London exhibition explores untold history of how homelessness was criminalised

A new exhibition titled "Criminal: The Untold History of Homelessness" opens at the Museum of Homelessness in London, exploring the origins of homelessness in the UK and how it has been criminalized. The exhibition challenges the typical focus on the 19th-century Vagrancy Act, instead tracing the "Homelessness Big Bang" to the early 1600s, when land enclosures, economic shifts, and colonial expansion began penalizing unhoused people. Staged in a meadow at Finsbury Park, the show features artists and activists including the anonymous graffiti artist 10 Foot, designer Matt Bonner, and poet Gemma Lees, with works such as 10 Foot's first sculpture "Fairie Newbuild"—a skip-shaped object made from palisade fencing containing a hawthorn tree.

At the Grand Palais, Hilma af Klint, a pioneer of abstraction

The article reports on an exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris dedicated to Hilma af Klint, the Swedish artist recognized as a pioneer of abstract art. The show presents her visionary works, which predate those of better-known male abstractionists like Kandinsky and Mondrian.

The Colorful History of the Van Gogh Museum and the Highlights You Must Not Miss

The article traces the history of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, from its origins in the efforts of Johanna van Gogh-Bonger—who preserved Vincent van Gogh's works after his death—to its official opening in 1973 by Queen Juliana. It describes the museum's location on Museum Square, its two-part building designed by Gerrit Rietveld and Kisho Kurokawa, and its role as a major tourist attraction that drew nearly two million visitors in 2024.

Hans Ulrich Obrist on the Vatican Pavilion

Hans Ulrich Obrist über den Vatikan-Pavillon

Hans Ulrich Obrist, the renowned curator, has dedicated the Vatican Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale to the medieval mystic Hildegard von Bingen. The exhibition, titled "The Ear Is the Eye of the Soul," features a walkable sound garden created with the Soundwalk Collective, designed as a space for listening, meditation, and inner reflection. In a Monopol podcast interview, Obrist discusses the project's origins, Hildegard's holistic thinking, and contributions from artists including Patti Smith, Jim Jarmusch, Brian Eno, Meredith Monk, FKA twigs, and Blood Orange. The episode also covers the final work of the recently deceased Alexander Kluge, shown in a former monastery complex in Venice.

Monet in Le Havre, the Awakening of the Master

Monet au Havre, l’éveil du maître

The MuMa (Musée d'art moderne André Malraux) in Le Havre is presenting a summer exhibition that explores Claude Monet's formative years in the port city, where he developed the groundbreaking intuition for Impressionism. The show traces his evolution from caricatures and portraits to landscapes, highlighting how his childhood in Le Havre—with its bustling docks, luminous beaches, and dramatic cliffs—shaped his artistic vision. Key works include his first plein-air painting from 1858, created alongside mentor Eugène Boudin, and the iconic *Impression, Soleil levant* (1872), painted in the same harbor.

Kayem and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Showcase Role of Hot Dogs in American History

Kayem, a New England-based hot dog brand, has partnered with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) to create an exhibition exploring the cultural significance of hot dogs in American history. The collaboration uses artworks and artifacts from the museum's collection to trace the hot dog's journey from its European origins to its status as a quintessential American food, highlighting its presence at events like baseball games, state fairs, and presidential inaugurations.

major exhibition of rare paintings and archives honors zaha hadid ten years after her passing

A major exhibition titled 'I Think There Should Be No End to Experimentation' has opened at LUMA Arles, marking the sixth chapter of the Hans Ulrich Obrist Archives. Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Arthur Fouray, the show honors the late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid on the tenth anniversary of her passing. It features rarely exhibited paintings, early calligraphic drawings, personal notebooks, and previously unseen video interviews from 2001 to 2013, alongside tribute posters by peers such as Sir Peter Cook, Stefano Boeri, Sumayya Vally, Iwan Baan, and Lina Ghotmeh. The exhibition is presented in the Tower building designed by Frank Gehry and unfolds across the Cherry Tree Gallery and Archives Gallery, with exhibition furniture conceived by Kazuyo Sejima.

A Milano c’è una mostra di bambole giapponesi. Un tempo prodotti industriali oggi pezzi da collezione

A new exhibition in Milan at the gallery N.51 presents the work of Japanese artist Shigeru Arai, known as NAGNAGNAG, who is celebrated for transforming industrial soft vinyl dolls (Sofubi) into unique art objects. The show, titled "Shigeru Arai Tribute Exhibition," marks the first time his work is displayed in Italy, tracing the history of Sofubi from its post-WWII origins in Japan—where it replaced dangerously flammable cellulose toys—to its elevation as a collectible art form through Arai's distinctive techniques, including biting the soft vinyl and applying multiple layers of paint.