Baby dolls, whale songs and swimming in urine: The Venice Biennale’s must-see national pavilions

The 61st Venice Biennale, themed 'In Minor Keys' by late curator Koyo Kouoh, has been marked by political protests against Russia and Israel's participation, pavilion closures, and threats to funding. Despite this tense atmosphere, several national pavilions quietly embody Kouoh's vision of nurture, intimacy, and reflection. Highlights include the Japan Pavilion's 'Grass Babies, Moon Babies' by Ei Arakawa-Nash, where visitors carry and care for baby dolls, and the Polish Pavilion's 'Liquid Tongues' by Bogna Burska and Daniel Kotowski, an immersive sound installation exploring Deaf culture and marginalized communication.

Hong Kong wows the crowds to sleep at the 2026 Venice Biennale

The 2026 Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys" by its late artistic director Koyo Kouoh, has been marked by loud protests and urgent environmental alarms, notably at Florentina Holzinger's Austria pavilion. Amid this chaos, the Hong Kong collateral exhibition "Fermata" at Campo della Tana offers a quiet counterpoint, featuring Kingsley Ng Siu-king's installation *Laundry Nocturne (2026)*, a rest lounge with padded floors and cushions that has caused visitors to doze off. The exhibition follows Kouoh's curatorial vision of creating space for silenced voices and convivial collectivity.

This ICA Exhibition Skewers Art’s Culture of Capitalism

The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) has opened a new exhibition titled "Genuine Fake Premium Economy," featuring works by artists Jenna Bliss, Buck Ellison, and Jasmine Gregory. Curated by Nicole Leong, the show critiques the culture of capitalism within the art world, using appropriation and mimicry to highlight contradictions and hypocrisies. The artists, all born in the mid-1980s in the United States, came of age professionally after the 2008 financial crisis, and their works incorporate advertising imagery, reality television, luxury brand aesthetics, and private wealth management vocabulary. Bliss's video works include a scripted reality TV episode set in an art fair booth before the crash, while Ellison has invented a fictional private bank called Orlo & Co., and Gregory reproduces Patek Philippe advertisements with the watches erased.

Venice Biennale previews in chaos, overshadowed by Israeli and Russian participation

The Venice Biennale previews have descended into chaos, with the event overshadowed by controversies surrounding Israeli and Russian participation. Protests and disruptions have marked the lead-up to the prestigious international art exhibition, as demonstrators voice opposition to the inclusion of Israel amid the Gaza conflict and Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine. The situation has created a tense atmosphere, drawing significant media attention and complicating the Biennale's usual celebratory preview period.

Idaho Falls exhibit puts farm life front and center through western art

The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho in Idaho Falls is opening a new exhibition titled 'Sacred Spaces: Visions of the West from the Prosaic to the Sublime' on Friday, with a public preview on Thursday night. The show features six artists, including Bryan Mark Taylor, Allie Zeyer, and David Dibble, all of whom have ties to agriculture. The works depict farm life scenes such as barns, fields, animals, and tractors, with an audio tour offering artist commentary. The Museum of Idaho is also contributing historic farm photos to complement the exhibit.

In the Curator’s Words: At Studio Door, honoring ‘The Natural World’

Laura Green and Pierre Bounaud have co-curated a new exhibition titled "The Natural World" at The Studio Door in Hillcrest, San Diego, running from May 8 through June 12. The show features paintings by Green and ceramic and glass works selected by Bounaud, all exploring humanity's complex relationship with nature. Green's impressionistic paintings focus on animals and plants from the San Diego landscape, while Bounaud emphasizes clay and glass as materials drawn from the earth. The exhibition includes works by artists such as Oscar Romo and Kathleen Kane Murrell, who address environmental themes and conservation.

Live Arts Program “1922 Revisited” Opens May 5th to Kick Off Preview Week, 61st Venice Biennale 2026

Third Space Art Foundation will present “1922 Revisited,” a live arts program curated by Dr. Janine A. Sytsma, from May 5–9, 2026 in Venice, Italy, during the preview week of the 61st Venice Biennale. The program brings together ten international artists to engage with the 1922 Venice Biennale exhibition of African sculpture through performances, a film screening, and a panel discussion, staged at venues including Hotel Monaco and the European Cultural Centre’s Marinaressa Gardens.

