Comment | Art and science rely on freedom of thought—and on each other

The article argues that art and science are deeply interconnected, both relying on freedom of thought and cross-disciplinary collaboration. It cites examples like birds' colorful feathers being explained by a study supported by Schmidt Sciences, which found that birds use a layer of white and black feathers to accentuate color—a technique painters have used for centuries. The piece highlights the Artist-at-Sea programme aboard the Schmidt Ocean Institute's research vessel Falkor (too), where artists like Constance Sartor and Jill Pelto collaborate with scientists to communicate marine science to broader audiences. The author, who works with scientists and is married to one, emphasizes that both disciplines pursue truth through different but complementary methods, from Leonardo da Vinci's anatomical studies to medieval Islamic tilework and Alexander von Humboldt's naturalist drawings.

The National WWII Museum Hosting Special Exhibit Highlighting Nazi Campaign against Modern Art

The National WWII Museum in New Orleans has opened a special exhibit titled 'Degenerate! Hitler’s War on Modern Art,' on loan from the Jewish Museum Milwaukee and running through May 10, 2026. The exhibit features over 65 works by artists deemed 'degenerate' by the Nazi regime, including Wassily Kandinsky, Max Beckmann, Pablo Picasso, and Marc Chagall, alongside documents and artifacts that explore how modernist art was suppressed and weaponized as propaganda. The museum has expanded the original exhibit to include a focus on suppressed music, featuring instruments from the era, such as a tenor saxophone played by Eddie Powers and a clarinet played by George Lewis, on loan from the New Orleans Jazz Museum.

Degenerate! Hitler’s War on Modern Art

The National WWII Museum in New Orleans will host the traveling exhibition "Degenerate! Hitler's War on Modern Art" from November 6, 2025, through May 10, 2026. Originally created by the Jewish Museum Milwaukee, the show examines the Nazi campaign against modern art and music, featuring over 65 original works by artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Max Beckmann, Pablo Picasso, and Marc Chagall. It explores how modernist art was labeled "degenerate" by the Third Reich, used as propaganda, and systematically suppressed, with many works seized, destroyed, or sold. The exhibition also expands into music, highlighting the suppression of jazz and works by Jewish composers.

Happy 100th Mirthday, Robert Rauschenberg

The New York Times celebrates the centennial of artist Robert Rauschenberg, born in 1925, reflecting on his groundbreaking career and enduring influence. The article highlights his innovative combines, which blurred the boundaries between painting and sculpture, and his collaborative spirit that reshaped postwar American art.

Art Museum Honors 150 Years of Fine Arts Education in New Exhibition

Syracuse University's College of Fine Arts, the first degree-conferring fine arts program in the United States, opened in 1873, and the Art Students League of New York opened in 1875. To mark 150 years of parallel fine arts education, the University Art Museum presents "Depicting the Everyday: A Legacy of Fine Arts Education at the Art Students League" at the Bernard and Louise Palitz Gallery in Manhattan. The exhibition draws from the museum's collection, featuring works by artists who taught at the League, including Morton Kaish, and explores everyday subject matter from urban scenes to intimate portraits. A reception and gallery talk with League assistant curator Esther Moerdler is scheduled for October 29, 2025.

The sixth Aichi Triennale seeks to encompass destruction and renewal

The sixth edition of the Aichi Triennale, Japan's largest recurring contemporary art exhibition, opens under the title "A Time Between Ashes and Roses," featuring around 60 artists from 22 countries across venues in Nagoya. Artistic director Hoor Al Qasimi, president of the Sharjah Art Foundation, has curated a program that addresses themes of destruction and renewal, drawing on a poem by Syrian poet Adonis written after the 1967 Six-Day War. The exhibition references both the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, with participating artists including John Akomfrah, Simone Leigh, Wangechi Mutu, Michael Rakowitz, and Hiroshi Sugimoto.

