Art Gallery of Hamilton is now free to visit for the rest of the summer

The Art Gallery of Hamilton (AGH) has announced free admission for all visitors during July and August 2025 as part of a new initiative called "Hamilton Strong." The program aims to support community health and wellbeing by providing a space for healing, reflection, and connection amid financial insecurity and political anxiety. Free entry is funded by a private donor and applies during regular business hours, though the gallery remains closed on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Current exhibitions include Helen McNicoll: An Impressionist Journey, Taking Root: Recent Acquisitions, and The Shape of Curiosity, along with the Zucker Sculpture Garden and AGH Creative Lab. Members receive a two-month extension, and new memberships purchased in July or August come with two extra months.

Gaylen Gerber at Hans Goodrich

Artist Gaylen Gerber presented a solo exhibition at Hans Goodrich gallery in Chicago from April 4 to May 17, 2026. The show featured his work "Support" (n.d.), an installation using cremated remains, a felt pen, and a zipper bag, alongside a 1990 painting by Georg Herald.

London’s Art Market Rebound: Sotheby’s Spring 2026 Recap

Sotheby’s London kicked off its Spring 2026 marquee season with a series of high-energy auctions, totaling £154 million across its Modern & Contemporary sales. The week was highlighted by a "white-glove" evening auction that achieved a 100% sell-through rate, led by Francis Bacon’s 1972 Self-Portrait which sold for £16 million. Significant records were set for British masters, most notably Leon Kossoff, whose painting "Children’s Swimming Pool" shattered estimates to reach £5.2 million.

Artists and Gulf royalty top ArtReview Power 100 list

ArtReview has released its 2025 Power 100 list, ranking the most influential figures in the art world over the past year. Artists dominate the top ten, with Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama taking the first place for using his art profits to build institutions and community spaces in Tamale. Other top artists include Wael Shawky, Ho Tzu Nyen, Amy Sherald, Kerry James Marshall, Forensic Architecture, and Wolfgang Tillmans. Gulf royalty also feature prominently: Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani of Qatar ranks second, and Sheikha Hoor Al Qasimi of Sharjah ranks third, reflecting the region's growing art-world influence. The list also includes academic Saidiya Hartman as a "thinker" in eighth place.

Martha Stewart’s Art Auction Is a Who’s Who of Contemporary Cool

Martha Stewart has curated her first-ever art auction with Joopiter, Pharrell Williams' auction platform, titled "The Contemporary Take." The sale features nearly 50 works by leading contemporary artists including Andy Warhol, Amy Sherald, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Damien Hirst, and Ai Weiwei, running from April 28 through May 6. Highlights include Yiadom-Boakye's "Bark Scraper" (estimated $900,000–$1.2 million), Hirst's pillcase "Up at Dawn" ($500,000–$700,000), and works by George Condo, Esther Mahlangu, and Hank Willis Thomas.

Martha Stewart Curates JOOPITER’s Art Debut

JOOPITER, the auction platform founded to rethink collecting for a digital generation, will launch its first dedicated contemporary art sale this spring. Titled "The Contemporary Take," the online auction runs from April 28 through May 6, 2025, and is curated in collaboration with Martha Stewart. The sale features nearly fifty works by established and emerging artists, including Alex Katz, Jeff Koons, Amy Sherald, George Condo, Esther Mahlangu, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Ai Weiwei, and Damien Hirst, selected to reflect the renewal and vibrancy of the season. The auction also marks the debut of late Iranian-American artist Davood Roostaei.

Hera Büyüktaşçıyan Channels Istanbul’s Haunted Histories

Hera Büyüktaşçıyan Channels Istanbul’s Haunted Histories

Hera Büyüktaşçıyan has opened a major solo exhibition, 'I Know You As Her', at Istanbul's Arter museum. The show features new and existing works, including sculptures, installations, and watercolors, that explore submerged histories and spectral presences within the city's urban fabric, particularly around the historic Pera district.

Bárbara Wagner & Benjamin de Burca “The Tunnels We Dig” at Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt

The artist duo Bárbara Wagner & Benjamin de Burca have opened a new exhibition titled "The Tunnels We Dig" at the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt. The show combines three of their collaborative film and installation works, which are the result of their decade-long practice of working in dialogue with other artists and collectives.

