Passages at Kunsthalle Friart Fribourg

Kunsthalle Friart Fribourg presents "Passages," a group exhibition running from March 14 to May 17, 2026. The show features works by Nat Faulkner, Solomon Garçon, Keta Gavasheli, Gaylen Gerber with Leah Ke Yi Zheng, Hervé Guibert, Nour Mobarak, Henrik Olesen, B. Ingrid Olson, Anastasia Pavlou, Matthew Peers, Cora Pongracz, Pope.L, Ariana Reines and Oscar Tuazon, Dieter Roth, and Sava Sekulić. The exhibition is documented with 51 images and a floor plan, with photos by Cedric Mussano.

Jack Goldstein “Pictures, Sounds and Movies” at Kunst Museum Winterthur

Jack Goldstein (1945–2003), a Canadian-born artist and CalArts graduate, is the subject of the exhibition "Pictures, Sounds and Movies" at Kunst Museum Winterthur. The show highlights his role in the Pictures Generation, a group that in the 1970s rejected traditional art forms by appropriating images from advertising, television, and popular culture, while Goldstein also explored the autonomy of Minimal Art objects.

Disobedience Archive (Canopy for Broken Time) In Dialogue with Raqs Media Collective at Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zürich

The Disobedience Archive, a mobile video archive initiated by Marco Scotini in 2005, is presented in dialogue with Raqs Media Collective at the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst in Zürich. The archive contains over one hundred documentary and art films at the intersection of art and activism, documenting forms of resistance, social struggle, and collective self-organization.

Dozens of Pavilions Close During Strike at 61st Venice Biennale

On May 8, 2026, a 24-hour strike organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) and several Italian activist groups brought the 61st Venice Biennale to a standstill. Approximately 27 of the 100 national pavilions closed fully or partially in solidarity with protesters demanding Israel’s exclusion from the event, including those of Austria, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Japan, South Korea, and Ukraine. Over 3,500 people marched through Venice, with speakers including artist Gabrielle Goliath and curator Caroline Dumalin. The main exhibition, "In Minor Keys," curated by the late Koyo Kouoh, closed by late afternoon, and riot police were stationed outside the Arsenale. The Israeli pavilion, already shuttered during previews, remained closed.

Meet the Former Monk Taking Over Venice During This Year’s Biennale

Wallace Chan, a Hong Kong-born sculptor and jeweler who once lived as a Buddhist monk, is presenting his latest exhibition “Vessels of Other Worlds” at the Chapel of Santa Maria della Pietà in Venice on May 8, coinciding with his 70th birthday and the Venice Biennale, followed by a show at Shanghai’s Long Museum on July 18. The exhibition features three monumental titanium sculptures standing seven, eight, and 10 meters tall, evoking religious oil vessels, and explores themes of birth, growth, and rebirth through the demanding medium of titanium, which Chan describes as the material closest to eternity.

Last chance to see exhibition showcasing amazing local talent as it draws to a close

Bolton Museum's Open Art Exhibition, featuring over 240 artworks by local artists and photographers, is closing on Sunday, March 17. The show includes paintings, photography, and sculptures from creators who live, work, or study in Bolton. Grand prize winner Richard Wood received £1,000 from the Mayor for his landscape 'Ghost Chimneys', while University of Greater Manchester student Olivia Edge won the Young Artist Award for her acrylic painting 'Rewilding'.

Frieze New York Diary: celeb sightings and a swag-filled party

Frieze New York's VIP preview at the Shed drew celebrities including CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, actor Leonardo DiCaprio, artist and REM singer Michael Stipe, and actress Sharon Stone. A party in Tribeca celebrated the upcoming Counterpublic Triennial in St. Louis, featuring a custom scent by artist Emma McCormick Goodhart. Highlights include a musical performance by Oglála Lakȟóta artist Kite and a special Look Book photo studio capturing art-world figures like collector Beth Rudin DeWoody and Frieze London director Eva Langret.

'A work of conceptual art': Belmond launches new Art Deco-inspired train dining car

On 15 May, Belmond's British Pullman will debut a new private dining car named Celia, originally built in 1932. The carriage's interior has been designed by film director Baz Luhrmann and his wife, production designer Catherine Martin, who created an Art Deco-inspired aesthetic featuring burl veneers, marquetry, stained glass, and their signature rich red. The couple invented a backstory for the car's namesake, a fictional 1930s Shakespearean actress, aiming to immerse guests in a narrative experience reminiscent of A Midsummer Night's Dream. This follows Belmond's previous collaborations with Wes Anderson and artist JR, as part of its strategy under LVMH ownership to commission high-profile creative figures for its heritage trains.