Ai Weiwei's cat-mouflage takeover of New York City park

Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei has unveiled a public art installation titled *Camouflage* at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms State Park on Roosevelt Island, New York City. The installation, which opened on September 10, 2025, drapes the park's memorial to President Roosevelt in fabric patterned with cat silhouettes, reinterpreting military camouflage patterns. It coincides with the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, located across the East River. The work marks the launch of Art X Freedom, a new annual public art commissioning program by the Four Freedoms Park Conservancy, aimed at sparking dialogue around social justice. Inside the tent-like structure, LED lights display a Ukrainian proverb, and visitors can attach messages to the netting in collaboration with the artist-run organization For Freedoms.

Pro-Palestine mural boarded up overnight at University of North Carolina

A pro-Palestine mural at the University of North Carolina (UNC) in Chapel Hill was boarded over overnight on August 17 by university administration without warning to the art department. The mural, created by students and community members in a course taught by artist Hồng-An Trương, had been displayed in the Hanes Art Center lobby for over a year. It features collaged prints in the colors of the Palestinian flag and the text “I told you I loved you and I wanted genocide to stop.” University officials cited the need to remove the artwork after its one-year display period and to repair the wall, but faculty and students have condemned the action as censorship.

Di Rosa Center opens satellite museum in San Francisco with a celebration of Northern California artists.

The di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art has opened a new satellite museum, di Rosa San Francisco, at the Minnesota Street Project. The debut exhibition, 'Far Out: Northern California Art from the di Rosa Collection,' features works by artists including Michele Pred, Enrique Chagoya, Paul Kos, Roy De Forest, Ester Hernandez, and Joan Brown. The show is organized into three sections—Material Worlds; Piracy and Protest; and Tricksters, Scavengers, and Scamps—highlighting how Northern California artists experiment and push against mainstream conventions. The exhibition runs through October 4th.

Shrewsbury Arts Trail: Open Exhibition Wows at SM&AG

The Shrewsbury Arts Trail Open Exhibition has opened at Shrewsbury Museum & Art Gallery, showcasing 144 works selected from 347 submissions by 148 local and regional artists. Organizers Phil Langstaff, Jessica Richards, and Pat Wilcox curated the show without a specific theme to encourage creative freedom. The exhibition also includes works by internationally recognized artists such as Halima Cassell MBE, Ian Rayer-Smith, Laura Ford, James Tapscott, Jacob Chandler, Picasso, and Andy Warhol in a separate 'Inspirational Exhibition.' The Open Exhibition continues at The Parade Shops with an additional 48 works on display.

CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts announces touring exhibition Viaje a la luna (A trip to the moon)

CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts in San Francisco has announced a touring exhibition titled "Viaje a la luna (A trip to the moon)," inspired by the only screenplay ever written by Spanish poet Federico García Lorca. Curated by Diego Villalobos and Rodrigo Ortiz Monasterio, the exhibition runs from June 12 to October 11, 2025, before traveling to Centro Federico García Lorca in Granada starting October 30. It features historic and contemporary works that reconstruct Lorca's lost 1932 film, which was halted after his murder and later destroyed in a studio fire, leaving only a script and photographs.

The Palestinian artist channelling ‘rage, love and hope’ into her paintings

Palestinian artist Malak Mattar presents her new solo show "Falasteen" at Central Saint Martins, featuring works created during her MFA that respond to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The exhibition marks a synthesis of her earlier vibrant style and the stark monochrome she adopted after Israel's latest assault, with colors cautiously returning alongside themes of hope, resilience, and freedom. The show includes large-scale paintings, a concertina book, and new techniques like photo transfer and collage, including her 2024 painting "No Words," a black-and-white mural recalling Picasso's "Guernica." This is the first solo show by a Palestinian artist ever held at Central Saint Martins.

