How the Venice Biennale imploded over Israel

The 61st Venice Biennale, scheduled to open on May 9, has been thrown into turmoil after its International Jury announced that national pavilions and artists representing countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court will not be eligible for prizes. This excludes Israel, represented by sculptor Belu-Simion Fainaru, and Russia from competing for the Golden Lion. The decision follows an open letter signed by hundreds of artists and curators demanding Israel's exclusion over the war in Gaza, and comes amid ongoing geopolitical tensions, including Russia's absence from previous editions after its invasion of Ukraine. The Biennale's theme, 'In Minor Keys,' curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, aimed to focus on dignity and listening to marginalized voices, but the prize ban has sparked accusations that identity politics are overshadowing artistic merit.

Pelham Art Center presents ‘Relics: Ancient to Modern,’ a teen-curated exhibition, from May 7 through May 31

Pelham Art Center will host 'Relics: Ancient to Modern,' a teen-curated exhibition organized by its Teen Artist Council, from May 7 through May 31. The show opens with a public artist talk on May 7 and a reception on May 9, featuring works by over 50 artists from the United States and abroad, including Pakistan. The council, composed of high school students, developed the theme, issued an open call, and curated the final selection under the guidance of Gallery and Teen Programming Coordinator Fiona Agababian.

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.

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.

Curator Adriana Farietta On Why CONDUCTOR Is the Fair the Art World Needs Right Now

CONDUCTOR, a new art fair curated by Adriana Farietta in collaboration with Powerhouse Arts, launches this week in Brooklyn, New York. The fair features individual artists and galleries from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Oceania, and Indigenous Nations, with a focus on the Global Majority. A key innovation is its onsite fabrication model, allowing some works to be produced locally at Powerhouse Arts' facilities, reducing shipping and customs issues. The fair also offers an exclusive preview of artists presenting at the Venice Biennale, including Annalee Davis, Tammy Nguyen, RojoNegro, Beya Gille Gacha, and Bugarin + Castle.

Remains of time: Discarded Material Finds New Life As Artwork

Two Indian artists, Manveer Singh (aka Plasticvalla) and Smriti Dixit, are creating artworks from discarded materials to address environmental degradation. Singh transforms multi-layered plastic waste into sculptures inspired by local landscapes and folk traditions, such as a snow leopard for Spiti Valley and a landfill-inspired piece for Delhi. Dixit finds her practice meditative, while other young artists like Anuja Dasgupta and Mrugen Rathod recently exhibited at the 'Sustaina' exhibition using recycled materials like agricultural waste and discarded hotel textiles. Additionally, Tara Lal's Aranyani Pavilion, made from invasive Lantana Camara wood, was displayed at Sunder Nursery to promote forest restoration.

‘Time and Tide’ exhibition reveals Petaluma River through local artists’ eyes

The Petaluma Historical Library and Museum is hosting 'Time and Tide,' a multimedia exhibition running through June 6 that explores the Petaluma River and its wetlands through 90 works including watercolors, photographs, poems, and sketches. The show, subtitled 'An Artful Exploration of Petaluma’s Wetlands,' opened April 9 and features contributions from local artists such as Leslie Ihrig, Zoe Caron, Dan Rogers, David Tomb, Marion Hatcher, and Sonoma County Poet Laureate Dave Seter, alongside taxidermy from the Petaluma Wildlife Museum and a video presentation.

For The First Time In Miami, An Exclusive Group Exhibition That Was A Success In NYC Arrives At The Museum of Sex — Featuring Works By Over 30 Local Artists

The Museum of Sex in Miami is presenting a new group exhibition titled "F*ck Art 2026: Nature & Artifice," opening April 29, 2026. Featuring over 30 local artists including Ana María Caballero, Cheryl Pope, and Justyna Kisielewicz, the show explores themes of bodies, desire, identity, surveillance, censorship, and intimacy through painting, textiles, sculpture, photography, and digital media. Works are displayed in glass vitrines to mimic the experience of browsing a digital feed.

Flinders exhibition revives the ’60s-’70s

Flinders University Museum of Art (FUMA) presents 'Anarchive: knowledge follows form', a solo exhibition by South Australian artist Bridget Currie running from 27 April to 19 June 2026. The show reimagines the archive as a living force, drawing on FUMA's 'Post-object and Documentation Art' collection from the 1960s and 1970s. It features works by Bonita Ely, Alison Goodwin, Poppy Johnson, Dorothy Thompson, and Eva Yuen Man-Wah, including Thompson's playful protest performances in bird costumes. The exhibition is co-presented with Adelaide Contemporary Experimental and includes a guest-edited issue of Artlink magazine.