À Deauville, un vitrail monumental de Clara Rivault fête les cinq ans des Franciscaines

Les Franciscaines de Deauville, a former convent turned cultural center, celebrates its fifth anniversary by unveiling its first permanent commission: a monumental contemporary stained glass window by Clara Rivault. Titled "Ceux qui traversent," the double-sided work spans the entrance of the Grande Galerie, blending traditional glass techniques with photographic transfers, lead, and light. Rivault, born in 1991 and trained at Montpellier's École supérieure des beaux-arts, La Cambre in Brussels, and the Centre international d'Art verrier de Meisenthal, has previously created works for the Institut français in Paris and the church of Saint-Paterne in Saint-Pair-sur-Mer.

Museum Night 2026: Events in Belarus and Beyond

On May 16, 2026, Museum Night celebrations will take place across Belarus and beyond, with cultural institutions offering extended hours and special programs. Highlights include the National Centre for Contemporary Arts in Minsk hosting lectures, artist talks, and exhibitions such as “Forms and Shadows: Feminine” and “Difficulties of Translation,” while the National Art Museum explores the color blue through its program “Blue of Blue.” Literary museums dedicated to Maksim Bahdanovich, Yakub Kolas, and Yanka Kupala will feature space-themed activities, reenactments, and fashion shows, and the “Sula” History Park will offer an interactive journey called “Hunting the Dragon.”

AOY Art Center announces award winners of the 14th Annual Juried Show

AOY Art Center announced the award winners of its 14th Annual Juried Show, with David Orban taking first place for his oil on cradled wood panel, “Bi-plane and Blue Truck in Red.” Juror Amanda C. Burdan, senior curator at the Brandywine Museum, selected the piece for its surreal use of red. Second place went to Jean Burdick for “Silverton,” a silkscreen on vellum, and third place to Darlene Decker for “For the Monarchs,” an oil painting. The Frumi Cohen Memorial Award was presented to Cathy Hanville for her photograph “What’s for Dinner,” and honorable mentions were awarded to Scott Hoerl and Barbara Kaiser. The exhibition, featuring 135 works from over 425 entries by 150 local artists, is on view through May 3 at the AOY Art Center in Yardley, Pennsylvania, and online.

In Venice two new cultural realities in the Civic Museums circuit: a contemporary art center is born in Mestre and the Wagner Museum enters the network

A Venezia due nuove realtà culturali nel circuito dei Musei Civici: nasce un centro d’arte contemporanea a Mestre e entra nella rete il Museo Wagner

The Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia (MUVE) has opened a new contemporary art museum called MUVEC (Casa delle Contemporaneità) at the Centro Candiani in Mestre, inaugurated on April 24. Simultaneously, MUVE has signed an agreement with the Casinò di Venezia and the Associazione Richard Wagner to bring the Museo Wagner in Ca' Vendramin Calergi into its network starting in 2027, expanding the MUVE circuit to 14 museums (excluding MUVEC). MUVEC features a permanent collection spanning from 1948 to the present, drawn from the Galleria d'Arte Moderna di Venezia Ca' Pesaro, and will host temporary exhibitions including a 2026 show on Klimt, Schiele, Kokoschka and the body.

Il fotoreport Andy Rocchelli morto nel Donbass nel 2014 ha un giardino a lui dedicato a Pavia

On May 24, the Collegio Ghislieri in Pavia inaugurated the Giardino della Ricerca, a garden dedicated to photojournalist Andy Rocchelli, who was killed in 2014 in the Donbas region of Ukraine alongside human rights activist Andrei Mironov. The garden, opened on the twelfth anniversary of his death, features a commemorative plaque and includes speeches by Gherardo Colombo and Michele Serra, as well as a podcast by Agostino Zappia and Enrico Rotondi. Italian courts have ruled that Rocchelli and Mironov were killed by Ukrainian army fire, but no one has been convicted.

Provincia Cosmica. Interview with Giuseppe Stampone, the artist who chose Gran Sasso as his home

Provincia Cosmica. Intervista a Giuseppe Stampone, l’artista che ha scelto il Gran Sasso come casa

Italian contemporary artist Giuseppe Stampone, born in Cluses in 1974, has returned to his native Abruzzo after years living in New York, Rome, and Brussels. Following the loss of his parents, he established his studio in the province of Teramo, where he is restoring a farmhouse under the Gran Sasso mountain to house the Archivio Giuseppe Stampone-Maria Crispal and an artist residency called Abruzzo Mon Amour. Stampone won the PAC2021 prize for his project "La natura delle cose," which explores his bond with the region and will create an archive dedicated to the flora and fauna of the Monti della Laga, Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzo, and Gran Sasso areas.

