The 2026 ZEKE award winners have been announced, with Ginevra Bonina winning the award for systemic change for her project 'Out for Blood,' which documents period poverty in India and the women fighting to reclaim their bodies. Ebrahim Alipoor won the award for documentary photography for his long-term project 'Bullets Have No Borders,' capturing the lives of border porters carrying goods across the Iran-Iraq mountains.
A retrospective exhibition titled "Imprints of History — A Retrospective Exhibition of Luo Yi's Works" opened on Thursday at the art museum of Minzu University of China in Beijing. The show features over 100 paintings by Luo Yi, a veteran fine arts professor at the university and a pioneer of higher education in ethnic groups' fine arts in China. The exhibition systematically presents his artistic achievements and academic lineage, including works in oil, gouache, ink, and color, spanning his 70-plus-year career.
A new art exhibition titled “Occupy Thirdspace III: The Park” opens at San Diego’s Central Library, focusing on International Friendship Park, a state park at the western end of the U.S.-Mexico border. Co-curated by Sara Solaimani and Natalia Ventura, the show features three artist collectives—Las Comadres, Art Made Between Opposite Sides (AMBOS), and Friends of International Friendship Park—to visually tell the park’s story. The park opened in 1971 as a meeting place for families divided by the border but has been closed on the U.S. side since 2020, while remaining open on the Mexico side. The exhibition is the third installment in Solaimani’s series exploring Henri Lefebvre’s concept of “third spaces” as symbolic sites that challenge systems of power.
Venedig-Biennale-Chef unter Druck
Just before the opening of the Venice Art Biennale, its president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco is facing mounting criticism after the entire jury resigned. Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli accused Buttafuoco of pursuing a form of "parallel foreign policy" by readmitting Russia to the six-month exhibition, calling him a "victim of a pacifist fantasy." The opening ceremony and the traditional Golden Lion awards have been canceled; prizes will now be decided by visitor vote at the end of the Biennale in November.
Jury der Venedig-Biennale tritt zurück
The entire jury of the Venice Biennale, appointed by artistic director Koyo Kouoh, has resigned with immediate effect. In a statement released on Thursday, the jury members—including chair Solange Oliveira Farkas, Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi—cited a prior declaration from April 22 in which they announced they would not award Golden or Silver Lions to artists from countries whose political leadership is currently indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity. Although no specific countries were named, the move implicitly targets Russia (President Vladimir Putin) and Israel (Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu), both subject to ICC arrest warrants. The resignation comes amid escalating tensions over Russia's participation in the Biennale despite EU sanctions, which had already led to a freeze of EU funding and widespread protests.
Wie die DDR-Schürze zum Italo-Luxus wurde
Italian luxury label Miu Miu has released dresses for summer 2026 that resemble 1980s East German kitchen aprons, with prices reaching up to €12,000 for crystal-embroidered versions. The collection debuted on the Paris runway in October, where actress Sandra Hüller opened the show in robust workwear, evoking factory workers from the former GDR. Designer Miuccia Prada, a former member of the Italian Communist Party, drew inspiration from Helga Paris's 1984 photo series "Frauen bei der Arbeit" (Women at Work), which documented female laborers in East Berlin's VEB Treffmodelle textile factory.
Pressefotos des Jahres gewählt
Carol Guzy won the World Press Photo competition for 2025 with her image "Separated by ICE," taken for the Miami Herald. The photograph depicts children clinging to their father's shirt during a court hearing in New York, after he was unexpectedly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The jury selected the image from nearly 57,000 entries by about 3,700 photographers. Two other finalists were recognized: Saber Nuraldin for documenting the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and Victor J. Blue for covering the trial of perpetrators who kidnapped and abused women during Guatemala's civil war.
Das ist das Pressefoto des Jahres
The World Press Photo competition has named Carol Guzy's photograph "Separated by ICE" as the World Press Photo of the Year. The image, taken for the Miami Herald in August 2025, shows children clinging to their father's shirt during a court hearing in New York after he was unexpectedly detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The jury praised the photo as a stark documentation of family separation resulting from U.S. immigration policy. Two other finalists were recognized: Saber Nuraldin's image of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and Victor J. Blue's photo documenting the Achi women from Guatemala who sought justice for wartime abuses.
Ella Maillart, photographe baroudeuse des années 30 mise en lumière dans une exposition à Lausanne
Ella Maillart, a Swiss photographer and adventurer from the 1930s, is the subject of a new exhibition in Lausanne. Born in Geneva in 1903, Maillart was an Olympic sailor and champion skier before turning to travel and photography. She journeyed across the Soviet Union, Central Asia, and China, often by train, ski, or camel, documenting remote cultures and political landscapes. Her travels included a 6,000-kilometer trek from Beijing to Kashmir with British writer Peter Fleming, and a road trip from Geneva to Kabul with friend Annemarie Schwarzenbach. The exhibition highlights her photographs and writings, which blend geographical exploration, political chronicle, and personal meditation.