Dismantling Orbán's 16-Year Grip on Hungary's Art World

Following the recent electoral defeat of Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz-KDNP coalition by the opposition party Tisza, the Hungarian art world faces a monumental task of institutional restoration. For 16 years, the regime’s 'System of National Cooperation' (NER) systematically co-opted cultural institutions, installing loyalists in leadership roles at major venues like the Kunsthalle and Ludwig Museum to promote an ethno-nationalist agenda. This period was marked by the exodus of independent curators, the occupation of museums by activists, and a fractured ecosystem where state funding was tied to political compliance.

Local artist featured in exhibition in Italy

Medicine Hat artist Poul Nielsen, 78, is exhibiting his work in Venice, Italy, as part of the exhibition 'Anima Mundi (Rituals)' held in conjunction with the Venice Biennale. Nielsen, who has shown his art in around 100 solo and collaborative exhibitions across decades, began his international career with a show in Copenhagen in 2000 and has since exhibited in England, the United States, and China. His current series, 'Atmospheric Possibilities,' was started around 2015 after his retirement from teaching at Medicine Hat College, where he helped develop a pioneering program merging fine art and graphic design.

A recovered ‘balsa’ is the center of an art exhibit in Miami’s Design District

Artists Antonia Wright and Rubén Millares have unveiled a poignant installation titled "Exile" at the Piero Atchugarry gallery in Miami’s Design District. The centerpiece is an authentic 'balsa' (raft) recovered from the shores of Key Biscayne, featuring a 1942 Chevrolet engine and metal barrels marked with the logo of Cuba’s state beekeeping company. The artists preserved the vessel's original state, adding only interior lighting to highlight bullet holes and a soundscape of the roaring sea to immerse viewers in the harrowing experience of Cuban migrants.

Israeli Pavilion Artist Made Legal Threats Before Venice Biennale Jury Resigned

New reports reveal that Israeli Pavilion artist Belu-Simion Fainaru issued legal threats against the Venice Biennale, alleging antisemitism and discrimination after the awards jury decided to exclude Israel and Russia from consideration due to human rights charges. The jury, which included Elvira Dyangani Ose, Zoe Butt, Marta Kuzma, Giovanna Zapperi, and Solange Farkas, initially stated on April 22 it would not consider nations whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. Fainaru filed legal warnings with the Biennale, the Italian Ministry of Culture, and the Prime Minister's office. The jury abruptly resigned eight days later, leading the Biennale to scrap the Golden Lion awards and institute "Visitor Lions" decided by public vote. Reports indicate the Biennale's legal department warned jurors could be personally liable for damages, and Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli promised to promote Fainaru's work.

“Yellow Letters”: arte e politica, libertà e censura nel nuovo film di İlker Çatak

Ilker Çatak's fifth film, "Yellow Letters," premieres on April 30, 2026, distributed by Lucky Red. The story follows Derya and Aziz, a Turkish artist couple whose lives unravel after Aziz, a professor at Ankara University, receives a "yellow letter" terminating his employment. The film, inspired by post-2016 coup purges in Turkey, shifts to Berlin and Hamburg, where the director deliberately avoids mimicking Turkish locations, instead using explicit captions like "Berlin as Ankara" to create a Brechtian alienation effect. Çatak explores how arbitrary state repression fractures personal relationships and moral boundaries, drawing on interviews with artists who faced unjust dismissals.

An Italian Photographer Traveled to Palestine to Document the Growth of Two Bedouin Twins

Una fotografa italiana ha viaggiato in Palestina per documentare la crescita di due gemelle beduine

Italian photographer Monica Biancardi presents a nearly two-decade-long photographic project documenting the growth of two Bedouin twins, Sara and Sarah, in Palestine. The exhibition, titled 'Il capitale che cresce' (The Capital That Grows), opens at the MAN museum in Nuoro on April 24, 2026, and features black-and-white pigment prints from 2009 to 2023, alongside plexiglass maps and a travel video.

