Exhibition as Séance at Seoul Mediacity Biennale with Anton Vidokle, Hallie Ayres, and Lukas Brasiskis

The 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale, titled “Séance: Technology of the Spirit,” will open in August 2025 at the Seoul Museum of Art. The exhibition is curated by Anton Vidokle, Hallie Ayres, and Lukas Brasiskis of e-flux, who previously organized the Shanghai Biennale in 2023. The curators aim to structure a film program as an extension of the exhibition, engaging with themes of Cosmism and spiritual séance. They have collaborated with the Hong Kong-based architecture firm COLLECTIVE to transform the museum’s white-wall space into a scenography evoking different metaphysical realms, using color and light to enhance the experience.

Frist Exhibition Dresses a Bloody History in Silk and Velvet

The Frist Art Museum's summer exhibition, "Venice and the Ottoman Empire," presents over 150 artifacts from Venice's civic museums, Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, and the University of Zadar's museum. Co-curated by Stefano Carboni and Trinita Kennedy, the show explores the complex relationship between the Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Venice, highlighting not only their centuries of brutal warfare but also their extensive trade networks and cultural exchange. Luxury textiles, including silk and velvet with Ottoman designs, feature prominently, alongside books, a qibla indicator, and military artifacts like a 17th-century Ottoman banner. The exhibition focuses on commerce and the elite who commissioned portraits, though it notably omits discussion of the slave trades and minimizes production processes.

Where to see art in Houston now: 9 intriguing new exhibits opening in June

Houston's art scene is bustling in June 2025 with nine new exhibitions opening across the city. Highlights include Lawndale Art Center's annual "Big Show," juried by Dr. Phillip A. Townsend, featuring 88 works by 77 local artists; Sawyer Yards' "Be the Art: The Silos Selfie Experience," an immersive, social-media-friendly display; and three new shows at the Blaffer Art Museum, including "a way to mend" focusing on Gulf Coast artists and healing, "¡Cuidado!" by X Arriaga Cuellar and Adán Vallecillo about migrant healthcare workers, and Saif Azzuz's debut museum exhibition "Keet Hegehlpa’ (the water is rising)" addressing land and water privatization. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston also celebrates new acquisitions spanning luxurious historical works and AI-driven futures.

Jemima Wyman

Jemima Wyman's retrospective "Deep Surface" surveys three decades of her work exploring DIY aesthetics of concealment, protest iconography, and political solidarity. Born in Sydney and based in Los Angeles since 2004, Wyman is known for collages of masked protesters, activist signage, and street rally residues, as seen in works like *Aggregate Icon (RBW)* (2016) and *Mass Monument (Y & B)* (2018). The exhibition highlights her early inspiration from Fluxus, Minimalism, and Yayoi Kusama, as well as the influence of Brisbane's late-1990s art scenes and postcolonial Indigenous Australian art debates. Wyman, who has Indigenous (Palawa) heritage, uses camouflage and disguise to blur boundaries between visibility and concealment, figure and ground.

Contemporary Art : Art under 500€

LLB Auction in Luxembourg is hosting a sale titled 'Contemporary Art: Art under 500€' on April 26, 2026. The auction features a curated collection of prints, posters, and editions from major contemporary artists, including works by Damien Hirst, David Hockney, Yayoi Kusama, and Takashi Murakami, all with estimates starting as low as 300 euros.

RELEASE: Christie's Spring Auction Series in New York Achieves a Combined Total of $1.79 billion - Christie's

Christie’s concluded its Spring auction series in New York with a historic total of $1.79 billion, bolstered by the landmark sale of the Peggy and David Rockefeller Collection. The two-week marathon featured high-profile evening and day sales that attracted over 85,000 visitors and bidders from 52 countries. Significant results included record-breaking prices for artists such as Kazimir Malevich, Constantin Brancusi, and Joan Mitchell, alongside major works by Francis Bacon and Vincent van Gogh.

THE REINA SOFIA REVIVES ALBERTO GRECO S LIVING ART

The Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid is presenting a major retrospective, 'Viva el arte vivo,' dedicated to Argentine-Spanish artist Alberto Greco. The exhibition traces his evolution from early Informalist paintings to his radical conceptual practice, showcasing works from 1949 until his death in 1965, including photographs, drawings, collages, and literary pieces.