Body as Device. Guide and Reflection on the Performances of the Venice Biennale

Corpo come dispositivo. Guida e riflessione sulle performance della Biennale di Venezia

The article analyzes the role of performance art at the 2026 Venice Biennale, arguing that performance is no longer a rediscovered genre but a structurally institutionalized primary form of experience production. It examines how the body reemerges not as an alternative to image-based works but as an internal interruption of the artwork system, preventing closure and reintroducing instability. Key pavilions are discussed: Austria's Florentina Holzinger with "Sancta" draws on 1970s radical performance and feminist body art, creating an immersive environment of continuous movement; Belgium's Miet Warlop with "IT NEVER SSST" engages post-dramatic theater and postmodern dance repetition; Japan's Ei Arakawa-Nash with "Grass Babies, Moon Babies" activates Gutai avant-garde legacies through viewer interaction with soft dolls.

A Venezia sta aprendo un nuovo Palazzo delle Arti e delle Culture grazie alla Fondazione Giancarlo Ligabue. L’intervista

A new Palazzo delle Arti e delle Culture – Collecto is opening in Venice at Palazzo Erizzo Ligabue, a 15th-century palace on the Grand Canal. The initiative, spearheaded by Inti Ligabue (45), son of the late paleontologist and entrepreneur Giancarlo Ligabue, will open to the public from May 7 to May 24, 2026, offering guided tours of a collection of over 400 pieces spanning from 4.5-billion-year-old fossils to contemporary works by artists such as Arcangelo Sassolino, Nico Vascellari, and Giorgio Andreotta Calò. The project builds on the Fondazione Giancarlo Ligabue, established in 2016 from the original Centro Studi founded in 1973, and will feature a residency by artist Marta Spagnoli.

Gallery 14 Fine Art Photography features two members and a guest artist

Gallery 14 Fine Art Photography in Hopewell, New Jersey, will host a group exhibition from May 16 through June 14, featuring two member artists and one guest artist. The show includes John Stritzinger's series 'Trees Find A Way,' which captures trees in urban and rural settings; Dutch Bagley's 'What In The World,' a self-taught photographic exploration of environment and diversity; and guest artist Elvira Peretsman's 'The Fractured Perspective,' which uses experimental in-camera techniques to reveal abstract geometric forms. A meet-the-artists reception is scheduled for Sunday, May 17 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Carole Harris’ Origin Story in “This Side of the River” at MOCAD

The article reviews Carole Harris's solo exhibition "This Side of the River" at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit (MOCAD), curated by Abel Gonzalez Fernandez. The show features twenty fiber pieces and archival materials spanning from 1966 to the present, tracing Harris's creative evolution and her responses to Detroit's social and urban changes. It highlights early works like "Potpourri" (1976) and "Black Jack" (1976) from her 1977 debut at Gallery 7, a Black Power-era space founded by Charles McGee, and later pieces such as "Down the Road a Piece" (2003) that mark her shift toward improvisational, abstract compositions.

Shiva Zahed's Istanbul gallery opens new platform for Iranian contemporary art

Shiva Zahed, an Iranian collector and former physician, has opened a new gallery in Istanbul's Pera district dedicated to Iranian contemporary art. The gallery launched with the exhibition "echos," featuring works by Shaqayeq Arabi and Fereydoun Ave, which was extended through May 10 due to strong interest. Zahed frames the space as an active platform to reposition Iranian artists within a global context, rather than a conventional exhibition venue.

Free and Queer: Black Californian Roots of Gay Liberation

The California African American Museum has launched 'Free and Queer: Black Californian Roots of Gay Liberation,' an exhibition dedicated to the often-overlooked history of Black LGBTQ resistance and culture in California. Curated by Susan D. Anderson in collaboration with ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, the show utilizes a vast array of archival materials, photographs, and film to trace a lineage of activism and artistic expression that predates the Stonewall riots. It specifically highlights how Black queer Californians navigated McCarthy-era repression, the civil rights movement, and the AIDS crisis.

Cinematic Painting Series

Cary Kwok's exhibition at Sessions Arts Club in London presents four new paintings created with support from Herald St, Cabin Studio, Jonny Gent, and David Southard. The works, rendered in acrylic and ink on paper, explore still lifes, silhouettes, and staged interiors inspired by 1980s visual culture, including interior design, cinematography, fashion editorials, and advertising. Featured pieces include *Eclipse* (2026) and *Anticipation* (2026), with the artist's signature subtly embedded in objects like jewelry and glassware. The show opens May 18 and is viewable by appointment or during dining hours, alongside a related wine label collaboration for the Sessions Arts Club Lost Wines Project.

