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.

Art exhibit at Brooklyn Public Library asks visitors to imagine a world without prisons

Artist Vic Liu and abolitionist organizer Mariame Kaba have launched "The Warehouse," a large-scale exhibition at the Brooklyn Public Library’s Bedford branch. Featuring over two dozen paintings and a dedicated children’s wing, the installation explores the concept of prison abolition by visualizing a society supported by robust healthcare, housing, and community care. The project moves away from traumatic imagery, instead focusing on the humanity of incarcerated individuals and the tangible possibilities of a world without prisons.

“Noni Olabisi: When Lightning Strikes" Opens at LMU’s Laband Art Gallery

Loyola Marymount University's Laband Art Gallery has opened "Noni Olabisi: When Lightning Strikes," the first institutional exhibition dedicated to the work of artist and muralist Noni Olabisi (1954-2022). The show, running from January 29 to April 4, 2026, features over 40 works from 1984 to 2022, highlighting her bold public murals in South Los Angeles and her commitment to portraying Black identity, history, and contemporary struggles.

ARTS at King Street Station 2026 Exhibition Calendar

The ARTS at King Street Station in Seattle has announced its 2026 exhibition calendar, featuring a diverse lineup of 13 shows from November 2025 through February 2027. Highlights include "Welcome to Paradise: ¡Viva Puerto Rico Libre!" by Jo Cosme, which critiques colonial narratives of Puerto Rico; "Living and Loving Under the Carceral State" by Alison Bremner; a South Indian kolam exhibition by Anuradha Samrat; and "Tết In Diaspora" by Nhi Vo celebrating Vietnamese New Year. Other exhibitions explore Afrofuturism, Black figuration, animation, augmented reality, the legacy of Black Arts West Theater, and themes of mothering and gender-based violence.

Comment | Dave the Potter finally becomes a complete artist

David Drake, also known as Dave the Potter, was an enslaved African American ceramicist and poet in 19th-century South Carolina who inscribed his stoneware jars with defiant poetry at a time when teaching enslaved people to read or write was a crime. The article argues that despite his recognized genius, Drake was not fully an artist during his lifetime because he was denied the fundamental right to own, control, and benefit from his creations—a right the Berne Convention calls 'inalienable.' Only recently, after the Museum of Fine Arts Boston returned two of his jars to his heirs, has Drake begun to receive the full recognition and economic justice that define true artistic status.

‘People didn’t believe it was real’: Indigenous artists push to shut the Everglades migrant-detention facility Alligator Alcatraz

Miccosukee and Seminole artists, culture-bearers, and youth organizers are protesting the opening of a migrant-detention facility nicknamed Alligator Alcatraz at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in Big Cypress National Preserve, Florida. In July, a communal action coordinated with the collective Unidos Immokalee included ceremony, dance, sign-making, and distribution of supplies, with participants like Kendal Osceola and Maeanna Osceola speaking out against the facility, which they see as colonial violence on ancestral lands. The facility, run by Florida’s Division of Emergency Management in partnership with the US Department of Homeland Security, opened on 3 July and has faced legal challenges, including a temporary halt to construction by a federal judge in August, though a September appeals panel stayed the shutdown order.

Saif Azzuz Explores Water, Fire and Family in the Bayou and the Bay

Saif Azzuz, an artist of Libyan and Yurok heritage, presents a new body of work that intertwines themes of water, fire, and family, drawing from his experiences in both the Louisiana Bayou and the San Francisco Bay. The article, published by The New York Times, explores how Azzuz's mixed Indigenous and North African background informs his artistic practice, blending personal history with environmental and cultural narratives.

Political censorship of art exhibition at California’s Pepperdine University

Pepperdine University, a private Christian institution in Malibu, California, censored and closed an art exhibition titled "Hold My Hand in Yours" at its Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art. The exhibition, curated by museum director Andrea Gyorody, featured works centered on hands as symbols of labor, identity, care, and connection. On October 1, administrators Lauren Cosentino and Nicole Singer visited the museum, leading to the shutdown of artist Elena Mann's video "Call to Arms 2015-2022," which included references to Donald Trump's policies, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, and the George Floyd protests. Another work, "Con Nuestras Manos Construimos Deidades" by Natalie Godinez and the nonprofit AMBOS, was also censored after officials objected to text reading "Save the Children" and "Abolish ICE."