In Florence, Art Creates Community and Dialogue in the Bagasseria Space: An Interview with its Founder

A Firenze l’arte crea comunità e confronto nello spazio Bagasseria. Intervista al suo fondatore

Painter Samuele Alfani has launched Bagasseria, a new independent art space and studio in the Sant’Ambrogio district of Florence. Named after the Catalan word for a house of prostitution as a gesture of reclamation and freedom, the venue functions as a porous community hub that blends artistic production with public engagement. Its inaugural exhibition, "Bau Bau Baby," is a group show curated by Luigi Presicce and Anna Capolupo featuring artists such as Francesco Lauretta, Davide Serpetti, and Thomas Berra.

London gallery cancels controversial art show over antisemitic imagery

An exhibition titled 'Drawings Against Genocide' by British artist Matthew Collings, scheduled to open at Delta House Gallery in Wandsworth, London, has been cancelled after complaints from UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) about antisemitic content. The show, planned for May 2026, included graphic drawings depicting Jews with horns, devouring babies, and denying Hamas's October 7 attacks, and had previously sparked outrage at a Margate gallery. Gallery owners Pineapple Corporation and Delta House Studios Ltd confirmed the cancellation after UKLFI warned of legal risks under the Public Order Act 1986.

National Juneteenth Museum starts celebrations early with first Fort Worth exhibition

The National Juneteenth Museum, though not yet built in Fort Worth, is launching its first exhibition titled "Declarations of Freedom" on June 12, 2025. Curated by Lauren Cross and Christopher Blay, the show blends historical artifacts and photographs with contemporary works by North Texas artists including Vicki Meek, Spencer Evans, Sedrick Huckaby, and Letitia Huckaby. It precedes the museum's inaugural Freedom Vibes festival (June 19-22), featuring concerts, a block party, and a gospel program. State legislators have allocated $10 million toward the museum's $70 million goal, which CEO Jarred Howard frames as a nonpartisan American story.

The Next Wilmington Art Loop Opens Friday, June 6, 2025

The next Wilmington Art Loop, a free citywide art exhibition, opens on Friday, June 6, 2025, from 5–9 PM. Now in its 38th year, the event is a partnership between the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and Out & About Magazine. Participating venues include The Delaware Contemporary (featuring RADIUS and ARC 25 exhibitions), Wilmington’s Redding Gallery (hosting the City of Wilmington Employee Juried Art Show and a display on the Tubman-Garrett statue), The Mezzanine Gallery (showcasing Jen Hintz Eggers), MKT Gallery (presenting Troy Jones’s “Ancestral Echoes: Masks We Wear”), and Bridge Art Gallery. A free shuttle, provided by the City of Wilmington Parks & Recreation Department, will run from The Delaware Contemporary parking lot, with riders voting on additional gallery stops.

Pavilions of the Venice Biennale go on strike

Pavillons der Venedig-Biennale werden bestreikt

Cultural workers and participants of the Venice Biennale went on strike on Friday, protesting Israel's participation in the art exhibition. Organized by the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) alongside several cultural groups and Italian grassroots unions, the 24-hour walkout led to the closure of several national pavilions on the final preview day. A rally was planned near the Arsenale grounds. The strike aims to oppose the "normalization of genocide in culture" and poor working conditions at the Biennale, following an earlier open letter signed by over 230 artists and curators demanding the exclusion of the Israeli pavilion. Israel is represented by sculptor Belu-Simion Fainaru, who opposes cultural boycotts and advocates for dialogue. The Biennale's leadership has distanced itself from the strike, emphasizing adherence to regulations and support for freedom of speech and pluralism.