7 Must-See Shows During Art Basel Hong Kong 2026

Art Basel Hong Kong 2026, running from March 27 to 29, will trigger a major wave of concurrent gallery exhibitions across the city, particularly concentrated in the Central neighborhood and the H Queen's tower. Galleries like Hauser & Wirth, White Cube, and MASSIMODECARLO will present shows for the influx of international collectors and visitors.

C’è un artista che ha deciso di vivere in povertà come un monaco francescano. La storia

Miltos Manetas, a Greek-born artist, has adopted a life of Franciscan poverty as both a personal practice and an artistic project called "Francesco_2026." His work is featured in the exhibition "Vita minore. San Francesco e la santità dell’arte contemporanea" at Palazzo Collicola in Spoleto, curated by Gianni and Giuseppe Garrera. Manetas has also launched the tenth Internet Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, inviting Saint Francis as the artist, using AI conversations and a monastery in the Venetian lagoon to create an informal community of "Fratelli e Sorelle" who follow a shared rule based on poverty, absence of preparation, and divine providence.

Shopping Experience: How Has the Way of Experiencing Luxury Changed?

Shopping experience: com’è cambiato il modo di vivere il lusso?

Luxury retail in Milan is undergoing a significant transformation, evolving from simple commercial spaces into 'cultural brandscapes' that blend art, design, and hospitality. Major fashion houses are redesigning their flagship stores to function as urban salons and living galleries, integrating site-specific art installations, historical architecture, and high-end gastronomy to foster community and tangible experiences in an increasingly digital world.

Prada's Cultured Symposium on Fashion and Design Will Take Place This Year at Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan

Il colto simposio su moda&design di Prada quest’anno si svolgerà nella chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie a Milano

The fifth edition of Prada Frames, an annual multidisciplinary symposium curated by the design studio Formafantasma, is set to take place from April 19 to 21, 2026, at the historic Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. Hosted within the Renaissance sacristy attributed to Donato Bramante, the event coincides with the Salone del Mobile and features a series of lectures and discussions. This year's theme, "In Sight," explores the evolving power of images, the blurring lines between human and machine-generated content, and the material environmental impact of digital image production.

Learning is something aesthetic and emotional. Marco Dallari says so in his latest book (and in this interview)

L’apprendimento è qualcosa di estetico e di emotivo. Lo dice Marco Dallari nel suo ultimo libro (e in questa intervista)

Italian pedagogist Marco Dallari discusses his latest book, "La bellezza di Sophia" (2026), which explores the intrinsic human drive for knowledge as an aesthetic and emotional necessity rather than a pragmatic survival tool. Drawing on Freudian concepts and the work of Alessandra Risso, Dallari argues that the desire to learn is a primal impulse that should be nurtured through beauty and curiosity rather than stifled by rigid institutional structures.

Exhibition Review and Studio Visit Feature: Contemporary Color Field Painter Vanessa Johansson

Contemporary painter Vanessa Johansson recently debuted her solo exhibition at the Sky Garden Penthouse in Gramercy Park, New York. Curated by Jenny Mushkin Goldman of Agency Esta, the show featured Johansson’s large-scale acrylic on canvas works, which utilize fluid, transparent layers to evoke the spiritual and visual language of mid-20th-century Color Field abstraction. Pieces such as the triptych 'Windows' and the diptych 'Flow State' demonstrate her intuitive approach to motion, buoyancy, and orbital forms.

Ccucu Gall-Art – The Brickell Key Gallery aka B K G -Makes History as the First Art Gallery on Brickell Key, Opening on March 13th with a Solo Exhibition by Ricardo Garcia… Inspired by the Old Masters

The Brickell Key Gallery (BKG), also known as Ccucu Gall-Art, is set to make history as the first art gallery to open on Miami’s Brickell Key. The inaugural event, scheduled for March 13th, features a solo exhibition by artist Ricardo Garcia, whose contemporary works are heavily influenced by the techniques and aesthetics of the Old Masters.

