Khaled Sabsabi on Representing Australia at the 61st Venice Biennale

Khaled Sabsabi, the artist representing Australia at the 61st Venice Biennale (2026), will exhibit works both in the Australia Pavilion in the Giardini and in the main Biennale exhibition titled "In Minor Keys." His pieces explore spirituality, migration, and shared humanity through Tasawwuf (Sufi) sensibilities, emphasizing flux and collective experience. Sabsabi is the first Australian artist to have work in both the national pavilion and the main exhibition in the same year, and he honors the curatorial vision of the late Koyo Kouoh.

Ripple: Furniture Sculpture and Painting after 1982

David Kordansky Gallery is presenting "Ripple: Furniture Sculpture and Painting after 1982," an exhibition of historic works by Swiss artist John Armleder, on view from May 7 to June 13, 2026. The show focuses on Armleder's Furniture Sculpture series from the 1980s, which incorporates functional or decorative objects alongside paintings, exploring the intersection of art, design, and everyday life. Works like FS 156 (1987) and Untitled (FS) (1987) exemplify his interest in collectivity, chance, and the viewer's role in assigning meaning, influenced by experiences such as a prison stint for refusing conscription and his time on a rowing team, as well as the experimental compositions of Erik Satie and John Cage's writings on chance.

Australian artist Khaled Sabsabi reveals details of presentations in the Australia Pavilion and in the International Exhibition In Minor Keys at Biennale Arte 2026 – News Hub

Australian artist Khaled Sabsabi will present two major installations at the 2026 Venice Biennale. At the Australia Pavilion, he unveils "conference of one’s self," an immersive multisensory work featuring eight monumental canvas paintings, video projections, and a soundscape inspired by a 12th-century Sufi allegory. Simultaneously, he becomes the first Australian artist to also exhibit in the International Exhibition, titled "In Minor Keys" curated by Koyo Kouoh, with a second installation called "khalil" at the Arsenale. Both works explore spirituality, migration, and shared humanity through a framework of Sufi thought.

Khaled Sabsabi Unveils Biennale Arte 2026 Showcase

Khaled Sabsabi will represent Australia at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026 with two major installations. At the Australia Pavilion, he presents "conference of one's self," an immersive multisensory installation featuring eight monumental canvas paintings, suspended video projectors, and an analogue soundscape, all inspired by the 12th-century Sufi allegory "The Conference of the Birds." In a historic first for an Australian artist, Sabsabi also debuts a second work, "khalil," in the Biennale's main exhibition "In Minor Keys" curated by Koyo Kouoh at the Arsenale. Both works explore spirituality, migration, and shared humanity through a Sufi philosophical framework.

2026 Busan Biennale 'Dissident Chorus' turns its attention to sound amid an overexposure to the visual

The 2026 Busan Biennale, titled "Dissident Chorus," will open on August 29 across three venues on two of Busan's islands, featuring 44 artists and teams from 23 countries. Conceived as a "polyphonic score" in three movements, the biennale will take place at the Busan Museum of Contemporary Art on Eulsukdo Island, a former ship-equipment warehouse on Yeongdo Island, and the former Busan Nam High School. Co-directed by Evelyn Simons and Amal Khalaf, the exhibition deliberately emphasizes sound, performance, choreography, and club culture over traditional visual art objects, with artists including Joshua Serafin, Natasha Tontey, Eric Baudelaire, and Korean participants Park Hyun-sung, Suki Seo-kyeong Kang, and Lim Min-ouk.

The Holy Spirit in a Rapture of Pain

Der Heilige Geist im Schmerzrausch

Florentina Holzinger's "Pfingstspiel" (Pentecost Play) is a multi-hour performance staged across two locations in Austria—the Wiener Eislauf-Verein in Vienna and Schloss Prinzendorf—as a satellite event to her contribution to the Venice Biennale. The work features extreme physical stunts, including a performer rappelling down a hotel facade, a car drifting with Holzinger on its roof, and a crucifixion scene, all drenched in blood, pain, and religious imagery. The performance, presented only once before 700 guests as part of the Wiener Festwochen, is described as a brutal, uncompromising marathon that pushes the boundaries of live art.

The Biennale of Quiet Tones

Die Biennale der leisen Töne

The 61st Venice Biennale's main exhibition, titled "Gardens, Processions, Art as Expression of Lived Realities," places humanity at its center. Curators revealed minimal biographical details for the 111 participating artists, only noting the oldest (Marcel Duchamp, born 1887) and youngest (Mohammed Z Rahman, born 1997), signaling a deliberate shift away from individual fame toward collective experience.

