alongside metro Detroit and international artists. Highlights include Katz's botanical rabbit sculpture 'Kindling,' Cristina Umaña's whimsical 'Mesa De Centro' (a stack of white tables with human-like limbs), and Amelia Burns's photographic diptych 'Evil Eye' and 'Evil Eye Transmuted onto Organza, 2026,' which explores contemporary American culture through collage.

À Sars-Poteries, le MusVerre célèbre pour ses dix ans toutes les infinies possibilités de l’art verrier

The MusVerre in Sars-Poteries, France, celebrates its tenth anniversary with a new exhibition titled "Enchanté – La fabrique des histoires," curated by Laura Bouvard. The museum, which opened in 2016 in a distinctive blue beveled building, houses over 800 glass artworks and 3,000 ancient pottery pieces, originating from the passion of amateur collector Louis Mériaux. Under new director Laetitia Messager, the museum is forging collaborations with the Musée de Charleroi, Cirva Marseille, and Frac Normandie, and plans to host a symposium in autumn to mark the anniversary.

Gary Baseman fills iconic L.A. coffee shop with charming drawings on real restaurant menus

Artist Gary Baseman has opened his first hometown solo show in over a decade, titled “Off the Menu,” inside the long-shuttered Johnie’s Coffee Shop on Wilshire and Fairfax in Los Angeles. The exhibition features about 40 colored pencil drawings, mostly executed on real menus from iconic L.A. restaurants such as Musso & Frank, Canter’s Deli, and Genghis Cohen, as well as newer spots like Jon & Vinny’s. The whimsical show, which launched in conjunction with the opening of the Wilshire and Fairfax subway station, runs through June 14 and celebrates the dining culture and community of the Fairfax neighborhood.

Un itinerario fotografico tra installazioni e progetti d’autore della Design Week 2026. La collaborazione tra Artribune e i computer di MSI

This article outlines a one-day itinerary through Milan's 2026 Fuorisalone design week, highlighting key installations and exhibitions. It begins at Torre Velasca, featuring Polish Modernism and Brazilian modernist Jorge Zalszupin, then moves to the University of Milan's cloisters for the Interni magazine exhibition themed 'Materiae,' with oversized sculptures and a yacht installation by Piero Lissoni for Sanlorenzo. Other stops include Palazzo Litta, where architect Lina Ghotmeh presents 'Metamorphosis in Motion,' and Galleria Rossana Orlandi, focusing on the theme of doors. The itinerary concludes at Alcova in the former Baggio Military Hospital, an abandoned space reactivated by curators Valentina Ciuffi and Joseph Grima.

design collectible fair julio torres picks

Comedian and designer Julio Torres debuted a furniture collaboration with Sabai at Collectible's second New York edition, hosted by Water Street Projects. The Brussels-based design fair featured Torres's playful line alongside other standout pieces, including works by Studio Sam Klemick, Merve Kahraman, Realm, Andrea Spiridonakos, 304.Cage, and María Laura Camejo. Torres, known for his work on Saturday Night Live, the film Problemista, and the series Los Espookys and Fantasmas, offered whimsical commentary on each selected object in an interview with Cultured.