Leading Art Gallery Opening in Landmarked Aspen Block Building

M.S. Rau, the 113-year-old New Orleans-based gallery specializing in fine art, antiques, and jewelry, has signed a long-term lease to open a permanent second location in Aspen’s historic Aspen Block Building at 307 S. Galena Street. The new two-level, 2,200-square-foot space is set to debut in January 2026, featuring works by Renoir, Picasso, and Magritte, alongside pieces from luxury houses such as Tiffany & Co., Van Cleef & Arpels, Fabergé, and Cartier. The expansion follows a successful seasonal pop-up in Aspen last year and marks the gallery’s first year-round secondary location since its founding in 1912.

Seven new brands open at The Whiteley, Bayswater

The Whiteley, a £1.5 billion restoration of London’s first department store in Bayswater, has reached a major milestone with the opening of seven new retail and cultural brands. Among the new tenants is 3812 Gallery, which has relocated its program of contemporary Chinese art to a 2,800-square-foot space within the development. The broader £3 billion regeneration of Queensway includes luxury fitness, dining, and cinema concepts alongside the new gallery space.

Spain’s galleries are protesting against high taxes—can Arco Madrid help voice their concerns?

The 45th edition of Arco Madrid, Spain’s premier contemporary art fair, is set to host 206 galleries from 36 countries at the Ifema convention centre. While the fair remains a vital commercial hub, it is currently overshadowed by a nationwide protest from Spanish galleries against the country's 21% VAT on art purchases. This tax rate is among the highest in Europe, significantly outpacing neighbors like Portugal and France, leading to concerns about international competitiveness and the classification of contemporary art as a luxury elite product.

luxembourgs culture minister defends countrys venice biennale budget after critics say its too high 1234777024

Luxembourg’s Culture Minister, Éric Thill, is defending the country’s €540,000 budget for the upcoming 61st Venice Biennale following criticism from the right-wing Alternative Democratic Reform Party (ADR). Lawmakers questioned the high cost and the provocative nature of artist Aline Bouvy’s project, "La Merde," a feminist commentary centered on a personification of excrement. Critics argued the expenditure is unjustifiable given current social challenges and compared it unfavorably to the smaller budget of the national cultural observatory.

christies luxury head interview newsmakers 1234771650

Christie's has promoted Kimberly Miller to the role of Global Managing Director of its luxury division. This move follows a period of strong performance for the auction house's luxury categories, which saw sales reach $795 million in 2025, a 17% increase, significantly outpacing its overall growth. Miller previously served as regional managing director for luxury in the Americas, where she oversaw jewelry, watches, wine, and handbags, and integrated the automotive auction house Gooding & Company.

sothebys art backed securitization collectible cars 900 million 1234771306

Sotheby's Financial Services has priced a $900 million securitization deal backed by loans secured against artworks and, for the first time, collectible cars. The transaction bundles hundreds of loans, using the assets as collateral, and sells bonds representing the future loan payments to institutional investors, providing Sotheby's with upfront capital to issue new loans.

chanel power station of art contemporary art public library 1234763509

Chanel has opened Espace Gabrielle Chanel, mainland China's first public library dedicated to contemporary art, at Shanghai's Power Station of Art (PSA). The 18,000-square-foot library, designed by Japanese architect Kazunari Sakamoto, holds over 50,000 books and audiobooks and includes an upgraded exhibition hall, a terrace overlooking the Huangpu River, and a 300-seat public theater. It will host the Archive of Chinese Contemporary Art. The library is part of Chanel's Next Cultural Producer program, launched at PSA in 2021 under the Chanel Culture Fund, which supports emerging practices in Chinese craft, architecture, and theater.

egyptian ceramic vessel ancient pompeii canteen 1234760907

A nearly 2,000-year-old Egyptian ceramic vessel, a bucket-shaped situla, was discovered during conservation work at the Thermopolium of Regio V in Pompeii. The faience pot, decorated with Egyptian-style hunting reliefs, was found in the kitchen of a well-preserved fast-food restaurant that served the working- and middle-class residents of the Roman city before its destruction by Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. The discovery was published by the Pompeii Archaeological Park’s online journal.

