What We Throw Away Does Not Disappear

Was wir wegwerfen, verschwindet nicht

The Museum Ostwall at the Dortmunder U in Dortmund has opened a new exhibition titled "Müll – die globalen Wege des Abfalls" ("Waste – The Global Paths of Garbage"), curated by Christina Danick and Michael Griff. Featuring around 50 international artworks from the 20th and 21st centuries, including two newly commissioned pieces, the show uses art to explore waste as material, motif, and aesthetic strategy. Key works include Kader Attia's "Los de Arriba y Los de Abajo," which addresses power imbalances through the lens of garbage in Hebron, and historical pieces by César Baldaccini, Arman, and HA Schult. The exhibition also highlights contemporary issues such as e-waste, global waste trafficking, and the environmental impact of industrial nations on the Global South.

Julia Stoschek Foundation Closes Berlin Location

Julia Stoschek Foundation schließt Berliner Standort

The Julia Stoschek Foundation is closing its Berlin exhibition space at the end of October. The foundation, which specializes in video art, opened the venue in 2016 in a former Czech cultural center on Leipziger Straße, quickly becoming a key destination for time-based art in the city. Over its run, it presented 22 solo and group shows featuring artists such as Arthur Jafa, Ian Cheng, and Mark Leckey, attracting more than 450,000 visitors. The closure is part of a strategic reorientation: the foundation will now focus on its headquarters in Düsseldorf and temporary international projects, building on recent presentations abroad like a show in Los Angeles that drew over 30,000 visitors in early 2026.

An Era Ends When the Illusions Underlying It Are Exhausted

"Eine Ära endet, wenn die ihr zugrunde liegenden Illusionen erschöpft sind"

A media roundup covers several art world stories. The Art Newspaper reports that the ongoing Middle East conflict is unsettling the Gulf art market, causing fair postponements and shaking Dubai's image as a stable luxury hub, though galleries emphasize they continue to work. Meanwhile, the search for a new director for Germany's Kulturstiftung Dessau-Wörlitz continues after a protracted legal battle, with applications open until May 31. The New Yorker presents a reading of Johannes Vermeer's quiet scenes as fragile refuges from a violent historical context, while the Berliner Zeitung critiques the global commercialization of Frida Kahlo into a licensed brand.

Choreography Instead of Cartography

Choreografie statt Kartografie

The third edition of the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, titled "In Interludes and Transitions," has opened in the JAX District of Diriyah, Saudi Arabia. Featuring works by approximately 70 artists across five converted warehouses, the exhibition is curated by Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed with a scenography designed by Formafantasma. Despite regional geopolitical tensions, the event showcases major installations by international artists such as Petrit Halilaj and Thao Nguyen Phan, emphasizing a "choreographic" rather than cartographic approach to global art.

New Currents: Liu Shuai

Liu Shuai, a multimedia artist from Shandong province, China, presented an interactive installation titled "The Kiss" (2025) at VILLA tbh in Shanghai during the 15th Shanghai Biennale (2025–26). The work, co-created with carpenter bees, features bamboo stalks punctured by the insects and transformed into hanging instruments. It was part of the biennale's "City Projects" and housed in Liu's temporary studio within the Shanghai Botanical Garden, offering a poetic exploration of interspecies collaboration.

Israel Criticizes Venice Biennale Jury over Pavilion’s Exclusion

The international jury of the 61st Venice Biennale has excluded the Israeli and Russian pavilions from consideration for official prizes, citing that countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court will not be eligible. Israel’s foreign ministry condemned the decision as a political boycott, and Israeli representative Belu-Simion Fainaru called it a hostile act that exceeds the jury’s mandate. The Biennale’s president, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, has distanced the institution from the jury’s action, insisting the exhibition remain open to all nations recognized by Italy.

