These Four Filmmakers Have Never Fully Gotten Their Due. The Kitchen Wants To Change That.

The Kitchen, a New York nonprofit arts organization, held its annual spring gala at City Winery to honor four female filmmakers: Cheryl Dunye, Garrett Bradley, Shari Frilot, and Catherine Gund. The event was co-chaired by prominent figures including Ava DuVernay, Julie Mehretu, and Komal Shah, and featured performances, remarks, and a crowd of artists, curators, and collectors. The gala celebrated the filmmakers' contributions to cinema, with special recognition of their work in expanding representation and narrative boundaries.

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.

La Rocabella : une résidence d’artistes paradisiaque qui croise les disciplines près de Toulon

La Rocabella, a Belle Époque villa near Toulon, France, has been transformed into an interdisciplinary artist residency by Jean-Baptiste Rudelle, co-founder of Criteo. Built in 1898 by architect Hans-Georg Tersling, the estate now hosts ceramic sculptors, comic artists, documentary filmmakers, and musicians in two-month sessions, with themes like 'Les Gardiennes de la mer' linking their work. The residency, funded entirely by Rudelle, aims to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration in a serene Mediterranean setting.

Russia’s Venice Pavilion Will Be Closed to Public for Duration of Biennale

Russia's pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale will be closed to the public for the duration of the exhibition, from May 9 to November 22, following escalating controversy over the country's participation. The group show, titled “The tree is rooted in the sky,” will only be open to press and industry insiders during the preview days (May 5–8). The move comes after the International Criminal Court accused Russia of crimes against humanity, leading the Biennale to bar Russia and Israel from competing for awards. Italian culture minister Alessandro Giuli has also boycotted the preview and opening ceremony in protest.

Bouchra Khalili “Circles and Storytellers” at Mosaic Rooms, London

Mosaic Rooms in London has reopened with "Circles and Storytellers," the first public UK solo exhibition by French-Moroccan multidisciplinary artist and educator Bouchra Khalili. The show features interconnected works including *The Circle Project* (2023), a mixed media installation that explores themes of civic imagination and alternative forms of community and belonging.

We Spent a Week Quarantined on an Uninhabited Island with 80 Artists

A journalist from Colossal spent a week on an uninhabited island in the Balearic Islands with nearly 80 artists for a residency program called Quarantine, conceived by artist Carles Gomila. Participants follow a rigorous, opaque schedule of talks, workshops, and mentorship sessions, with phones and internet banned, and must stay on the island from early morning until late evening. The April 2026 edition, themed "Tears in Rain" after a Blade Runner monologue, began with a theatrical tour by an actor playing Captain Horacio Hollynwood, who introduced the historic Lazaretto of Mahón, an 18th-century fortress and infirmary.

Dyani White Hawk: LISTEN at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University

Dyani White Hawk's eight-channel video installation "LISTEN" (2020–ongoing) is on view at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. The work features Indigenous women speaking in their native languages on their tribal homelands, with no subtitles or explanatory text, encouraging viewers to physically move closer to each screen to hear and engage with the speakers' voices and surrounding environments.

Patrick Mukabi: Inside the life and legacy of artist who nurtured a movement

Legendary Kenyan painter Patrick Mukabi, known as Panye, has died at age 56 after an illness. Born in Nairobi in 1969, he studied graphic design at the Technical University of Kenya before dedicating himself to fine art. His bold, colorful works were displayed at venues like Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Java House outlets, and in over 20 countries. He developed the Cover Girls series celebrating curvy women and worked at major art spaces including the Nairobi National Museum, Kuona Artists Collective, GoDown Arts Centre, and the Railway Museum. At Dust Depo Studio, he mentored many young artists, teaching them both technique and the business of art. His protégé Jimmy Kitheka recalls Mukabi's warmth and discipline, and how the studio became a creative hub. Even during his illness, the art community rallied to support him through benefit exhibitions like the Patrick Mukabi Medical Fund Benefit Art Exhibition in April 2026 and a solo show at Banana Hill Art Gallery.