Stuart Robertson’s latest works derive from the art of ophthalmology

British artist Stuart Robertson's solo exhibition 'Through The Artist’s Eye' at Bikaner House in Delhi showcases works created during an 18-month residency at Dr Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital in Daryaganj. The show features photography, drawings, bronze sculptures, and cyanotype prints capturing the daily life of the hospital, its patients, staff, and the surrounding Chandni Chowk neighborhood. Robertson initially sold two watercolor works to a Delhi-based eye surgeon, donated the earnings to the hospital, and was subsequently invited to become an artist-in-residence.

‘The Little Flowers Are Me, Unbloomed:’ Georgia Foster Teens Find Their Voices Through Art Exhibit

Georgia foster teens have created a traveling art exhibit called the See Me project, sponsored by the nonprofit Georgia Appleseed, which has collected roughly 50 paintings, poems, and sculptures since 2023. The young artists, many first-time participants, explore themes of healing, hope, family, and belonging, often signing their works anonymously. The exhibit has been displayed at the Georgia Capitol, universities, community centers, and law firms, with artists paid $250 for their contributions.

L.A.'s $1 Billion Lucas Museum Has Revealed Inaugural Exhibitions For This Year's Opening — Curated By George Lucas Himself

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles has announced its 18 inaugural exhibitions ahead of its September 22, 2026 opening. The $1 billion, 100,000-square-foot museum in Exposition Park will feature 32 galleries curated personally by George Lucas, including a dedicated Cinema space showcasing the Lucas Archives with original concept art, costumes, and props from Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Unlike traditional museums, the exhibitions are organized by emotion and storytelling themes such as Adventure, Childhood, Fantasy, and Romance, rather than by time period or artist.

‘Shaun the Sheep’ exhibit to open at Reading Public Museum [Spotlight]

An interactive exhibit titled “Shaun the Sheep: Flock This Way!” will open at the Reading Public Museum in Pennsylvania on May 16 and run through September 6. Created by the Minnesota Children’s Museum in partnership with Aardman, the hands-on experience is designed for children ages 3 to 9 and features activities inspired by the popular film and television character, including balance boards, costume play, stop-motion animation, and problem-solving challenges. The exhibit is sponsored locally by the Berks County Community Foundation.

In Minor Keys and legacies held in common

The article reflects on the 61st Venice Biennale, curated by Koyo Kouoh, who passed away on 10 May 2025 at age 57 after a cancer diagnosis. Her curatorial concept, "In Minor Keys," will be realized posthumously by her team. The Biennale preview opens on 6 May 2026, with the public opening on 9 May. Additionally, artist Henrike Naumann, selected for the German Pavilion, died on 14 February 2025 at age 41, also from cancer; her work will be shown in her name.

Desert art and youthful joy fill Cobre Valley Center for the Arts

The Cobre Valley Center for the Arts in Arizona is hosting a month-long Desert Art Show through April, featuring hand-painted items, paintings, and photography from local and international artists including Debbie Yerkovich, Amanda Moore, Jessica Goodwin, Ivan Macarambon, and Wanda Mitchell-Tucker. During the same period, the Center celebrated the 'Week of the Young Child' with a special elementary student display titled 'A Joyful World,' showcasing artwork by local schoolchildren that explores themes of joy, family, and community. The children's exhibit also serves as a tribute to Carolyn Haro, a former key figure at the Center who had long envisioned such a display.

A Loft with Past Lives Gets an Owner Making a New One

Jessica Helfand, an artist, has purchased and moved into a loft in an industrial building, beginning a new chapter in a space with a layered history. The article details how she transformed the loft to suit her artistic and personal needs, blending its industrial past with her creative vision.

The World According to Aldwyth

The New York Times Art section published an article titled "The World According to Aldwyth," profiling the artist Aldwyth, who works in paint, bricolage, and collage. The piece explores how her art delves into the history of art, ideas, and the human species, presenting her unique creative vision and thematic concerns.

The Vienna Climate Biennale Contrasts Chaos with Hope

The Vienna Climate Biennale, an art festival addressing ecological, social, and political crises, has opened with a focus on sparking dialogue and encouraging audiences to envision a better future. The event contrasts themes of chaos with hope, using contemporary art to engage visitors in critical conversations about climate change and societal transformation.