Artist Bouke de Vries creates sculptural porcelain bottles for Dries Van Noten perfume

Artist Bouke de Vries has created five unique sculptural porcelain bottles for Dries Van Noten's unisex perfume Soie Malaquais, which launched in 2022. The bottles, priced at £6,000 each, are sold at the designer's London and New York stores, with a limited-edition series also available online. De Vries, known for reassembling broken china fragments into dynamic objects, designed the bottles to reflect the fragrance's warm notes of chestnut, rose, blackcurrant, and cardamom, developed by perfumer Marie Salamagne.

Architecture as Microcosm: Interview with Architects Barclay & Crousse Coming to an Exhibition in Milan

Architettura come microcosmo. Intervista agli architetti Barclay & Crousse che arrivano in mostra a Milano

Architects Sandra Barclay and Jean Pierre Crousse, founders of Barclay & Crousse Architecture, are the subject of a feature interview and exhibition in Milan. The studio, established in Paris in 1994 and now based in Peru, is known for projects that deeply engage with the Peruvian landscape, particularly the coastal desert between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes. Their notable works include the Lugar de la Memoria (Lima, 2015), the Museo de Paracas (2016), and the Franco-Peruvian School in Lima (2025), which recently won the Grand International Prize at the X Bienal Internacional de Arquitectura de Santa Cruz (Bolivia) in 2026. The article traces their education across Peru, France, and Italy, and their return to Peru in 2006, where they continue to run a French branch called Atelier Nord Sud.

Fire erupts at San Francisco's Vaillancourt Fountain during its dismantling

A fire broke out at San Francisco's Vaillancourt Fountain on May 4, 2025, as construction crews used torches to dismantle the 1971 Brutalist structure, igniting debris inside its steel tubes. The San Francisco Arts Commission confirmed the fire was quickly extinguished with no major damage, but the incident has raised concerns about safety protocols, as workers were reportedly not wearing protective gear against potential lead or asbestos exposure, and no public warnings were posted. The dismantling proceeded after a California appeals court denied a request from the local coalition Friends of the Plaza to halt the removal, which the city justified citing asbestos and structural risks.

Venice Biennale strike sees more than 15 pavilions temporarily or partially close

On 8 May, more than 15 national pavilions at the Venice Biennale temporarily or partially closed in a coordinated strike organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA). The protest opposes Israel’s participation in the event, which organizers say normalizes what they call genocide and exploits precarious labor. Participating countries include Austria, Lebanon, Slovenia, Egypt, Poland, and the Netherlands, whose artist Dries Verhoeven stood outside his shuttered pavilion with a Palestinian flag. Some pavilions, like Japan’s, remained open but suspended interactive elements. The strike follows earlier controversies, including the resignation of the prize jury and an open letter demanding the Israeli pavilion’s cancellation.

Fade to black: inside the US’s abandoned movie theatres

Photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre have documented abandoned early 20th-century movie theatres across the United States, capturing the haunting beauty of their decline. These once-grand cinemas, converted from 1920s music halls and theatres, have been left as hybrid ruins due to the rise of television, streaming platforms, and individualized media consumption. The work is exhibited at Kyotographie 2026 in Japan until 17 May.

Lakefront Festival of Art Returns June 12–14 with 145 Artists, Live Music, Local Food, and New Extended Evening Hours

The Lakefront Festival of Art returns to the Milwaukee Art Museum campus from June 12–14, 2026, featuring 145 juried artists from Milwaukee and across the country. Presented by Bank of America, the three-day event includes live music from acts like The Belle Weather, Field Report, and Brett Newski, local food vendors, hands-on artmaking at Kohl's Art Studio, and a Silent Auction Tent with works by participating artists. New this year, extended evening hours until 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday allow visitors to enjoy after-work outings and sunset views. The festival is organized by Friends of Art, the museum's longest-running volunteer support group, and serves as an annual fundraiser for acquisitions and programs.