On April 29, Italy's carabinieri dedicated to cultural heritage protection announced the recovery of 337 looted or stolen artworks and objects repatriated from the United States between December 2025 and April 2026. The haul includes archaeological artifacts, archival documents, and other artworks, such as a marble head of Alexander the Great from the 1st century AD, a bronze sculpture stolen from Herculaneum, and two Egyptian basalt sculptures. The objects were dispersed through international markets using forged provenance documents, and their return involved U.S. agencies including the FBI.
Tureen gallery in Dallas is presenting "Compositions, 1950-2026," a solo exhibition of works by artist Maia Taber Ayerza, running from April 25 to May 30, 2026. The show spans over seven decades of the artist's practice, from 1950 through 2026, and is documented with 74 images on the Contemporary Art Daily platform.
Kunsthalle Zürich presents "Intermezzo," a solo exhibition by Estonian artist Kaarel Kurismaa, running from February 7 to May 25, 2026. The show features 18 images documenting the exhibition, with photography by Cedric Mussano.
The Neuer Essener Kunstverein in Essen is presenting an exhibition titled "Die Vatermaschine" featuring the work of Torsten Slama, running from February 28 to May 24, 2026. The exhibition is documented through 26 images on Contemporary Art Daily, with press release and floor plan available.
Victoria Smith presents "Apples and Oranges," a solo exhibition at Roland Ross in Kent, running from April 11 to May 23, 2026. The show features a series of new works by the artist, documented through eight images on the gallery's page, with photography by Ollie Harrop.
İrem Günaydın is presenting a solo exhibition at thepill gallery in Istanbul, running from March 7 to May 23, 2026. The show features 46 images documenting the exhibition, with press releases available in both English and Turkish.
Photographer Irina Werning has spent 18 years traveling across Latin America to document Indigenous women with exceptionally long hair for her series "Las Pelilargas." Her new book, published by GOST Books, features nearly 90 portraits taken between 2006 and 2024, starting with the Kolla community in Argentina. Werning sought subjects by posting signs in remote mountain towns and organizing hair competitions, capturing a tradition rooted in ancestral beliefs that hair connects to life, thoughts, and the land.
Zimbabwean artist Richard Mudariki has created 'ArtWorld Passport,' a participatory artwork debuting at the Venice Biennale 2026. The piece functions as a social sculpture and performance, where passport holders collect stamps, signatures, and drawings from artists, exhibitions, and pavilions across the Biennale, transforming the bureaucratic tool of travel into a speculative exploration of access and authorship.
Photographer Alfredo Cunha presents 'Rostos da Imigração' at the UCCLA gallery in Lisbon, a photographic exhibition featuring portraits of individuals from lusophone communities. The series resists anonymity and aestheticization, instead focusing on the lived experiences of migrants in contemporary Portugal. The exhibition is on view until 20 May 2026.
DE LAS MINOR KEYS AL ESTRUENDO: LA CRISIS DE LA BIENAL DE VENECIA
The 61st Venice Biennale is engulfed in a structural crisis, marked by geopolitical tensions over the inclusion of Russia (amid its invasion of Ukraine) and Israel (amid the Gaza genocide). The Biennale Foundation, led by Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, defended their participation on legalistic grounds, sparking outrage from over 200 artists, curators, and cultural workers who demanded Israel's exclusion, aligning with Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA). The international jury, chaired by Solange Farkas and including Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi, resigned collectively on April 30 after deciding not to award prizes to countries whose leaders face International Criminal Court arrest warrants. This led to the cancellation of the traditional Golden and Silver Lions, replaced by audience-voted "Visitor Lions," with awards deferred until November. The European Commission suspended a €2 million subsidy over Russia's participation, and Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli notably skipped the May 9 opening.
Photographer Ken Karagozian, who began documenting L.A. Metro construction workers in 1995, has collaborated with historian India Mandelkern on a photo book titled "Wilshire Subway: The Making of the D Line Subway Extension." The book chronicles the history, conflicts, and the workers behind the D Line extension along Wilshire Boulevard, ahead of its May 8 opening. A related exhibition, "Wilshire Subway: Photographed by Ken Karagozian," is on view at the 1301PE art gallery through May 14.
A pop-up exhibition in Tribeca, New York, has transformed Mriya Gallery into the Donald J. Trump and Jeffrey Epstein Reading Room, displaying over 3,000 bound volumes of printed Epstein files. Organized by the Washington, DC-based Institute for Primary Facts, the room holds 3,437 volumes encompassing 3.5 million pages of released documents, printed over about a month. The free exhibition runs until 21 May and requires advance booking.