California School Shutters Exhibition After Altering "Political" Art

Pepperdine University, a private Christian university in Malibu, abruptly closed the exhibition "Hold My Hand in Yours" at its Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art six months early, after at least a dozen artists requested to withdraw their works in protest. The school had removed or altered artworks it deemed "political," including Elana Mann's video "Call to Arms 2015-2025" (2025), which documented performances using megaphone-like sculptural instruments and included footage from a 2017 May Day March with chants supporting immigrants and racial justice. Another work by the group AMBOS, a collaborative sculpture featuring an embroidery reading "Save the Children" and "Abolish ICE," was altered by turning the fabric swatch to hide the text and removing a sign inviting visitor interaction. The school did not explain its decisions to the artists.

Q&A: How does UVA’s ‘Fuego Eterno’ exhibit explore indigenous sovereignty?

The article is a Q&A with an artist and co-director of the Global Spanish Initiative at the University of Virginia (UVA), discussing the exhibition 'Fuego Eterno.' The show, which opened August 29, features artists from indigenous and Afro-descended communities across the Americas and its diasporas, exploring themes of indigenous sovereignty, Nahua cosmologies, border resistance, and diaspora. The exhibition includes the co-director's own artworks and is accompanied by a symposium, a workshop with Peruvian artist Venuca Evanán Vivanco, a film screening, and a closing party.

Seattle teens curate new art exhibit at King Street Station

Ten youth curators aged 15 to 17 from Seattle's Fresh Perspectives program have organized a new art exhibition titled "You, Me, & Everything Between Us" at King Street Station. The show is presented by the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture in collaboration with Seattle Public Utilities' 1% Art program. The teen curators—Audrey Mae Lumaguip, Billie Atkins, Bowie Logan, Bryan Emmanuel, Bunny Heminger, Cam Koga, Giselle Kalei Balansay, Max Santiago, Sammy Tewelde, and Nico Charbonneau—were mentored by artist and project manager Janet Nechama Miller. Seattle Public Utilities has set aside a budget to acquire works from the exhibition for the city's Civic Art Collection.

NMSU Art Museum to introduce three exhibitions September 19

New Mexico State University's Art Museum (UAM) will open three exhibitions on September 19, 2025: “Necessary Futures,” featuring New Mexico-based artists sheri crider, Haley Greenfeather English, and Szu-Han Ho; “Greetings from Tijuana,” a solo show by Mexican artist Georgina Treviño; and “Jennifer Ling Datchuk: RIPENING,” which examines women's labor and Asian American histories. A free public reception will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on opening night, and all exhibitions run through March 7, 2026.

Latent Energy: A Review of Bernard Williams at Elmhurst Art Museum

Bernard Williams' solo exhibition "Crossings" is on view across the Elmhurst Art Museum campus, including its parking lot and the Mies van der Rohe house. The show features sculptures, paintings, and installations that reference African American history, such as the "Spirit of Bessie Coleman" works honoring the pioneering aviator, and "Cowboy Dream" with its roosters and cowboy figure. The exhibition's title and layout deliberately avoid linear narratives, instead forcing viewers to navigate a fragmented path that mirrors the complexities of historical memory and racial injustice.

A new art show brings L.A. climate inequities to life at Descanso Gardens

Descanso Gardens in Los Angeles opens a new exhibition titled “Roots of Cool: A Celebration of Trees and Shade in a Warming World,” co-curated by climate researcher Edith de Guzman and artist Jolly de Guzman. The all-women show features outdoor installations and gallery works that address shade equity—the unequal access to cooling shade across urban neighborhoods. Highlights include Leslie K. Gray’s three-part “Bus Stop” series depicting the climate challenges of female bus riders, Chantée Benefield’s “Cool Canopy” of suspended umbrellas (a recreation after her original was lost in the Eaton fire), and works by Kim Abeles and Diana Kohne inside the Sturt Haaga Gallery and Boddy House.