DE AZAMBUJA S FOUNDATION INTERVENTION AND REFLECTION AT LA CASA ENCENDIDA

La Casa Encendida in Madrid has opened "Fundación," a site-specific sculptural installation by Brazilian artist Marlon de Azambuja. The work transforms one of the building's central towers into a walk-through sculpture, curated by Bruno Leitão. Using materials and gestures that modify existing architecture, the installation explores the concept of "founding" as a search for foundational knowledge, questioning divisions between reason and sensation while positioning the exhibition space as an experiential environment. The piece is on view until September 27, 2026.

REINTERPRETATIONS BY DEMIAN FLORES OF VIOLENCE MYTH AND REPRESENTATION

Mexican artist Demián Flores presents "America. New Visions from the Old World," a graphic arts exhibition at the Instituto Cultural de México in Madrid. The show features forty works that reinterpret 16th-century engravings by Theodor de Bry, whose images of Indigenous peoples—ranging from idealized noble savages to violent cannibals—shaped European perceptions of the Americas. Flores draws on his earlier series "Collateral Disasters" (2012), inspired by Goya's "The Disasters of War," to critique how colonial visual narratives constructed otherness and justified violence.

Tutte le ‘Sicilie’ di Armando Rotoletti all’Antiquarium di Centuripe in un viaggio tra memoria e visione

The article reports on the exhibition "Sicilia. Un’isola, tante Sicilie. Fotografia, memoria e patrimonio culturale nell’opera di Armando Rotoletti" at the Antiquarium Comunale di Centuripe in Sicily, running until September 27, 2026. The show features over thirty years of black-and-white photographic research by Armando Rotoletti (born 1958 in Messina), a photojournalist who left Sicily for London and Milan but maintained a deep connection to his homeland. His work captures the island's plural, complex identity through rituals, daily gestures, and cultural resistance to standardization, with images that blur past and present.

Architectures, Projects and Visions: The Story of Santa Maria della Scala Goes on Show in Siena

Architetture, progetti e visioni. La storia del Santa Maria della Scala va in mostra a Siena

The Fondazione Antico Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala in Siena has launched a new regeneration project for the historic complex, 40 years after it ceased functioning as a hospital. The foundation, led by president Cristiano Leone and director Chiara Valdambrini, commissioned Luca Molinari Studio to analyze the original design by Guido Canali and coordinate a collaborative masterplan involving three international architecture firms: LAN Architecture, Odile Decq with Pangalos Feldmann Architectes, and Hannes Peer Architecture. An exhibition titled "Santa Maria della Scala. Architetture, progetti e visioni" will open on May 30, 2026, curated by Luca Molinari, showcasing the architectural plans and visions for the site.

Colombia of the 1970s arrives in Milan with an exhibition that feels like a film

La Colombia degli Anni ’70 arriva a Milano con una mostra che pare un film

Ever Astudillo (Cali, 1948–2015) is the subject of a new exhibition at Velo Project in Milan, titled "Latin Fire." The show brings together photographs and drawings from the 1970s and 1980s, capturing the Colombian city of Cali as a silent theater of anonymous, often isolated figures. The installation also features kinetic sculptures by filmmaker Virgilio Villoresi (Fiesole, 1979), creating a dialogue between Astudillo's still images and Villoresi's fragile, hypnotic movement. The exhibition runs until May 16, 2026.

Un nuovo centro culturale e residenza d’artista nasce in un’ex chiesa di Venezia

A 13th-century Gothic church in Venice's Cannaregio district, the former Chiesa dell'Abbazia della Misericordia, will reopen on May 5, 2026, as Etnia House of Arts. The project is promoted by Spanish eyewear brand Etnia Eyewear Culture and includes artist residencies, public events, and site-specific interventions. The restoration was led by architects Piero Vespignani and Alessia Semenzato of Studio Anfibio. The first two resident artists are Conxi Sane and Greta Pllana, who will explore themes of perception and vision, with the residency program using eyewear as a symbolic field to investigate identity and representation.

