Art News. Vasari Codex

article news schedule May 26, 2026 link 27 artists, 2 galleries

Gala Season! Shaggy and Jewel Hit the Whitney, Henry Taylor and Pharrell Toast Gordon Parks, and More Juicy Art-World Gossip

Artnet News' gossip column "Wet Paint" reports on the Whitney Museum's 2026 annual gala, a major fundraising event. The author describes the scene: donors and celebrities like Jewel, Neil Patrick Harris, and Nigel Barker mingled with artists Julie Mehretu (the honoree) and Glenn Ligon. Notably, the 56 artists in the current Whitney Biennial were not invited due to limited seating, a policy confirmed by the museum. The evening raised $6.3 million, with individual seats costing $7,500.

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article news schedule May 22, 2026 visibility 26 link 4 artists, 2 galleries

Elle Pérez Envisions New Residency Built on Family Legacy

Artist Elle Pérez is raising $100,000 to buy out relatives from a family home in Cabo Rojo, Puerto Rico, that has been in their family since the 1920s, with the goal of transforming it into an artist residency called Casa Pérez. To fund the project, Pérez is selling a portfolio of chromogenic studio prints for $1,795 each, produced in collaboration with the cultural office Public Relations. The artist’s work, known for intimate portraits and scenes of underground music, has been featured in the Whitney Biennial and solo exhibitions at the Baltimore Museum of Art and Carnegie Museum of Art.

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article news schedule May 21, 2026 visibility 5 link 4 artists

Open Letter in Support of the Artist Asel Kadyrkhanova

An open letter initiated by members of the Kazakhstani and international art community protests the removal of artist Asel Kadyrkhanova's work *Machine* (2013) from the Kazakhstan pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale. The mixed-media installation, which addresses Stalinist repression through a vintage typewriter, arrest warrants, and red threads, was dismantled on May 5, 2026, reportedly by order of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Culture and Information, just before the pavilion's opening. The artist and curator were allegedly pressured to alter the work beforehand, and the ministry initially cited restrictions from the Italian side, but the Italian Ministry of Defense denied involvement.

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article news schedule May 26, 2026 visibility 2 link 1 artist

Biennale’s Kazakh Pavilion Roiled by Controversy after Artwork Fails to Make It on View

Controversy has erupted at the Kazakhstan pavilion of the Venice Biennale after artist Äsel Kadyrhanova's multimedia installation *Machine* (2013), which addresses Stalin-era repression in Kazakhstan, was dismantled before the exhibition opened. An open letter published on e-flux, signed by prominent Kazakhstani art community members, alleges the work was removed on May 5 on orders from the nation's Ministry of Culture or pavilion organizers. The pavilion's curator, Syrlybek Bekbota, claims he personally made the decision to dismantle the work after negotiations with the artist failed, citing contractual restrictions from the venue, the Museo Storico Navale di Venezia, which prohibits "political, ideological," or "propagandistic" content. The venue's management company, D'Uva, denies any role in the removal, while the project's co-commissioner, Danagul Tolepbay, disputes the accuracy of the open letter's claims.

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article news schedule May 22, 2026 visibility 7

Venice Biennale 2026: controversy in contemporary art

The 2026 Venice Biennale has been overshadowed by controversy rather than its art. The main curator, Cameroon-born Koyo Kouoh, died unexpectedly in May. Russia, absent since 2022, returned to the exhibition, prompting the biennale jury to resign in protest after declaring it would not award prizes to countries accused of war crimes, with protests also targeting Israel.

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