À Bordeaux, la métamorphose du MADD

The Musée des arts décoratifs et du design (MADD) in Bordeaux has reopened its design-focused wing after three years of renovation, featuring a new entrance pavilion designed by Antoine Dufour Architectes that connects the historic Hôtel de Lalande and the former municipal prison. The overhaul includes a monumental shelving display of eighty vases by designers such as Andrea Branzi and Gaetano Pesce, a new "gallery of know-how" dedicated to rotating thematic presentations (starting with ceramics), a graphic arts cabinet showcasing the Jacques Sargos collection of over 130 drawings, and improved climate control for conservation.

The Reopening of the Musée de la Vie Romantique

La réouverture du Musée de la Vie Romantique

The Musée de la Vie Romantique in Paris has reopened following a significant renovation project. While the restoration of the historic house and its shutters has sparked some debate regarding historical accuracy, the museum now showcases a substantially enriched permanent collection featuring numerous recent acquisitions of Romantic-era paintings, sculptures, and drawings.

Château-Chinon unveils the astonishing gifts of President François Mitterrand

Château-Chinon déballe les étonnants cadeaux du président François Mitterrand

The Cité des présents-François Mitterrand, formerly the Musée du Septennat, has reopened in Château-Chinon, France, after a renovation. The museum displays thousands of diplomatic gifts received by President François Mitterrand during his 14-year tenure (1981–1995), including a portrait of Prince Charles, a vermeil oasis from the king of Saudi Arabia, and taxidermy lions from the Central African Republic. The collection of 4,800 objects spans 80 countries, with one-third donated by French citizens. The site also houses a fashion museum featuring 5,000 pieces from the 17th century to contemporary designers like Alexis Mabille and Yves Saint Laurent.

Victorien Bornéat : « De l’échec de la démocratisation culturelle est né un sentiment d’exclusion »

Victorien Bornéat has published a manifesto arguing that French cultural democratization policy, rooted in André Malraux's vision of making masterworks accessible to all, has failed. He cites budget cuts by regional presidents Laurent Wauquiez and Christelle Morançais, police raids on bookshops like Violette and Co, and statistical studies showing that working-class audiences still do not spontaneously attend theaters, museums, or opera. Bornéat contends that the policy's emphasis on direct confrontation with canonical works ignored the need for cultural codes and institutional literacy, creating an exclusion that politicians now exploit for electoral gain.

Under pressure, the jury of the 61st Venice Biennale will exclude Russian and Israeli pavilions from the awards

Sous pression, le jury de la 61e Biennale de Venise exclura les pavillons russe et israélien du palmarès

The 61st Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys" and running from May 9 to November 22, 2026, has been embroiled in political controversy after organizers decided to reinstate the Russian pavilion, which had been excluded since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Under pressure from the European Commission, which threatened to suspend a €2 million grant, the jury announced it will exclude artists from the Russian and Israeli pavilions from winning prizes, citing that leaders Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu face International Criminal Court charges for crimes against humanity. The Russian pavilion will remain closed to the public but open for VIP press previews, while the Israeli pavilion stays open to the public. Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli has refused to attend the opening ceremony in protest.

For the 61st Venice Biennale, a quest for beauty despite a troubled world

Pour la 61e Biennale de Venise, une quête de beauté malgré un monde troublé

Koyo Kouoh, the Swiss-Cameroonian curator who was set to become the first African woman to direct the Venice Biennale, died suddenly on May 10, 2025, at age 57, just weeks before the opening of the 61st edition she had conceived. Titled "In Minor Keys," the exhibition at the Giardini and Arsenale will proceed posthumously based on her detailed directives, featuring 111 artists including Laurie Anderson, Wangechi Mutu, and Kader Attia, with a focus on beauty, resilience, and radical emotional connection amid global turmoil.

À Annecy, le cinéma d’animation célébré toute l’année grâce à l’ouverture d’un lieu hybride et ambitieux en juin

A new permanent home for animation cinema, the Cité internationale du cinéma d'animation, will open in Annecy, France, on June 19, 2025, just before the annual Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Housed in a restored 19th-century horse stable (haras) listed as a historic monument, the 54-million-euro project includes a 450 m² permanent museum, a 332-seat cinema, temporary exhibition spaces, educational workshops, artist residencies, and image-education facilities. The city of Annecy contributes 30 million euros, with additional funding from the Haute-Savoie department, the state, and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. Designed by architecture firm dd.a and landscape architect Philippe Deliau, the center aims to be a hybrid, year-round hub for animation, blending heritage, creation, and transmission.