The BFA exhibit at Krannert Art Museum begs you to touch stuff

The 2026 BFA Exhibition at the Krannert Art Museum, featuring work from University of Illinois School of Art & Design students, emphasizes interactivity, inviting visitors to physically engage with the displays. Highlights include Dhanvi Puttur's "The Third Showing," which explores film communities through an interactive prompt, and Venya Naidu's "The Last Maharaja of Mysore," a vibrant piece blending history and vintage advertising aesthetics. The exhibition runs through May 16, 2026, and is free to the public.

Tate St Ives to host first UK museum exhibition of groundbreaking artist

Tate St Ives will present the first UK museum exhibition of Aleksandra Kasuba, a Lithuanian American artist (1923–2019), from May 2 to October 4, 2026. The show spans seven decades of her career, featuring early paintings, mosaics, sculptures, and public artworks, including the spatial environment *Spectrum: An Afterthought* and a recreation of her *Live-In Environment*. Works are drawn from the Lithuanian National Museum of Art's collection, where Kasuba donated her pieces.

In Tuscany, an Artistic Sculpture Hub Thrives

The article profiles Pietrasanta, a small town in Tuscany, Italy, that has evolved into a thriving international sculpture hub. It traces the town's artistic lineage back to Michelangelo, who sourced marble from local quarries in 1518, and highlights how today a dense network of workshops, foundries, and craftspeople attracts artists from around the world. The local government has established the Fondazione Centro Arti Visive di Pietrasanta to promote the town as a year-round art center, not just a seasonal destination. The piece features the Armenian-born artist Mikayel Ohanjanyan, who has seven sculptures on display in the town.

At Frieze New York and Beyond, Indigenous Artists Are in the Spotlight

At Frieze New York and other concurrent exhibitions, Indigenous artists Sara Flores, Suzanne Kite, and Seba Calfuqueo are presenting works that challenge and expand traditional definitions of Indigenous art. Their pieces are on view in New York, Venice, and beyond, marking a significant moment for contemporary Indigenous voices in the global art scene.

Somali artists and culture workers express concern over Somalia Pavilion in Venice

Somali artists, cultural workers, and organizations have published multiple open letters and statements expressing concern over the Somalia Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. The pavilion, announced in March for the 2026 edition, is titled 'SADDEXLEEY' and features Somali-Swedish artist Ayan Farah, Somali-Danish poet and filmmaker Asmaa Jama, and Somali-British writer Warsan Shire, curated by Stockholm-based Mohamed Mire and Italian project manager Fabio Scrivanti. Critics, including the Somali Arts Foundation and the queer collective Warbixinta Cidda, allege that the pavilion was organized without meaningful consultation of artists and organizations based in Somalia, and object to the appointment of an Italian co-curator given Italy's colonial history in Somalia. An anonymous open letter further alleges intimidation and coercive pressure against critics, and demands Scrivanti's removal, calling for a boycott if demands are not met.

Dries Verhoeven on Representing the Netherlands at the 61st Venice Biennale

Dries Verhoeven will represent the Netherlands at the 61st Venice Biennale (2026) with a new work titled *The Fortress*, installed in the Dutch Rietveld Pavilion in the Giardini. The 25-minute performance piece transforms the sunlit pavilion into a darkened bunker, featuring a raw vocal composition using only false vocal cords. Verhoeven describes the work as a meditation on transition and self-preservation, reflecting a Western society caught between its enlightened self-image and a dark vision of the future. The piece responds to geopolitical unrest outside the Biennale grounds and is designed to be melancholic and confrontational, contrasting with the main exhibition's theme, *In Minor Keys*.

‘My Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein’ by Deborah Levy, Reviewed

Deborah Levy’s latest novel, *My Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein*, follows a first-person narrator who travels to Paris to research the American writer and collector Gertrude Stein. The narrative slips between the early twentieth century and the autumn of Donald Trump’s 2024 reelection, using stream-of-consciousness prose and liquid metaphors to blur past and present. The narrator’s research into Stein’s role in shaping modernity becomes a vehicle for exploring her own sense of helplessness and lack of agency in a hyperconnected, war-weary present.

Branchport Galleries presents "The New Botanical"

Branchport Galleries in Long Branch, New Jersey, presents "The New Botanical," an exhibition curated by Ellen Martin that reimagines traditional botanical art through contemporary works by Suzan Globus, Kevin Hinkle/Ellen Martin, Daniel Sroka, and Gao Yuan. The show, on view from May 14 to June 30, 2026, features techniques such as flower-pounding, extreme close-up photography, and photo-based wall sculptures, moving away from classical precision toward essence and abstraction. An opening reception and artist talk are scheduled.

