黑龙江省美协召开2026年度工作会议暨七届九次主席团（扩大）会议

The Heilongjiang Provincial Artists Association held its 2026 annual work meeting and the 7th 9th Presidium (Expanded) Meeting on April 29, 2026, via a hybrid online-offline format. Over 100 participants attended, including presidium members, council members, heads of municipal and industry artists associations, and committee members. The meeting conveyed directives from the China Artists Association's study and implementation of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, as well as the provincial文联's work arrangements. It summarized 2025 work and outlined key tasks for 2026, emphasizing ideological guidance through Xi Jinping's cultural thought, people-centered creative direction focusing on local themes like black soil culture and borderland heritage, and strengthening of traditional art forms such as Heilongjiang printmaking and watercolor. The meeting also approved new council member additions, first-batch 2026 membership applications, and committee adjustments.

Call for Applications: Reiwa 8 (2026) Overseas Training Program for Emerging Artists – Japanese Culture Promotion and Dissemination Project

公募｜令和8年度新進芸術家海外研修制度における「日本文化発信・普及事業」

Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs (Bunka-cho) is now accepting applications for the "Japanese Culture Promotion and Dissemination Project" under the 2026 (Reiwa 8) Overseas Training Program for Emerging Artists. This separate track supports established cultural figures, artists, and researchers—not just emerging artists—to conduct activities that promote and disseminate Japanese culture abroad. The program covers travel, accommodation, and activity costs up to 1.5 million yen, with派遣 periods ranging from 20 to 80 days between October 1, 2026 and March 31, 2027. Applications must be received by June 5, 2025, and results will be announced by early September.

Artist Sultana Hasan unveils a new solo art exhibition in Bengaluru

Artist Sultana Hasan has unveiled a new solo exhibition titled "Rooted in Nature" in Bengaluru, featuring 29 works including mixed-media paintings on canvas and paper, as well as pen and ink drawings. The pieces are grouped into themes such as still life, forest and park walks, landscapes, rockscapes, and floral designs, inspired by her reflections on nature during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fifty artists explore resilience in powerful new art exhibition

A new exhibition titled "Resilience" has opened at the Hartlepool Art Gallery, featuring works by 50 artists selected through an open call for individuals with ties to the town. Inspired by the 100th anniversary of the General Strike, the show explores themes of personal survival, psychological recovery, community bonds, and overcoming barriers. Five artists have been shortlisted by an independent panel, and visitors can vote for their favorite artwork, with the winner earning a solo exhibition at the gallery. A companion display, "Hartlepool’s Resilience," curated by local museum volunteers, presents objects and artworks from the borough council’s collection.

The Betteravia Art Gallery makes way for another exhibit

The Betteravia Art Gallery in Santa Maria, California, is opening a new group exhibition titled "Post-Wild: Nature in the 21st Century" on May 21, 2026. The show features 54 works by 34 artists selected through an open call, spanning photography, painting, ceramics, and digital media. The exhibition was co-curated by Laura-Susan Thomas, a professor at Allan Hancock College, in collaboration with the Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture.

Imaginative Sculptures Herald an Austin Artist’s First Solo Museum Show

Laura Lit, an Austin-based artist, has opened her first solo museum exhibition, "Impossible Beings," at Laguna Gloria. The show features four abstract sculptures that are the outdoor debut of The Contemporary's HOST series, running from April 23, 2025, through January 17, 2027. Lit, who began her artistic reinvention after becoming a mother in 2020, creates dream-like figures inspired by meditation, using industrial materials like expanded polystyrene and Pal Tiya. The exhibition also includes a companion show at The Jones Center opening in September.

Explore resilience in new Hartlepool Art Gallery exhibition – and help choose an artist for a future solo show

A new exhibition titled 'Resilience' has opened at Hartlepool Art Gallery, running until July 4, 2025. Featuring 50 artists with ties to Hartlepool, selected through an open call, the show explores themes of personal survival, psychological recovery, community bonds, and overcoming barriers, inspired by the 100th anniversary of the General Strike. Visitors can vote for their favorite artwork from a shortlist of five artists, with the winner receiving a future solo exhibition at the gallery. A companion show, 'Hartlepool’s Resilience,' curated by museum service volunteers, displays objects from the borough council’s collection highlighting local spirit.