bernard arnault wealth tax france backlash 1234753159

Bernard Arnault, the billionaire art collector and LVMH chairman, harshly criticized a proposed French tax on the ultra-wealthy, calling it "offensive" and "deadly for our economy." The plan, devised by economist Gabriel Zucman, would impose a 2% tax on the wealth of the richest individuals, projected to raise 20 billion euros ($27 billion). Arnault, worth $156 billion according to Forbes, insulted Zucman as a "far-left activist" with "pseudo-academic competence," prompting a rebuttal from Zucman and support from economist Thomas Piketty.

confederate general monument reinstalled trump 1234748889

The National Park Service announced it will reinstall a statue of Confederate General Albert Pike in Washington, D.C., after it was toppled and burned by protesters during the 2020 Black Lives Matter demonstrations. The agency shared an image of the bronze work being cleaned of corrosion and graffiti, citing federal historic preservation law and recent executive orders to restore pre-existing statues in the nation's capital. The statue is expected to return to public view in October, with site preparation beginning soon to repair its damaged masonry plinth.

mars meteorite sothebys auction 1234747203

A 54-pound chunk of Mars, believed to be the largest Martian meteorite ever discovered on Earth, will be auctioned at Sotheby’s New York on July 16 with an estimate of $2 million to $4 million. Named NWA 16788, the meteorite was found in November 2023 in Niger’s Agadez region and accounts for 6.5 percent of all known Martian material on Earth, making it 70 percent larger than the next largest piece. Sotheby’s is billing it as the most valuable meteorite ever offered at auction, and it will be on public view from July 8–15 before the live sale.

Comment | 'Artnet-Artsy merger: a Bloomberg for art?'

Artnet and Artsy have officially merged under private equity firm Beowolff Capital, founded by former Goldman Sachs trader Andrew Wolff. The deal, which took Artnet private, has already led to layoffs at both companies—including at least seven staff members from Artnet News—and the closure of Artnet's Berlin office. Jeffrey Yin, CEO of Artsy, will lead the combined entity. The merger aims to combine Artnet's vast database of 18 million auction results with Artsy's primary market gallery network to create a seamless user experience for discovering, researching, and buying art.

Barcelona museum refuses to return Sijena murals to monastery

The Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC) in Barcelona is refusing to comply with a Spanish Supreme Court order to return the 12th-century Sijena murals to their original monastery in Aragón. Tensions escalated after the museum hosted a listening party for pop star Rosalía in the same hall where the Romanesque masterpieces are housed, leading to accusations from the municipality of Villanueva de Sijena that the museum is endangering the fragile works. MNAC director Pepe Serra has dismissed these concerns as scientifically unfounded, sparking threats of a defamation lawsuit from local officials.

parties compass box whisky wolfsonian fiu bonhams

Compass Box, the independent Scotch whisky maker, partnered with auction house Bonhams and the Wolfsonian-FIU museum to launch "Imaginarium: The Fantastical World of Compass Box and Stranger & Stranger," an exhibition blending whisky and art. The event also unveiled Confluence, a one-of-one blend, as part of a benefit auction supporting the Wolfsonian-FIU museum and research center. Key attendees included dealer Avalon Ashley Bellos, Compass Box Creative Director Angela D’Orazio, Stranger & Stranger Design Director Guy Pratt, and artist Ivan Roque.

these three artisans have what their peers can only dream of unlimited access to the met

The Metropolitan Museum of Art and Vacheron Constantin have launched an Artisan Residency Program, selecting three inaugural residents: woodworker Aspen Golann, jewelry maker Joy Harvey, and ceramicist Ibrahim Said. Over 18 months, the trio will receive mentorship, studio space at the Met, full access to its archives and collections, and exposure to Vacheron Constantin's craftsmanship techniques in Geneva, culminating in original works that reflect their practices.

jonathon sturgeon appointed deputy editor of artnet news 646094

Jonathon Sturgeon has been appointed deputy editor of Artnet News. Sturgeon brings nearly a decade of experience editing arts and culture coverage, having written for publications including Flavorwire, American Reader, n+1 Magazine, e-flux, the Guardian, the Paris Review, Frieze, and the Baffler. He will work closely with editor-in-chief Rozalia Jovanovic to guide the editorial process, handling both news stories and long-form features.