8 Deer Park students featured in LI museum art exhibit

Eight students from Deer Park schools have been selected to have their artwork featured in an exhibition at a Long Island museum. The students' pieces were chosen from a larger pool of submissions, highlighting their creative talents and the support of their school's art program.

If You See Only 6 Venice Shows, Make It These

The New York Times Art section has published a curated guide recommending six must-see exhibitions at the Venice Biennale. The article highlights thought-provoking and senses-stirring works that address themes such as war, art patronage, and the Black experience in America, as selected by the newspaper's critics.

The Venice Biennale and Its Many Flashpoints: An Explainer

The Venice Biennale, often described as the Olympics of the art world, is set to begin previews on Tuesday amid several controversies. Key flashpoints include the sudden death of a curator, Russia's surprise participation despite ongoing geopolitical tensions, and an unconventional entry from the United States. These developments have intensified scrutiny and debate around the prestigious international exhibition.

Filipa Ramos takes on 2027 Lofoten Festival

Filipa Ramos has been appointed curator of the 19th edition of the Lofoten International Art Festival, set to take place across the Norwegian arctic archipelago in June 2027. Ramos, a curator and writer who teaches at the Institute Art Gender Nature of the Academy of Art and Design FHNW in Basel, is known for ecologically-focused research that reimagines human-animal-environment relationships. She authored *The Artist as Ecologist* (2025) and is currently organizing the LOOP Festival in Barcelona and the symposia series *The Shape of a Circle in the Mind of a Fish*, created with Lucia Pietroiusti.

Accused of Harassing Staff, Martha Ortiz Steps Down as Director of Bogotá’s MAMBO

Martha Ortiz has stepped down as director of Bogotá’s Museo de Arte Moderno (MAMBO) amid allegations of harassing staff and fostering a toxic work environment. The museum announced her retirement and will begin a search for a successor, with board president Ángela Royo and financial manager Francy Hernández assuming interim leadership. Ortiz, who had no prior museum management experience, took the role in March 2024. Her departure follows the ousting of artistic director Eugenio Viola less than three months earlier, after he raised concerns about deteriorating working conditions.

CHILE AT THE 2026 VENICE BIENNALE NORTON MAZA PRESENTS INTER REALITY

Chile will participate in the 61st Venice Art Biennale with the exhibition "Inter-Reality" by artist Norton Maza, curated by Marisa Cachiolo and Dermis León, and managed by Claudia Pertuzé. The monumental installation, on view from May 9 to November 22, 2026 at the Sala dell'Isolotto in the Arsenale complex, contrasts an exterior referencing geopolitics, landscape, and ecology with an interior of precarious dioramas blending classical European painting and contemporary issues like fake news, migration, and environmental devastation. The work includes a soundscape of helicopters, airplanes, ancestral chants, and nature sounds recorded in Chile.

JEZIK AND COSTA EXPLORE MEMORY AND EXILE IN A GROUP EXHIBITION

The Miguel Hernández University in Elche, Spain, presents "Vientos del pueblo. Voices of Exile and Resistance," a group exhibition curated by Mónica Sotos. Inspired by Miguel Hernández's poem "Vientos del pueblo," the show features Argentine artists Ježik and Costa alongside Eugenio Merino, Gloria Oyarzábal, Ricardo Calero, Óscar Seco, Pierre Valls, and María Rosa Aránega. Through photography, video, installation, drawing, and archival works, the exhibition examines violence, borders, exile, and colonial legacies, challenging dominant power narratives.

Torna TAILOR. Ecco come abbonarsi alla newsletter di Artribune sulla cultura del vestire

TAILOR, the vertical newsletter from Artribune exploring the intersections of art and fashion, returns on Sunday, May 17, 2026. The upcoming issue focuses on "Science Fashion," an event held from May 13 to 15 at the MACRO – Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Roma, curated by Dobrila Denegri, which investigates relationships between fashion, science, and new technologies. The newsletter also examines the rapid spread of the non-color white in fashion and design as a response to pandemic, crisis, and geopolitical tensions, offering analytical content for professionals, students, and enthusiasts.