Fabian Perez Gallery in Los Angeles is hosting the Neo-Emotionalism Group Exhibition, featuring 20 artists working in painting, photography, and sculpture. The show, running through May 23, centers on feeling and memory, with artists like Shaylen Nelson, Awadé Wade, James Smith, and Martinos Aristidou presenting works that explore personal and cultural narratives. Nelson, an Afrocentric Realism painter, uses Black figures and music to place culture within traditional painting, while Wade’s piece "Abstract Love" draws on a Prince song and uses a tree as a symbol of life and transition.
Perché la ricchezza culturale italiana non entra mai davvero nei conti e nei bilanci pubblici?
Italy has exceeded the European Commission's structural adjustment path by 0.1 percentage points of GDP, reopening fiscal scrutiny. Amid this debate, the article highlights a deeper issue: Italy's immense cultural heritage is drastically undervalued in public accounts. For example, the Pompeii Archaeological Park is recorded at just €48.9 million, the Colosseum at under €15 million, and the Uffizi at about €2 billion—figures based on outdated 2002 ministerial criteria that bear no relation to actual economic or cultural worth. The State General Accounting Office, with the University of Roma Tre and EU technical assistance, has proposed a new methodology to value cultural assets by discounting their future net financial flows, including direct revenues and indirect tourism-related returns.
The Armenian Museum of America in Watertown, Massachusetts, will debut the exhibition “Father” by internationally acclaimed artist Diana Markosian, running from May 29 to September 13. The show uses photography, archival materials, video, and text to document Markosian’s journey to reconnect with her estranged father, exploring themes of family, memory, and identity. Curated by Anahit Gasparyan, the exhibition is co-produced by Les Rencontres d’Arles and Foam, Amsterdam, and sponsored by the JHM Charitable Foundation. A private member preview on May 28 will feature a conversation between the artist and curator.
BUILDING Gallery in Milan has opened "Tempo e passione," the first posthumous exhibition dedicated to Giovanni Campus (1929–2025), who died less than five months ago at nearly 100 years old. Curated by Marco Meneguzzo, the two-floor show spans Campus’s career from his Sardinian roots to his Milanese performances, featuring works that measure space using materials like springs and cords, alongside vintage video documentation of his actions in Piazza Palazzo Reale and Sardinia.
Agitare, educare, organizzare. Una conversazione con il collettivo indonesiano che è a Venezia con due progetti
Sale Docks, an activist art space born from a 2007 occupation in Venice, has invited the Indonesian collective Taring Padi to collaborate on two projects. The first is the exhibition "Taring Padi: People's Liberation," which reactivates banners as tools for propaganda, mobilization, and resistance. The second is a public intervention in Venice, where the collective and local community will repaint the walls of the historic social center Laboratorio Occupato Morion. The article includes an interview with Taring Padi, which was founded in 1998 in Yogyakarta by students and activists, and discusses their use of wayang shadow-puppet imagery and collaborative processes to agitate, educate, and organize communities.
A rare, intricately carved wooden chair, potentially used by Anne Boleyn during her time in the French courts between 1510 and 1520, has been acquired and is now on display at Hever Castle. The chair was purchased by antiques dealer Paul Fitzsimmons from an online American auction in 2022, and its carvings—featuring dolphins, a Tudor rose, and the initials "AB" intertwined with a cordelière emblem of Queen Claude—suggest a strong link to the Tudor queen's early life.
Simon Burstall, at age 17, began photographing Sydney's underground rave scene in the 1990s, using borrowed school cameras and sneaking out in the family car to capture the burgeoning subculture. His images from that era were later compiled into the photobook '93: Punching the Light, published by Damiani in 2019.
The LensCulture Portrait Awards 2026 have announced their winning and shortlisted photographers, showcasing a diverse range of styles from documentary realism to conceptual invention. Highlights include an Australian photographer's winning portrait of a 'barefoot volcanologist' and poignant series documenting the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the reclamation of identity in post-colonial contexts.
Bowen Island artist Corey Bulpitt presents his new series "Above the Flood, Watching for the Light" at the Hearth Gallery Community Centre, on view until July 28. The six-painting series follows his earlier "Daalkaatlii Diaries" works, which depicted the great flood of Haida territories and are now held in collections including Paris’ Musée du Quai Branly–Jacques Chirac and Gallery Jones in Vancouver. This new body of work shifts from historical catastrophe to speculative imagination, drawing on Haida cosmology while embracing invention and exploring unseen energies, microscopic spaces, and ephemeral light.