Au macLyon, l’art vidéo comme vecteur d’émotions

The article reports on the exhibition "Regards sensibles" at the macLyon (Musée d'Art Contemporain de Lyon), which showcases 28 video artworks from the collection of Isabelle and Jean-Conrad Lemaître. The exhibition celebrates the couple's complete donation of their video art collection to the museum. It begins with Gillian Wearing's 1996 video "Boytime," the first video artwork the Lemaîtres acquired, and spans works from 1984 to 2025 by artists of 43 nationalities, offering a broad panorama of the video art genre.

Exhibition | Dai Chenlian, 'Waxing and Waning of the Augustness III' at ShanghART, M50, Shanghai, China

ShanghART Gallery presents Dai Chenlian's solo exhibition 'Waxing and Waning of the Augustness III' at its M50 space in Shanghai from April 10 to May 29, 2026. The show is the final chapter of the artist's 'Mother Trilogy,' centering on his mother's life from 1954 to 2025. Through a reconstructed old house made from loom parts, along with painting, installation, performance, sound narration, and shadow puppetry, the exhibition explores themes of memory, migration, and female resilience, drawing on a line by Tang dynasty poet Li Shangyin.

Sculpture as a Form of Architecture: Happening at the Foundation of Super Artist Anish Kapoor in Venice

La scultura come forma di architettura. Succede alla Fondazione del super artista Anish Kapoor a Venezia

Anish Kapoor has opened a major solo exhibition at Palazzo Manfrin in Venice, a 16th-century building he purchased in 2018, now home to his foundation. The show, running until August 8 during the 61st Venice Biennale, spans over fifty years of his practice, featuring models, studies, and installations that blur the line between sculpture and architecture. Works include the Monte Sant'Angelo metro station in Naples, the ArcelorMittal Orbit tower for the 2012 London Olympics, the inflatable concert hall Ark Nova, and the environmental installation Temenos. The palazzo itself remains under restoration, with exposed construction elements and workspaces visible, reinforcing the exhibition's theme of continuous transformation.

Nick Cave at the 2026 Biennale. Seven works between loss, memory and protest

Nick Cave è alla Biennale 2026. Sette opere tra perdita, memoria e protesta

Nick Cave presents "Two Points in Time at Once" at the 2026 Venice Biennale, a project spanning seven locations across Venice. The installation features a series of bronze works, including the "Amalgam" series (Seated, Origin, Plot, Resuscitation, Meditation) along with "Grapht" and "Siren." This marks a significant material shift from Cave's iconic fabric Soundsuits to bronze, exploring themes of loss, memory, trauma, and protest through a more static yet politically charged presence.

Antonio José Guzmán and Iva Jankovic on Representing Panama at the 61st Venice Biennale

Antonio José Guzmán and Iva Jankovic, working as the duo Messengers of the Sun, will represent Panama at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026. Their project, titled *Tropical Hyperstition*, is an installation and performance piece that explores the forced displacement and segregation of Panamanians and immigrants during and after the construction of the Panama Canal. The work features a 20-meter-long handwoven indigo-dyed hammock and patchwork textiles combining archival photographs with genetic and geometric motifs, all housed in the Panama Pavilion at the Arsenale. The artists draw on personal and collective experiences of structural injustice rooted in Panama’s Canal Zone history, addressing colonial legacies, racialized progress, and imperial extractive logics.

Racheal Crowther “Liquid Trust” at Chisenhale Gallery, London

Chisenhale Gallery in London is hosting the first institutional solo exhibition by artist Racheal Crowther, titled "Liquid Trust." The show explores themes of governance, surveillance, and institutional power, examining how these systems intertwine with structures of care. Crowther repurposes technical apparatus and industrial objects that carry memories of their institutional past, highlighting the enduring influence of bureaucracy on everyday life.

Magical Realism Against the Harshness of the Suburbs

Magischer Realismus gegen die Härte der Vorstadt

French-Chilean artist Tohé Commaret presents an exhibition at MMK Zollamt in Frankfurt featuring quiet, still images that highlight invisible care work and feminist solidarity. The show focuses on women who silently enable events like weddings and galas without being seen, exploring female alliances and the attempt to reclaim new narratives from the suburbs.

Waddesdon’s Art in Nature returns with a new 70-metre land artwork by James Brunt and Jon Foreman

Waddesdon Manor in the UK has launched the 2026 edition of its Art in Nature program, featuring a monumental 70-meter mandala created by land artists James Brunt and Jon Foreman of Sculpt the World. The collaborative work, made with support from Mark Ford and Eric Ford, draws inspiration from the manor's architecture and surrounding landscape, using natural materials like leaves, stones, and branches. The program runs until May 31 and includes workshops, talks, and participatory making sessions with artists such as Rebecca and Mark Ford of Two Circles Design, Tim Pugh, Ana Castilho, Richard Shilling, Julia Brooklyn, and disability activist Sam Cleasby.