Anders Dickson at KAYOKOYUKI

Anders Dickson is presenting a solo exhibition titled "rot in the small season" at KAYOKOYUKI gallery in Tokyo, running from March 19 to May 2, 2026. The exhibition is documented with 51 images on Contemporary Art Daily, with press releases available in both English and Japanese.

Sainsbury Centre receives one of largest ever UK museum donations

The Sainsbury Centre, an art museum in Norwich, England, has received a £91.2 million donation from British politician and businessman David Sainsbury through his charitable foundation, Gatsby. The funds will be used to renovate the grade II* listed building, originally designed by Norman Foster and completed in 1978. The renovation, led by Foster + Partners, includes improvements to the building envelope, photovoltaic panels, and upgraded visitor facilities, aiming to halve the museum's energy use and support the University of East Anglia's net zero campus goal by 2045.

Venice Biennale opens under shadow of protests over Russia and Israel

The 61st Venice Biennale opened under heavy protest as Russia returns to the event for the first time since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian feminist collective Femen and Russian punk band Pussy Riot demonstrated outside the Russian pavilion, with activists accusing Russia of using art as a weapon in a hybrid war. Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside Israel's pavilion, holding banners reading 'No artwashing genocide' and demanding Israel's exclusion over the war in Gaza. The Biennale's international jury resigned last month, refusing to award prizes to countries led by figures subject to ICC arrest warrants, namely Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called Russia's participation 'morally wrong' and threatened to cut €2 million in funding, while culture ministers from 22 European countries urged organizers to reconsider.

Venice Biennale opens without a jury amid strife over Russian and Israeli participation

The Venice Biennale, one of the world's most prestigious contemporary art exhibitions, opens its most contested edition in memory without a jury after the jury resigned in protest over the participation of Israel and Russia, both under investigation by the International Criminal Court for human rights abuses. Protests have erupted outside the Israeli and Russian pavilions, with demonstrators clashing with police, while feminist groups from Ukraine and Russia converged on the Russian Pavilion and Palestinians remembered artists killed in Gaza. The Biennale has replaced the jury with a public vote via email, with winners announced at the close on November 22.

Lucas Museum Unveils `Star Wars’ Exhibition Details

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles has announced details for its inaugural exhibition "Star Wars in Motion," set to open on September 22. The show will feature props, costumes, and vehicle designs from the first six Star Wars films, including Luke's Landspeeder and General Grievous' Wheel Bike, as part of a broader lineup of about 20 inaugural exhibitions spanning visual storytelling from ancient art to modern film. The 300,000-square-foot museum, founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, will display over 1,200 artworks across 100,000 square feet of gallery space, with additional galleries dedicated to comic art, manga, children's literature, and works by artists such as Thomas Hart Benton, Beatrix Potter, Jack Kirby, Alison Bechdel, Frank Frazetta, Norman Rockwell, Diego Rivera, Dorothea Lange, and Gordon Parks.

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art Unveils Inaugural Cinema Exhibition ‘Star Wars in Motion’

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, set to open in Los Angeles on September 22, 2026, has announced its inaugural cinema exhibition titled 'Star Wars in Motion.' The exhibition will feature vehicle designs, props, costumes, and illustrations from the first six films of George Lucas's saga, including Luke's Landspeeder and General Grievous' Wheel Bike. It is one of over 30 installations opening with the museum, which also includes exhibitions on architecture, American life by Thomas Hart Benton, American and European comics, and works by illustrators such as Jessie Willcox Smith, Frank Frazetta, and Norman Rockwell.

‘Into Other Spaces' to reexamine trailblazing women artists across decades

The Leeum Museum of Art in Seoul is hosting 'Inside Other Spaces: Environments by Women Artists, 1956-1976,' an exhibition that reconstructs immersive room-scale works by 11 women artists from underrepresented regions. Co-curated by Andrea Lissoni and Marina Pugliese, the show traces two decades of experimental environments made from light, sound, plastic, and foam, which anticipated installation and media art. The Seoul edition features a new version of Jung Kang-ja's 1967 work 'Muche-jeon (Incorporal Exhibition),' a smoke-filled chamber that evokes the tension of 1970s authoritarian Korea.