Arles Drawing Festival: What Not to Miss at This Fourth Edition

Festival du dessin d’Arles : ce qu’il ne faut surtout pas rater pour cette quatrième édition

The fourth edition of the Arles Drawing Festival has opened, featuring over forty exhibitions across the city. The highlights include two major private drawing collections being publicly presented: Marin Karmitz's collection, displayed at the Sainte-Anne church under the title "Et la vie continue…", and the Collezione Ramo from Milan, showcased at the Museon Arlaten chapel as part of a focus on Italian art.

A phenomenal urban art exhibition with graffiti legends arrives at La Villette: tickets are now on sale!

Une phénoménale expo d’art urbain avec des légendes du graffiti arrive à La Villette : la billetterie est ouverte !

A major exhibition of graffiti and street art, "Beyond the Streets," is opening at the Grande Halle de la Villette in Paris. The show features monumental sculptures, architectural interventions, archival photos, videos, and murals by legendary artists including Futura 2000, Fab Five Freddy, Shepard Fairey (Obey), Invader, André Saraiva, Fuzi, Felipe Pantone, Lady Pink, and Vhils. The exhibition, which has already drawn over 650,000 visitors worldwide, runs from late May to early September 2026, and ticket sales have just opened.

‘What Color is Your Sky Today?’: The Becoming of the Image

Armineh Negahdari, a Bordeaux-based artist, presents her first institutional solo exhibition in France at the Fondation Louis Vuitton's Open Space series. Titled 'What Color is Your Sky Today?': The Becoming of the Image, the show features a new body of drawings that use charcoal, pastel, and oil paint to explore unstable morphologies between human, vegetal, and animal forms. The works resist narrative closure, emphasizing drawing as an event rather than representation, with lines that accumulate, falter, and begin again. The exhibition is on view at Gallery 8 until 30 August 2026.

WURUS – Light catches before form does.

Artist Caroline Gueye presents 'WURUS', a new installation for the Senegal Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale. Curated by Massamba Mbaye, the work is a shifting field of brass and polymer bronze elements, using mirrors and light to create an environment where perception is contingent on the viewer's movement and position. The title invokes gold, opening onto histories of extraction, but the work deliberately resists singular meaning.

6 Artworks That Define the 2026 Venice Biennale’s Main Exhibition

The 2026 Venice Biennale's main exhibition opens this week, curated by Koyo Kouoh—the first African woman to hold the role—who was announced in 2024 but passed away suddenly in 2025. The article highlights six artworks that define her curatorial vision, which connected the international art world to artists and institutions from Africa and the Global South.

Thomas Hart Benton, Jessie Wlicox Smith announced for shows at Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, co-founded by filmmaker George Lucas and businesswoman Mellody Hobson, has announced its inaugural exhibitions. The ambitious survey will feature over 1,200 works from a founding collection of more than 40,000 objects, including pieces by Thomas Hart Benton and Jessie Wilcox Smith. The museum is housed in a 300,000-square-foot building designed by Ma Yansong of MAD Architects with Stantec.

Obama Presidential Center announces new work by Jeffrey Gibson, Rashid Johnson, Lorna Simpson.

The Obama Foundation has unveiled the final group of artists commissioned to create site-specific works for the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago. This prestigious roster includes Jeffrey Gibson, Rashid Johnson, Lorna Simpson, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby, whose works will be integrated into the 19.3-acre campus. The announcement completes the artistic vision for the center, which aims to blend public space with high-caliber contemporary art when it opens on June 19th.

Prelude for a Press at palace enterprise

An exhibition titled 'Prelude for a Press' is on view at palace enterprise in Copenhagen from March 19 to April 25, 2026, organized by Jesper List Thomsen. It features works by Marie Angeletti, Gerry Bibby, Ezio Gribaudo, Asger Jorn, Marion Milner, Anastasia Pavlou, Georgia Sagri, Jesper List Thomsen, and Jackie Wang.