Somali Cultural Organizations Unhappy With Somalia Pavilion at the Venice Biennale

Somali artists and cultural organizations are protesting the Somalia pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale, arguing it excludes artists based in Somalia and relies on diaspora figures and an Italian co-curator, which they view as colonial. The Somali Arts Foundation issued a statement condemning the lack of consultation, while the queer arts collective Warbixinta Cidda criticized the appointment of Italian curator Fabio Scrivanti. Somali American poet Ladan Osman boycotted the pavilion, calling it "anti-indigenous."

Artists invited to submit work for Moraine Valley’s annual community show

Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills, Illinois, is inviting artists aged 18 and older living within 50 miles to submit up to two pieces for its 23rd annual community art show. Submissions are accepted May 19-21, with notifications on May 26. The exhibition runs May 29 to July 30, opening with a reception and awards ceremony on May 30. This year’s juror is Lisa DeLuca, a photographer and teaching artist with experience as a recruiter for art schools and a docent at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago. She has previously juried the college’s high school exhibition and other regional shows.

Floral photography makes space for grief at Plug In ICA

Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art in Winnipeg is presenting 'Transcendence,' a dual exhibition pairing Sheila Spence's 'Lexicon of Loss'—floral prints made by pressing roses on a flatbed scanner—with 'Observance,' a video installation by the late Toronto artist April Hickox, who died in 2025. The two artists, who first met at the Banff Centre in 1989, reconnected four years ago after both experienced profound loss: Spence's long-term partner died, and Hickox faced a cancer diagnosis. Their collaboration, conceived during daily conversations, brings together works that explore grief through botanical imagery and moving image.

Ray Burgoyne obituary

Ray Burgoyne, a self-taught painter, carpenter, and musician, has died at the age of 80. After a career as a carpenter and set builder, he began exhibiting his paintings in the late 1980s and spent the next three decades organizing numerous exhibitions along the Essex and Suffolk coastline. His work, characterized by thick oil paint, abstract forms, and deep colors, drew on carnivalesque characters and forgotten landscapes. He also played drums in the 1960s mod band the Flowerpots, which opened for the Animals and the Who.

rhonda saboff / (parker pine) at Hoffman Donahue

Hoffman Donahue in Los Angeles presents a dual exhibition featuring works by Rhonda Saboff and Parker Pine, curated by Sula Bermúdez-Silverman. Running from April 25 to May 23, 2026, the show brings together two distinct artistic practices, with 48 images documenting the installation on the gallery's Contemporary Art Library page.

JOSÉ WOLFF: DÍAS HONDOS

JOSÉ WOLFF: DÍAS HONDOS

José Wolff, a Guatemalan artist who grew up in the 1980s watching television with his family, has developed a unique visual language that oscillates between digital and traditional media. After studying at SCAD in Georgia and working in Miami and Los Angeles for channels like MTV Latino, NBC, and Locomotion, he created 3D animations, music videos, and TV interstitials. Now based back in Guatemala, Wolff continues to paint in oil while also producing digital installations, such as his 2026 multi-channel piece "Sin Novedad." His practice reflects a lifelong dialogue between the tangible and the intangible, influenced by artists like Laurie Anderson and Nam June Paik.

A new AGWA exhibition will showcase giant 12-metre paintings by a WA street artist

Perth-raised street artist Stormie Mills will present his first-ever solo exhibition at an Australian state gallery, titled *All the secrets are buried between the oceans and the mountains*, at the Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA) from August 1 to November 8, 2026. The show features works from his four-decade career, including two monumental 12-metre-long paintings inspired by the sea and mountains, exploring themes of connection, isolation, and human vulnerability.

Art Gallery of Swan Hill Opens Three Powerful First Nations Exhibition

The Art Gallery of Swan Hill in Victoria, Australia, will open three significant First Nations exhibitions on 29 May 2026. The shows are: 'JXSH MVIR: Forever I Live', the first major solo retrospective of the late Yorta Yorta, Gunditjmara and Barkindji artist Josh Muir, co-curated by his partner and mother; 'Gulgawarnigu | Thinking of Someone. Something', a touring digital portrait and landscape exhibition by young Indigenous artists from Roebourne, Western Australia, developed through a partnership with NEO-Learning and Big hART; and 'Big Place', a new exhibition drawn from the gallery's permanent collection featuring works from Western Australia, the Northern Territory, the Tiwi Islands and South Australia.