Births, deaths and a first kiss: life near the frontline in Ukraine – in pictures

British-Iranian artist Aria Shahrokhshahi's long-term photographic project "Wet Ground" captures daily life in Ukraine during Russia's full-scale invasion, focusing on moments of youth, subculture, and fragile continuity rather than traditional war imagery. The series, developed through repeated stays and volunteering since 2019, includes scenes from teenage discos, hospital wards, a birth during a missile attack, and a first kiss near the frontline, all shot in stark black and white.

First Zurbarán exhibition at the National Gallery

The National Gallery in London has opened the first monographic exhibition in the UK dedicated to Francisco de Zurbarán, a leading 17th-century Spanish painter. The show brings together exceptional loans from public and private collections across the UK, Europe, and the United States, including works displayed together for the first time in over a century. Highlights include life-size depictions of saints, soaring altarpieces, and contemplative still lifes, with the exhibition running until 23 August.

Gallery speaks out about AI row which 'overshadowed' art exhibition fundraiser

A Brighton art gallery, Indelible Fine Art Gallery, has spoken out after its charity exhibition featuring actor and artist Jake Wood—known for his role on EastEnders—was overshadowed by controversy over the use of AI-generated imagery. The exhibition, titled Icons, was designed to raise awareness and funds for Dementia UK, but criticism erupted on social media after Wood shared a portrait of David Attenborough that appeared to include AI-generated elements. Wood later clarified that two pieces in the show (portraits of Attenborough and Trump) incorporated AI-generated source material, though he did not create the AI imagery himself. He has since apologized and pledged to donate 100% of the exhibition's proceeds to Dementia UK.

HK artists shine at Venice Biennale with ‘Fermata’ exhibition

Hong Kong artists Kingsley Ng and Angel Hui are showcasing their works at the 61st Venice Biennale in a collateral exhibition titled 'Fermata: Hong Kong in Venice', curated by the Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) in collaboration with the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC). The exhibition, which opened on May 8, 2026, features five installations across a courtyard and four gallery rooms, including Ng's multimedia pieces inspired by hanging laundry and Hui's works blending traditional Chinese embroidery and handcrafted iron window grilles. This marks HKMoA's first curation at the Biennale.

Art and Design seniors exhibit their work at Krannert Art Museum

More than 100 seniors from the School of Art and Design at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will showcase their final projects at Krannert Art Museum from May 9 to May 16. The Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition features work across all disciplines, including art education, art history, graphic design, industrial design, and studio art. Graphic design students Rinnell Borges and Natalie Mora created the exhibition's branding and catalog under the theme "Myth of Originality," drawing inspiration from fellow students' work and university archives. Individual projects include Borges's syrup packaging concept, Mora's communication guide for Latino communities, Caroline Dorion's charcoal drawings of draped female figures, and Sylvie Leyerle's children's book about her adoption from China.

The first UK museum presentation of Aleksandra Kasuba’s work: her exhibition Shelters for Senses open at Tate St Ives

Tate St Ives has opened 'Shelters for the Senses', the first UK museum presentation of Lithuanian-American artist Aleksandra Kasuba (1923–2019). Curated by Tate St Ives Director Anne Barlow in collaboration with LNMA curator Elona Lubytė, the exhibition spans seven decades of Kasuba's work, including early paintings, mosaics, public artworks, architectural designs, and spatial environments. A reconstruction of her 'Live-In Environment' (1971) is featured, alongside works donated to Lithuania and kept by the LNMA. The show runs until 4 October.

Arts Listings: Week of May 7, 2026

This article is a local arts listings roundup for the week of May 7, 2026, in Ventura County, California. It includes opening theater productions such as "¡Ay Chihuahua! A Mariachi Musical" at California State University, Channel Islands, "Eleanor" at Rubicon Theatre Company, and "It's a Trip, Man: An Evening with a Hollywood Has-Been" at Ojai Art Center Theatre. Art openings feature the Camarillo Art Center's gourd class and exhibition "May I Have Your Attention!," Canvas and Paper's show of work by L.S. Lowry, and the Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Foundation's "r/evolve: celebrating the circular" by Christopher Noxon. The piece also lists auditions for "The Importance of Being Earnest" at Moorpark College and a call for submissions to the Ojai Art Center Theater's 2027 season.