Ella Maillart, intrepid photographer of the 1930s, highlighted in an exhibition in Lausanne

Ella Maillart, photographe baroudeuse des années 30 mise en lumière dans une exposition à Lausanne

Ella Maillart, a Swiss photographer and adventurer from the 1930s, is the subject of a new exhibition in Lausanne. Born in Geneva in 1903, Maillart was an Olympic sailor and champion skier before turning to travel and photography. She journeyed across the Soviet Union, Central Asia, and China, often by train, ski, or camel, documenting remote cultures and political landscapes. Her travels included a 6,000-kilometer trek from Beijing to Kashmir with British writer Peter Fleming, and a road trip from Geneva to Kabul with friend Annemarie Schwarzenbach. The exhibition highlights her photographs and writings, which blend geographical exploration, political chronicle, and personal meditation.

Echoes of Memory and Quiet Revolutions

The Henrike Grohs Art Award concludes its final edition, naming Tanzanian artist Rehema Chachage as the 2026 laureate. Chachage, who works across performance, video, text, scent, and installation, creates a "performative archive" in collaboration with her mother and grandmother, transforming personal and ancestral memory into shared sensory experiences. The two finalists are Younès Ben Slimane, a Tunisian filmmaker and visual artist whose silent, disorienting works challenge cinematic narrative structures, and Egyptian artist Rania Atef, whose participatory practice turns domestic spaces into stages for revealing power dynamics. The award received over 600 applications from more than 30 African countries.

culture theater alexander molochnikov nadia conners

Filmmaker Nadia Conners interviews Russian theater director Alexander Molochnikov about his life and work following his exile from Russia. Molochnikov left Russia after receiving death threats from the Wagner Group for supporting Ukraine. He discusses his career at the Moscow Art Theater and Bolshoi Theater, his award-winning ballet that won the Golden Mask award during the war, and his current production of *Seagull: True Story*, which parallels his own immigration to the U.S. The play, staged at LaMaMa in New York and now running at the Marylebone Theater in London, explores censorship and repression faced by a director fleeing Russia.

Brooklyn Artist Kelly Ahern Presents Solo Exhibition at Bushwick Gallery

Brooklyn-based painter Kelly Ahern is set to debut a one-night solo exhibition titled 'Surface Tension' at the Bushwick Gallery on April 14, 2026. The show is part of the gallery’s 'Solo Statement' program, specifically the series 'Doesn't Play Well with Others,' which grants artists total creative autonomy to curate and present their work. The exhibition will feature Ahern's latest abstract compositions and conceptual pieces, focusing on her unique approach to the medium of painting.

New Exhibition: The Gallery of Impossible Dreams

Chauvet Arts in downtown Nashville has opened a new exhibition titled "The Gallery of Impossible Dreams," running from December 13, 2025, to January 23, 2026. The show features works by new artists Andy Llanes Busto and Lisyanet Rodriguez, alongside long-time gallery artists Carlos Gamez de Francisco, Brandon Jones, Greer Wilkins, and Jorge Yances, with a special collection of photography, field and audio recordings by Philip Holsinger.

US-based dissident artist put on trial in China over satirical Mao sculptures, says rights group

Chinese dissident artist Gao Zhen, based in the US, has been tried in a closed-door court in China on charges of "defaming national heroes and martyrs" related to his satirical sculptures of former leader Mao Zedong. The one-day trial concluded without a verdict, and the artist faces up to three years in prison. His wife and young son, both US citizens, are under exit bans and unable to leave China.

Artfully Aired: Balloon Art Exhibition Opens in Dallas in November

The Balloon Museum, founded in Rome in 2021, will open its exhibition "Let's Fly—Art Has No Limits" at Dallas' South Side Studios on November 22, running through April 26. The multisensory show spans over 65,000 square feet and features large-scale inflatable and air-based installations by 18 international artists, including Sasha Frolova, Lucas Zanotto, Camilla Falsini, and Ouchhh. Created by Italy-based Lux Entertainment, the exhibition explores themes of flight, freedom, and lightness through works like Michael Shaw's 44-meter "Lava Lamp" and Christopher Schardt's 26-foot butterfly sculpture with 39,000 LEDs.