Candids at Timeshare

Timeshare in Los Angeles has opened a group exhibition titled "Candids at Timeshare," featuring works by artists William Leavitt, Alexandra Noel, Ludovic Sauvage, and Frances Stark. The show, curated by Fiona Vilmer, runs from February 27 to March 22, 2026, and is documented with 38 installation images on Contemporary Art Daily.

Stamina at DREI

A group exhibition titled "Stamina" opened at DREI gallery in Cologne, featuring works by artists Stephan Dillemuth, Matthias Groebel, and Julia Scher. The show ran from February 28 to April 4, 2026, and was documented extensively with 41 installation images.

Matt Mullican at Galerie Thomas Schulte

Artist Matt Mullican has opened a solo exhibition titled "Above and Below the Three Worlds" at Galerie Thomas Schulte in Berlin. The show, which runs from February 14 to April 18, 2026, features new work documented by 41 images on the gallery's site.

CUANDO LOS OBJETOS HABLAN. MUSEO HECHIZO, DE JUAN JOSÉ SANTOS

Juan José Santos's book "Museo hechizo" (Metales Pesados, 2025) challenges the perceived neutrality of the Western museum, presenting it as an institution shaped by colonial logics of classification, extraction, and representation. The essay centers on the concept of "lo hechizo"—understood as both artisanal precariousness and disruptive enchantment—and explores small, community-based Latin American museum experiences that operate from precarity, reciprocity, and care. Santos argues that the museum is a space of conflict where voices, narratives, and ways of constructing history are contested, and he proposes thinking of the museum through its minor, situated, and alternative forms in Latin America.

‘A Language We Share’ Traces a Photographic Lineage Between Gordon Parks and Beverly Price

‘A Language We Share’ Traces a Photographic Lineage Between Gordon Parks and Beverly Price

A new exhibition, "A Language We Share," opens this month at the Center for Art and Advocacy, placing the work of photographer Beverly Price in direct conversation with the legendary Gordon Parks. The show highlights their shared focus on social advocacy through imagery, particularly documenting the lives of children and communities in areas like Southeast Anacostia in Washington D.C., a location both photographers have captured across different eras.

“In the Presence of Others” at Nørrebro Teater, Copenhagen

Nørrebro Teater in Copenhagen is hosting its first major contemporary art exhibition, "In the Presence of Others," featuring works by Marina Abramović, Laurie Anderson, and Miranda July. The show focuses on the artists' engagement with sound and will be staged throughout the entire theatre building.

art olivia walton crystal bridges

Olivia Walton, former TV journalist and current board chair of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, discusses her leadership and vision in an interview for Cultured's 2026 CULT100 honorees. She took over from founder Alice Walton, her husband's aunt, in 2021 and has championed free admission and expanded access. The museum is set to open a major expansion in May, doubling its public space and celebrating its 15th anniversary alongside America's 250th birthday.

art exhibition biennials this year curators

In 2026, a rare alignment of major biennial exhibitions will take place globally, including the Venice Biennale (opening May 9, curated by Koyo Kouoh), MoMA PS1's Greater New York, the Whitney Biennial, and the Bronx Museum's AIM Biennial, alongside events in Toronto, Pittsburgh, Gwangju, Sydney, Diriyah, and Busan. CULTURED interviewed curators from four of these shows—such as Marcela Guerrero and Drew Sawyer of the Whitney Biennial—to explore how these sprawling group exhibitions come together, revealing a trend toward smaller, internally organized shows with less declarative themes.

art cyle warner young artist

Cyle Warner, a 2023 graduate of the School of Visual Arts, is gaining recognition for his mixed-media works that incorporate photographs, textiles, and sculptures to explore personal memory and fill gaps in untold stories. His fiber piece "chasing a second sunrise; it’s no fun running alone" was selected for "The Brooklyn Artists Exhibition" at the Brooklyn Museum’s 200th anniversary last year, and he will be featured in the Bronx Museum’s AIM Biennial opening in January 2026.