Rhea Anastas

Rhea Anastas, an art historian, critic, and curator, publishes a critical essay challenging the dominance of market-driven values in contemporary visual art. She argues that the art world's focus on auction prices, luxury investment, and professional categorization has obscured the true purpose of artistic practice, which she sees as rooted in experimental culture, Black culture, performance, and film. Anastas condemns the past two decades as marked by dishonesty, particularly regarding how art history and criticism have been built on white-on-Black dispossession and violence. She calls for an end to the commodification of artists' lives and works, advocating instead for attention to non-visible practices, critique, and embodiment.

France Passes Law Easing Process of Returning Looted Art

France has passed a new law that simplifies the process of returning looted art and cultural artifacts to their countries of origin. The legislation, championed by President Emmanuel Macron, is seen as a major step in addressing colonial-era acquisitions, particularly for African artworks held in French museums. Experts describe the law as a seismic shift in restitution policy, enabling faster and more systematic returns without requiring individual parliamentary approvals for each item.

Heirs of Dave the Potter, the Enslaved Artist, Are Battling to Recover His Legacy

The heirs of David Drake, an enslaved 19th-century potter known as Dave the Potter, are engaged in a legal and ethical struggle to recover his legacy and his works. They argue that his pottery, which includes jars inscribed with his name and poetry, represents their family's artistic and spiritual inheritance, and they are seeking recognition and a role in the stewardship of these artifacts.

“Jeffrey Epstein Walk of Shame” Appears in Washington, DC Public Park

A guerrilla art installation called the "Jeffrey Epstein Walk of Shame" appeared in Washington, DC's Farragut Square. It consists of sidewalk stickers resembling Hollywood stars, bearing the names and images of twenty public figures linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including Prince Andrew, Ghislaine Maxwell, Harvey Weinstein, Bill Gates, and Bill Clinton. Each sticker features a QR code linking to Department of Justice evidence or the Epstein Files.

THE UNFINISHED BUSINESS OF LIVING TOGETHER AT THE SWISS PAVILION

The Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia has selected the project "The Unfinished Business of Living Together" to represent Switzerland at the 2026 Venice Biennale. Conceived by Gianmaria Andreetta, Luca Beeler, and artist Nina Wakeford, the exhibition utilizes archival television broadcasts from the 1970s and 80s to explore the history of LGBTQ+ visibility and social coexistence. The installation will feature a spatialized video production and garden interventions that reactivate historical media moments to examine how social norms dictate public discourse.

The Invisible Pain: The Story of the Asylum in Alessandro Bencivenga's Latest Film

Il dolore che non si vede: il racconto del manicomio nell’ultimo film di Alessandro Bencivenga

Director Alessandro Bencivenga’s new film, L’invisibile filo rosso, debuted out of competition at the 82nd Venice Film Festival, offering a poignant look at the Pergine Valsugana psychiatric hospital in the 1950s. Based on extensive archival research, the narrative follows a young nurse from Ischia who witnesses the hidden horrors and human dignity within the asylum. The film features a notable cast including Massimo Bonetti, who portrays the real-life figure Giovanni Giulio Anesini, and Ornella Muti as Ida Dalser, the persecuted first wife of Benito Mussolini.

Cocoa’s picks: Gallery openings, mural celebrations and music competitions

The article highlights several arts events in Bellingham, Washington, including a community mural celebration led by Coast Salish artist Jason LaClair, an opening reception for Charles Villiers' solo exhibition "Untethered" at Cordata Gallery, an improvised musical called "You: The Musical" at The Upfront Theatre, and a Youth Chamber Music Competition hosted by the Harmony Chamber Music Festival. These events span visual art, theater, and classical music, with the mural project involving over 500 children and families in selecting the design.

About Hunger & Resilience: Cowell’s art exhibitions focus on hunger, resilience, and campus food systems - UC Santa Cruz

The Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery at Cowell College, UC Santa Cruz, is presenting "About Hunger & Resilience," an exhibition by photographer Michael Nye featuring portraits and oral histories on hunger in America, collected over four and a half years. The show is paired with "Circuit," a student-led photographic installation by Morgan Yacullo that maps campus food systems, including the UCSC Farm, Chadwick Garden, Redwood Free Market, and Cowell Coffee Shop. The exhibitions are part of a yearlong campus focus on food systems and food justice, curated with support from the Basic Needs team and curatorial intern Sloane Harris.