A Roma un evento per indagare le relazioni tra scienza e moda. Intervista alla curatrice Dobrila Denegri

From May 13 to 15, 2026, the MACRO – Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Roma will host "Science Fashion," an event curated by Dobrila Denegri that explores the intersections of fashion, science, and new technologies. The program brings together international researchers and practitioners in experimental fashion to discuss urgent issues such as climate emergency, energy, and interspecies coexistence. It is part of the broader multi-year initiative "Experiments in Fashion and Art," launched in 2024 with "Critical Fashion," and involves collaborations with NABA, Sapienza University of Rome, and UnitelmaSapienza.

In che modo la rigenerazione sta provando a cambiare l’Italia? Risponde la newsletter Render

Artribune's newsletter "Render" is set to release its 57th issue on May 11, featuring stories on urban regeneration projects across Italy. Highlights include a new library under construction in Latisana near the train station, a square-shaped island in the Venice lagoon transformed into an exhibition space after decades of abandonment, participatory tactical urbanism initiatives in Torre Annunziata funded by a Ministry of Social Policies and Labor grant, and a post-war complex in Rome poised to become a cultural hub. The issue will also profile the Peruvian architecture duo Barclay & Crousse ahead of their exhibition at the Politecnico di Milano and include a reflection on contemporary green spaces inspired by a visit to a private English park.

At the Venice Biennale there is a pavilion of shit! Luxembourg participates with a project that talks about poop

Alla Biennale di Venezia c’è un padiglione di merda! Il Lussemburgo partecipa con un progetto che fa parlare la cacca

The Luxembourg Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale features an installation titled "La Merde" by artist Aline Bouvy, centered on a cinematic manifesto that uses excrement as a metaphor to explore shame, social classification, and bodily discipline. The immersive environment includes a film, spatialized sound composition, and a steel-and-mirror architecture, with an anthropomorphic talking, walking, and farting excrement puppet interacting with visitors. The work also includes a sculptural alter ego titled "E.T. The Excremential," blending Bouvy's body with Spielberg's extraterrestrial figure.

Ministry of Culture inspectors present report on Biennale: Russia pavilion will remain closed

Gli ispettori del Ministero della Cultura in Biennale presentano relazione: il padiglione Russia resterà chiuso

Italian Ministry of Culture inspectors have submitted a report to the Prime Minister's office regarding Russia's participation in the 2026 Venice Art Biennale. The report concludes that Russia did not receive a formal invitation from the Biennale Foundation to participate, nor did it sign the participation agreement—a situation shared by other countries with permanent pavilions. While Russia submitted a project and appointed a commissioner, its pavilion will remain closed to the public due to EU sanctions, though a private vernissage may proceed. The report finds no serious violations that would cancel Russia's participation, but notes critical issues that warranted more caution. The international jury resigned en masse after announcing it would not consider countries whose leaders are accused of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, including Russia and Israel, and after an Israeli artist threatened a discrimination lawsuit.

The new TAILOR newsletter is coming out: luxury crisis, new creative generations, and mental health (subscribe!)

Sta per uscire la nuova newsletter TAILOR tra crisi del lusso, nuove generazioni creative e salute mentale (abbonatevi!)

Artribune has launched a new edition of its newsletter TAILOR, which examines the transformation of the global fashion system amid a luxury crisis, the rise of new creative generations, and the growing structural importance of mental health in the industry. The newsletter features a focus on five emerging designers shifting fashion from product to narrative, an exclusive interview with influential stylist Tom Eerebout, and the debut in Italy of the project "One Person. One Voice" as part of the Mental Health in Fashion campaign, created by Florian Müller with artist Claudia Malecka.

The first of May starts a new issue of Pax. Previews of the newsletter on cultural tourism (subscribe)

Il primo maggio parte una nuova uscita di Pax. Le anticipazioni della newsletter sul turismo culturale (abbonatevi)

The article previews the upcoming May 1st issue of Pax, a newsletter by Artribune focused on cultural tourism. It highlights a feature on Italy's colorful villages, explaining how bright colors historically aided sailors and fishermen, and how white facades served hygienic purposes. The issue also covers off-the-beaten-path destinations like Bolsena, which recently opened a contemporary art space in Palazzo Cozza Caposavi, and explores slow tourism practices such as barefooting, discussed with its founder Andrea Bianchi. Additional content includes a roundup of cultural initiatives from Berlin to Naples, Budapest's Citadella reopening, and the Sussex forest's Winnie-the-Pooh centenary.