Wagner comes alive in Milan. Not only at the theater but also in these two exhibitions

A Milano rivive Wagner. Non solo a teatro ma anche in queste due mostre

Two exhibitions dedicated to Richard Wagner's Ring cycle have opened at Milan's Teatro alla Scala, coinciding with a new production of the Ring des Nibelungen and the centenary of the first Scala staging of the tetralogy in 1926. The Museo Teatrale alla Scala presents "La rivoluzione del Ring – Visconti Ronconi Chéreau," curated by Giovanni Agosti with design by Studio Margherita Palli, while the Ridotto dei palchi "A. Toscanini" hosts "Risonanze Wagner – Visioni intorno al Ring," curated by Gianluigi Colin and Mattia Palma, featuring contemporary paintings by four women artists—Antonella Benanzato, Flaminia Veronesi, Chiara Calore, and Federica Perazzoli—each reinterpreting one of the four operas.

The Myth of Sandokan on Display in Monza Between History and Imagination. The Curators Speak

Il mito di Sandokan in mostra a Monza tra storia e immaginario. Parola ai curatori

A new exhibition titled "Sandokan. La Tigre ruggisce ancora" has opened at the Reggia di Monza, exploring the enduring myth of the fictional pirate Sandokan, who first appeared in Italian serialized fiction in 1883. Curated by Francesco Aquilanti and Loretta Paderni, the show brings together ethnographic materials, costumes from the 1970s television series, weapons, books, illustrations, and archival items, including the original Dayak collection donated by Sir Charles Brooke to the King of Italy. The exhibition traces Sandokan's evolution across literature, comics, film, and television, presenting him as a layered, ambivalent hero—both ruthless pirate and justice fighter—whose story remains relevant today.

Literature Today: The Crisis of the Novel as a Symptom of Social Change

La letteratura oggi: la crisi del romanzo come sintomo di un cambiamento sociale

The article examines the perceived crisis of the novel as a literary form, tracing its historical rise alongside the bourgeoisie in the 17th and 18th centuries. It argues the novel functioned as a mirror for a coherent social class with shared values, serving as a device for collective representation. The form's foundational premise of a recognizable community began to fracture in the 20th century, particularly after World War II, as societies atomized and grand ideological narratives collapsed.

UK: Celebrities, Artists’ Paintings Feature in Support of School Art Festival

A school art festival at St Barnabas Primary School in the UK has received support from celebrities and artists, whose paintings and contributions feature in the event. Headteacher Beccy Harris noted that the festival's theme aligns with the school's vision to 'help children soar on wings like eagles.'

Museum of Islamic Art Hosts Empire of Light Exhibit Through May 2026

The Museum of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar, is hosting the 'Empire of Light: Visions and Voices of Afghanistan' exhibition, running through May 30, 2026. The show features rare Afghan artifacts, illuminated manuscripts, and contemporary works, curated by Nicoletta Fazio, and is partnered with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. The museum, designed by I.M. Pei and opened in 2008, also offers weekend bazaars at MIA Park, enhancing the visitor experience with local crafts and jewelry.

Cultural institutions tap power of art to heal national fractures

More than 300 museums and art institutions across South Korea will participate in the 2026 Museum and Gallery Week, a nationwide cultural festival organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, running from May 1 to May 31. The event adopts the theme "Museums Uniting a Divided World" from the International Council of Museums, and features three main programs: "Museum × Meet" highlighting 50 signature objects, "Museum × Enjoy" with exhibitions and performances at 18 institutions, and "Museum × Wander" offering guided tours connecting galleries with historic sites.

A WHOLE NEW LEVEL OF ARTISTRY 👏 BTS leader RM is set to showcase his artwork from his personal collection in his upcoming exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art from October 3 to February 7, 2027. Tap the link in the comment section.

BTS leader RM will present an exhibition of artworks from his personal collection at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA). The show, titled "RM: Resonance," is scheduled to run from October 3, 2026, to February 7, 2027, and will feature a selection of contemporary pieces he has acquired.

The Office Exhibition | Scranton, PA | NEPA Events

The Everhart Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania, is launching a major two-year immersive exhibition dedicated to the hit sitcom *The Office*. Opening on October 31, 2025, the four-room installation explores the show's evolution from a mockumentary into a global cultural phenomenon, featuring interactive displays, behind-the-scenes narratives, and fan tributes.