Kid Cudi Debuts ‘Echoes of the Past’ Documentary Spotlighting His Visual Art Journey

Kid Cudi announced the debut of his documentary 'Echoes of the Past' on Instagram, revealing his transition into visual art under the painting persona Scotty Ramon. The film, directed by Joshua Charow and produced by MADSOLAR, explores Cudi's fine art journey and features an original score by the artist. A corresponding exhibition, also titled 'Echoes of the Past,' will open at Ruttkowski;68 in Paris on January 30, running through early March.

“LIT” Neon Sculpture Exhibit by Rod Lathim

Rod Lathim presents "LIT: Love, Illumination, Transcendence," a solo exhibition of neon light sculptures at Art & Soul Gallery in Santa Barbara, opening February 5, 2026. The show features repurposed vintage instruments and found objects transformed into illuminated works, alongside the launch of Lathim's autobiographical book "Finding the Divine Child - A Journey of Spirit, Light and Art." The exhibition runs through March 1, 2026, with accompanying events including guided visualizations, a book signing, and an artist talk.

London gallery Project Native Informant closes after 12 years, citing 'volatile and unsustainable environment'

Project Native Informant, an east London gallery known for its adventurous program featuring artists like DIS, Sin Wai Kin, Juliana Huxtable, and Hal Fischer, is closing after 12 years. Founder Stephan Tanbin Sastrawidjaja announced the decision on Instagram on October 31, citing a volatile and unsustainable global economic, political, and social environment, along with personal factors. The gallery had not staged an exhibition since July 2024 and had previously lost commercially viable artist Joseph Yaeger, who signed with Modern Art and Gladstone in 2023.

Artists in charge

A roundup of artist-run galleries in Kansas City highlights the rise of spaces like Vulpes Bastille and 100,000,000, which are reshaping the local art scene. These venues, operated by artists and volunteers, offer exhibition opportunities, studios, and community support, exemplified by Andrew Johnson's intimate multimedia installation "In The Presence of an Absence" at Vulpes Bastille.

How to Extract the Story of Appalachia

The artist collective GRIT has issued a sharp critique of Fia Backström’s exhibition, "The Great Society," currently on view at the Queens Museum. The authors argue that Backström, a European artist, engages in "extractive" storytelling by focusing exclusively on trauma, environmental disaster, and poverty in West Virginia. They contend that the exhibition’s aesthetic choices—such as inverting landscape photographs and omitting human subjects—flatten the region's complexity into a spectacle of misery that alienates the very community it claims to represent.

Not just dollars, euros and pounds: Tefaf speaker sets out art’s deep value for wellbeing

Professor Daisy Fancourt presented research at the Tefaf Summit in Maastricht, detailing the measurable health benefits of arts engagement. Her findings, drawn from longitudinal data and biological markers, show arts therapies can double symptom improvement for depression and regular cultural attendance can nearly halve depression risk over a decade.

biennale of sydney jewish group pro palestine artists

The Biennale of Sydney has officially denied allegations of discrimination and bias following claims from Australia’s Jewish community that the exhibition's selection process favored anti-Zionist artists. The controversy intensified when the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies declined a preview invitation, citing "objectionable social media activity" by participating artists rather than the artworks themselves. In response, the Biennale maintained that its selection process is based strictly on artistic merit and that the organization maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward all forms of racism, including antisemitism and Islamophobia.

charli xcx sound sculpture amanda camenisch

The article reports that Charli XCX plays a sculptural harp by artist Amanda Camenisch in the film *100 Nights Of Hero*, which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival. The instrument, titled *Elemental Harp: Fire* (or "Fire Harp"), was commissioned by the London Brent Biennial in 2022 and is part of a series of five sound sculptures representing elemental forces. Camenisch, a London-based photographer, filmmaker, and performer, creates hand-forged sonic sculptures designed for participatory rituals and vibrational healing.

dealers robilant voena sexual harassment racial discrimination

A New York court has summoned art dealers Count Edmondo di Robilant and Marco Voena to answer a civil complaint filed by former employee and curator Virginia Brilliant. The lawsuit, filed in New York, alleges repeated verbal harassment, misogynistic, antisemitic, racist, and homophobic comments, and other inappropriate behavior at their gallery Robilant and Voena, which has locations in New York, London, Milan, Paris, and St. Moritz. Brilliant, who holds a Ph.D. from the Courtauld Institute of Art, began working as an independent contractor in 2019. She claims the dealers created a toxic workplace, failed to pay promised medical expenses during her chemotherapy for breast cancer, and owes her commissions, back pay, and damages totaling at least $3.13 million. Robilant was served papers at the TEFAF New York art fair on May 13.