Naked jetskiers, giant bells and a celebrity seagull! Venice Biennale’s wildest moments – in pictures

The Guardian presents a photo essay capturing the most eccentric and memorable moments from the 61st Venice Biennale, running until 22 November 2026. Photographer David Levene documents installations including a concrete 'Origami Deer' evacuated from war-torn Pokrovsk, Ukraine, by artist Zhanna Kadyrova; a seagull that became a minor celebrity after nesting outside the Polish pavilion; and the Holy See pavilion's immersive sound installation curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers. Other highlights include the Egyptian pavilion's touch-and-smell 'Silence Pavilion' and a Polish pavilion film featuring deaf and hearing singers.

A Journey Through the Work of Lucía Pizzani on the Occasion of Her First Institutional Exhibition in London

UN RECORRIDO POR LA OBRA DE LUCÍA PIZZANI A PROPÓSITO DE SU PRIMERA MUESTRA INSTITUCIONAL EN LONDRES

Venezuelan artist Lucía Pizzani presents her first institutional exhibition in the United Kingdom, titled "Faunal Succession," at Focal Point Gallery in London, running through May 30. The show features new works created in collaboration with artists Cecilia Bonilla, Jaime Gili, and Javier Weyler, as well as community groups and local schools, reimagining the Essex coastline through the concept of deep time. The exhibition links geological transformation with contemporary issues such as climate change, migration, and social change, as explored in an interview with curator Inês Costa.

Venice Biennale 2026 Collateral Events Six Of The Best – Nico Kos Earle

The 61st Venice Biennale is described as the most contested and chaotic in recent history, marked by the absence of a curator following the death of Koyo Kouoh and overshadowed by global conflicts that made presentations in national pavilions fraught with difficulty. Amid this turmoil, standout collateral events include Michael Armitage's exhibition 'The Promise of Change' at Palazzo Grassi, curated by Jean-Marie Gallais and Hans-Ulrich Obrist, which uses softly painted scenes to address sociopolitical tensions and post-colonial identity. Another highlight is The Holy See Pavilion, curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers, featuring a sonic prayer by Soundwalk Collective with contributions from contemporary composers including Patti Smith.

Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst on AI Optimism and Bringing Two-Headed Worms to Venice

Holly Herndon and Mat Dryhurst, known for their work in digital art and experimental music, have curated a group exhibition titled "Strange Rules" at Palazzo Diedo in Venice alongside Hans-Ulrich Obrist. Their contribution includes a collaboration with Tufts University biologist Michael Levin, featuring live planarian worms modified to grow two heads through bioelectric manipulation. The interview discusses their concept of "protocol art," which seeks to expose and reclaim the underlying systems—from algorithms to biological protocols—that shape artistic production.

A Collection Built Through Exchange. “Gifts of Friendship” at the Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź.

The Muzeum Sztuki in Łódź is opening an exhibition titled "Gifts of Friendship" on 15 May, featuring nearly 150 works donated to the museum between 2024 and 2026 by some 80 artists from dozens of countries. The exhibition, curated by Barbara Piwowarska, traces the museum's origins to the 1920s when avant-garde artists like Władysław Strzemiński and Katarzyna Kobro built the International Collection of Modern Art through artist-to-artist gifts, bypassing market logic. The current show responds to the institution's recent crisis by turning again to the artistic community for support, resulting in a wave of donations that reaffirm the museum's founding ethos.

Artistree Gallery hosts Unbound Vol. XIV exhibition

Artistree Gallery in South Pomfret, Vermont, is hosting "Unbound Vol. XIV," an annual exhibition of book art coinciding with the Bookstock literary festival. The show features works by artists including Andre Lee Bassuet, Carole McNamee, Larry Clifford, and Dorsey Hogg, who transform discarded books into sculptures, quilts, and wearable pieces. Notable works include Bassuet's "A Thin Veil," a shawl made from pages of Soviet writer Ilia Ehrenburg's collected works, and "Women in the Field," a cyanotype cloak honoring pioneering women naturalists.

A Roma un evento per indagare le relazioni tra scienza e moda. Intervista alla curatrice Dobrila Denegri

From May 13 to 15, 2026, the MACRO – Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Roma will host "Science Fashion," an event curated by Dobrila Denegri that explores the intersections of fashion, science, and new technologies. The program brings together international researchers and practitioners in experimental fashion to discuss urgent issues such as climate emergency, energy, and interspecies coexistence. It is part of the broader multi-year initiative "Experiments in Fashion and Art," launched in 2024 with "Critical Fashion," and involves collaborations with NABA, Sapienza University of Rome, and UnitelmaSapienza.