"Restitutions": Parliament Ready to Give Everything Up

« Restitutions » : le Parlement prêt à tout lâcher

The French Parliament is moving forward with an accelerated legislative process to pass a framework law governing the restitution of cultural property to foreign states. This bill aims to streamline the return of artworks and artifacts deemed to have been illicitly acquired, fulfilling a long-standing promise made by President Emmanuel Macron to address colonial-era acquisitions and other contested heritage.

ART AFRICA to host 2nd NEW FUTURES ARTS COLLABORATIVE 2026, in Cape Town, South Africa.

ART AFRICA has announced an open call for the second edition of its NEW FUTURES ARTS COLLABORATIVE, scheduled for 2026 in Cape Town, South Africa. The residency, titled "De-composition, Extraction and Regeneration," invites artists to collectively explore themes of extractivism, ecological crisis, and social justice, using artistic practice as a tool for transformation and regeneration.

culture politics bryan stevenson equal justice

Bryan Stevenson, civil rights attorney and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), opened Montgomery Square in Alabama on the anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery March. The new public space commemorates the acts of courage that led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, focusing on the Civil Rights era and the role of Montgomery's Black community, including lesser-known figures like Linda Blackmon Lowry and Sheyann Webb. Stevenson discusses the square as part of EJI's broader network of sites—including the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice—which aim to deepen public understanding of America's history of racial inequality and mass incarceration.

LOG: PANAMA. CULTURE AND POLITICS IN THE FRAMEWORK OF A REGIONAL MEETING DRIVEN BY CAF

BITÁCORA: PANAMÁ. CULTURA Y POLÍTICA EN EL MARCO DE UN ENCUENTRO REGIONAL IMPULSADO POR CAF

Artishock Revista covered the CAF Festival 'Voces por nuestra región: Cultura que mueve el mundo,' held in Panama in January 2026. The event, organized by CAF – Banco de Desarrollo de América Latina y el Caribe, aimed to reposition Latin American and Caribbean culture as a strategic axis for sustainable development. It featured panels, sectoral forums, and co-creation spaces designed to activate alliances and strengthen regional networks for artists and cultural projects.

National Artist Call for Juried Art Exhibition at Minneapolis Institute of Art, Allegories of a Better World

Artists nationwide are invited to submit original works to a juried exhibition titled "Allegories of a Better World," which will be held at the Minneapolis Institute of Art on June 28, 2026. The submission deadline is May 15, 2026. The exhibition is organized in conjunction with the premiere of the documentary film "The Making of America," directed by Monique Linder and produced by OMG Studios in partnership with the Minnesota Humanities Center. Submissions should explore themes such as virtue, moral courage, truth, justice, liberation, reconstruction, memory, history, and cultural healing. Selected works may also be featured in the film.

Californian artists paint state identity in color at annual Brea exhibit

Brea Gallery in Brea, California, opened its 41st annual "Made in California" juried art exhibition on Saturday, featuring over 90 artists from across the state. The show includes a range of mediums such as oil paintings, sculptures, and mixed media, with jurors selecting works from roughly 5,000 submissions. This year's exhibition explores themes of identity and social justice, with pieces like Angel Lesnikowski's "Othered Existence" addressing Arab identity and conflict, and Adam Singer's "Big Feelings" reflecting on aging and mortality in Los Angeles. A solo installation by Lorena Molina, "This must be the place," draws on her Salvadoran heritage and the immigrant experience.

Graduate art and design students exhibit their work at Krannert Art Museum

The Krannert Art Museum is currently hosting the annual Master of Fine Arts Exhibition, showcasing the thesis work of eight graduate students from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Art & Design. The exhibition features a diverse range of media, including sculptural 3D collages by Samantha Jones that critique the hypersexualization of Black girlhood, and a mixed-media experimental classroom by Anthony Obayomi that explores social justice and educational metrics. Other works, such as Emily Tomlinson’s text-based drawings, highlight themes of cataloging and observational study.

Black Artists in America, Installation Three Wraps at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens

The Dixon Gallery and Gardens has concluded the third and final installment of its ambitious "Black Artists in America" exhibition series. This concluding chapter focused on the late 20th century, showcasing how African American artists navigated the Civil Rights Movement and the subsequent shift toward contemporary abstraction and conceptualism while maintaining a dialogue with social justice.