Some cry censorship, others cry antisemitism

"Die einen schreien Zensur, die anderen Antisemitismus"

A constitutional law scholar, Christoph Möllers, warns in an interview with Die Zeit about the dangerous escalation of cultural policy conflicts, sparked by Documenta 15, where accusations of censorship and antisemitism collide. In Poland, Adam Budak was removed as director of MOCAK in Krakow after just a few months, facing 79 allegations including mobbing and problematic leadership. Meanwhile, the New York spring auctions have launched, and Jason Farago's review of the Venice Biennale in the New York Times criticizes the shift from aesthetic innovation toward identity-driven art. Robin Pogrebin also reports on the merger of the Met and the Neue Galerie, described as a rare convergence of two museum models.

Russian art today is blood. A tough interview with Pussy Riot

“L’arte russa oggi è il sangue”. Una dura intervista alle Pussy Riot

During the preview of the 2026 Venice Biennale, the Russian Pavilion became the site of a protest by Pussy Riot and FEMEN, who staged an action called "STORM OF VENICE." Wearing pink balaclavas and carrying radical slogans, they denounced Russia's presence at the Biennale, accusing the Kremlin and the European cultural system of complicity. The protest centered on the phrase "Blood is Russia's art." In an interview, Pussy Riot member Nadya Tolokonnikova argues that artists who represent the official Russian Pavilion become instruments of the aggressive imperial state, and that the Biennale confuses cultural dialogue with political normalization.

Controversial art show canceled at NY archdiocese venue finds home at Jesuit parish

Jesuit artist Nicholas Leeper's solo exhibition "Twilight of the Idols," which blends Byzantine iconography with pop art and advertising imagery, was abruptly canceled by the Sheen Center for Thought and Culture in New York about two weeks before its scheduled opening in May 2026. The center, founded by the New York Archdiocese, cited phone calls and emails expressing concern about the work, which includes pieces like "Madonna and Child (Tomatokos)" depicting Mary as a Campbell's soup housewife and "The Visitation" reimagining Mary and Elizabeth in a cigarette ad. Within a day, the exhibition found a new venue at the Mary Chapel of St. Francis Xavier Church, organized in partnership with Xavier High School, where Leeper teaches.

UK artist defends pro-Palestine drawings after show cancellation

UK artist Matthew Collings has condemned the cancellation of his art exhibition "Drawings Against Genocide" in Margate, England, after UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) accused the show of being antisemitic. The exhibit featured 130 drawings depicting Israeli military, political officials, and business leaders, which Collings describes as artistic metaphors for Zionism, brutality, and violence. Collings insists the work is against genocide, not against Jews, and criticizes the conflation of antisemitism with pro-Palestine activism.