AAM 2026 | a guide to this year's event

The article previews the 2026 AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo, scheduled for May in Philadelphia. It highlights key sessions, speakers, and events planned for the gathering of museum professionals, focusing on trends in audience engagement, digital innovation, and institutional resilience.

Lotte Hotels & Resorts taps graphic artist Verdy for ‘Art-cation' promotion

Lotte Hotels & Resorts has launched a collaborative promotion with Japanese graphic artist Verdy, timed to his first solo exhibition in Korea, “I Believe in Me,” at the Lotte Museum of Art in Seoul. The promotion, running until July 19, offers guests at Signiel Seoul, Lotte Hotel Seoul, and Lotte Hotel World limited-edition key card holders designed by Verdy, along with discounts on exhibition admission and specialized room packages that include tickets and upgrades.

Immersive Art Exhibition Coming to Porsche Studio Portland

Porsche Studio Portland in the Pearl District is hosting a summer-long immersive art exhibition titled 'Shifting Realities,' running from June 4 to August 31. Created by Kelly Max and Aleks Davidovich of Portland's OWOW Inc., the exhibition features interactive rooms where visitors can paint a Porsche 911 with gestures, visualize engine sounds, and race in a simulator, with a robot arm serving Porsche-themed macarons at a flavor bar. The experience takes about 100 minutes and is open to all ages.

RAQEL Solo Exhibition “Tea Time”

RAQEL's solo exhibition "Tea Time" is being presented by Japan Osaka Art Gallery TIME in Minoh, Osaka, from May 14 to May 18, 2025. The show features works that explore a gentle world between fantasy and reality, using motifs of tea, sweets, and young girls to evoke charm, fragility, and solitude.

Soshi Asai Solo Exhibition “Metamorphosis”

Soshi Asai's solo exhibition "Metamorphosis" is being presented by Japan Osaka Art Gallery TIME from April 23 to April 27, 2025, at a venue in Minoh, Osaka. The show features copperplate engravings that use dense monochrome gradations to explore the boundary between fantasy and reality, reflecting themes of solitude, anxiety, tenderness, and fragile human connections shaped by the pandemic and today's chaotic world.

Amarachi Okpara broadens Lagos art scene with new gallery opening

A new art gallery, Amyafrique Art Gallery, is set to open in Lagos next month, founded by Nigerian entrepreneur Amarachi Judith Okpara. The project began with a small personal collection and grew as Okpara built connections in the art community, drawing from her diverse career in events, fashion, modeling, and aviation before discovering her passion for art during a visit to a Lagos gallery.

The Maryland Institute College of Art's gallery alley now open

The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) has opened a new gallery alley, as reported by CBS Baltimore. The article announces the opening of this new exhibition space associated with the college, though specific details about the galleries or inaugural exhibitions are not provided in the text.

Bounce to Open Sotheby’s Modern Art Auction Prediction Markets on May 11th

Bounce, a decentralized auction platform also known as Auction, will open prediction markets for Sotheby’s modern art auction on its Bounce Predict service from May 11th to May 15th, starting at 12:00 UTC. The announcement was made via an official tweet from AUCTION, referencing the upcoming event.

Jewel Is Still Trying to Make Sense of the World

Singer-songwriter Jewel is presenting her second major art exhibition, titled "Matriclysm," which she describes as a meditation on femininity and memory. The exhibition marks a continued expansion of her creative practice beyond music into the visual arts.

Kazuhiro Nomura: Monad @ HARMAS GALLERY

野村和弘：モナド @ HARMAS GALLERY

Japanese artist Kazuhiro Nomura is presenting a solo exhibition titled "Monad" at HARMAS GALLERY in Tokyo, running from April 4 to May 16, 2026. The show features a series of works including the titular piece "Monad" (2026), alongside earlier works such as "juno (B)" (2006) and "eva's breast" (2009), as documented in a photo report by ART iT.