Art of resistance: Immigrant children share pain and strength in Tucson exhibit

An exhibition titled "Arte de la Resistencia" (Art of Resistance) was held from May 13 to May 17 at Free Associates gallery in Tucson, Arizona. Curated by a psychologist who uses the pseudonym Rosa for safety reasons, the show featured artwork created by immigrant children aged 7 to 19, many of whom are affected by deportation, family separation, and ICE enforcement. The pieces, including works like "Adiós Tucson" and "Silencio," express pain, grief, and resilience, with identities kept anonymous to protect the young artists. Proceeds from sales of original works and prints directly benefit the children's families.

Atlanta gallery turns political tension into art with ‘Politically inCorrect’ exhibition

EuGene V Byrd III has curated the 'Politically inCorrect' group fine art exhibition, now open at Railroad ATL inside the Future Gallery in Atlanta. Featuring over 50 artists and 110 to 120 works across painting, photography, sculpture, and collage, the show addresses what Byrd calls an overdue conversation about art and social responsibility. Inspired by W.E.B. Du Bois, the open-call exhibition asks artists to speak their truth on political and social issues, with pieces like Faif Quin's photograph referencing the killing of Charlie Kirk and Naylon D. Mitchell's portrait 'Mama Rosa' among the highlights. The exhibition runs through May 30.

Art on Main presents "Women in Art: Revealing Our Magnificence" opening reception

Art on Main in Dallas is presenting "Women in Art: Revealing Our Magnificence," a juried exhibition featuring bold, expressive works across mediums such as painting, drawing, photography, fiber art, sculpture, printmaking, and ceramics. The opening reception includes live music by the East Dallas Uke-A-Ladies and a set by DJ MISO, along with a Best in Show award presentation, and the exhibit runs through May 30.

月を射る @ KAG

KAG in Tokyo is presenting a group exhibition titled "月を射る" (Shooting the Moon), running from May 19 to August 16, 2026. The show takes its starting point from a prose poem of the same name by Korean poet Yun Dong-ju (1917–1945), who wrote it in 1939 under Japanese colonial rule and later died in a Fukuoka prison. The exhibition spans pre-war and wartime educational films, propaganda, performance, and contemporary fieldwork, featuring works by artists such as Inoue Kan (Lee Byung-woo), Choe Seung-hui, Kamei Fumio, Yoshimi Yasushi, Atsugi Taka, Fujii Hikaru, Yamamoto Seiko, T.T. Takemoto, Morita Reine, Gataro, and Shirakawa Masao. It examines the management models formed by the former empire and the spiritual structure of colonialism that underlies contemporary issues, centering on works that carry the "memory of censorship"—banned, deleted, or denied existence by national, administrative, or social norms.

Provincetown art exhibit celebrates 50 years of coastal studies

A new art exhibition titled "Persistent Curiosity: Charting the Rippled Fabric of the Sea" has opened at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Center for Coastal Studies. The show runs from May 15 through July 19, with an opening reception on May 22.

The Guest of La Tribune de l'Art No. 29: Alexis Corbière and Alexandre Portier

L'invité de La Tribune de l'Art n° 29 : Alexis Corbière et Alexandre Portier

This podcast episode of L'invité de La Tribune de l'Art features two guests: Alexis Corbière, the rapporteur, and Alexandre Portier, the president of the Commission d'enquête sur la protection du patrimoine national et la sécurisation des musées. Recorded at the Assemblée nationale, the discussion delves into the commission's findings on protecting national heritage and securing museums, following up on a previous article published by La Tribune de l'Art.

‘In Mali, When Animals Dance’ – Inside the Pulse of Sogo Bò

Yoann Cormier curates 'In Mali, When Animals Dance' at the Musée des Confluences, an exhibition dedicated to sogo bò, a Malian performance tradition blending theater, dance, music, and community. Rejecting static displays, Cormier uses immersive scenography—light, sound, film footage from the early 2000s by Sonia and Albert Loeb, and reconstructed masks made with the Lyon Opera costume workshop—to evoke the festive atmosphere of sogo bò, moving visitors through a simulated Malian day from afternoon to night.