National Museum Showcases Danwon Kim Hong-do's Multifaceted Genius

The National Museum of Korea has opened a new exhibition titled *Danwon Kim Hong-do, Painting the Era* in its renovated painting and calligraphy gallery, showcasing 96 works from 50 collections. The exhibition highlights Kim Hong-do's versatility beyond his famous genre paintings, featuring landscapes, documentary paintings, and floral art, including the first public display of *Chongseokjeongdo* (1795) from a private collection. Director You Hong-june emphasizes Kim's unmatched lyrical depth and technical skill across all genres.

Two artists, two different generations, two views of everyday Anchorage

The Anchorage Museum is hosting "Everyday Anchorage: Duke Russell & Ward Wells," an exhibition pairing two artists from different generations who capture ordinary life in Anchorage, Alaska. Ward Wells, a commercial photographer, documented the city after World War II, while Duke Russell uses paint to record post-pipeline scenes. The show runs through August 2027.

Jury for Venice Biennale's art prize resigns after refusing to recognise Israeli, Russian artists

The international jury of the 61st Venice Biennale art exhibition resigned just over a week before the May 9 prize ceremony, after announcing they would not consider artists from countries whose leaders face International Criminal Court charges—an apparent reference to Russia and Israel. The jury included president Solange Farkas, Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi. In response, the Biennale established two Visitors’ Lions to be awarded by ticket-holder vote, postponed the awards to November 22, and reaffirmed that all national participations remain eligible, effectively reinstating Russian and Israeli artists.

The British Museum bets on 'total immersion' to display the Bayeux Tapestry, which will be presented flat

Le British Museum mise sur « l’immersion totale » pour exposer la tapisserie de Bayeux qui sera présentée à plat

The British Museum has announced plans for an exceptional exhibition of the Bayeux Tapestry, which will be displayed flat for the first time in its history, rather than hung vertically as it has been for decades in Bayeux. The 70-meter-long 11th-century embroidery depicting the Norman conquest of England will be shown in London from September 10, 2026, to July 11, 2027, with tickets priced between £25 and £33. The museum promises an 'immersive' experience featuring raking light, digital devices, and loaned objects to contextualize the 58 scenes and 626 characters.

Au Royaume-Uni les contraintes budgétaires des musées pèsent sur les effectifs

A survey of 329 museum directors in the UK, published in the Art Fund's Museum Directors Research 2026 report, reveals that staff shortages have overtaken building maintenance as the top concern for cultural institutions. Conducted by Wafer Hadley between January and March 2026, the study shows that 85% of directors cite team size and capacity as the main barrier to programming, ahead of budget constraints (67%) and lack of specialized expertise (23%). The National Gallery in London launched a voluntary redundancy plan in February 2026 to address a projected deficit of £8.2 million, while the Museum of Cambridge cut a third of its staff and reduced opening hours. Local authority grants have decreased or ceased for 45% of institutions between 2024-2025 and 2025-2026, and over a third of museums have reduced or plan to reduce opening hours and annual exhibitions.

From Paris To Gyeongseong’ Illuminating The Flow Of Modern Art​

The article 'From Paris To Gyeongseong’ Illuminating The Flow Of Modern Art' explores the historical and cultural exchange of modern art between Paris and Gyeongseong (the former name of Seoul during the Japanese colonial period). It traces how Western modernist movements, particularly from Paris, influenced Korean artists in the early 20th century, highlighting the cross-cultural dialogue that shaped the development of modern art in Korea. The piece examines specific artworks, exhibitions, and the role of key figures who facilitated this artistic flow.

Landscape and Imagery Help MOWA Celebrate the Country’s 250th Birthday

The Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA) in West Bend has opened a new exhibition titled "The American Landscape: Beyond the Horizon," celebrating the role of Wisconsin artists in capturing the state's contributions to the United States ahead of the country's 250th birthday. The show features over 60 works, 60% from the museum's permanent collection and 40% borrowed from artists and collectors, including pieces by John Stuart Curry, Lois Ireland, Georgia O'Keeffe, Native American artists like Helen Lonetree and Lila Greengrass Blackdeer, and contemporary works by incarcerated artist M. Winston. Guest curator Rafael Salas, a professor at Ripon College, also includes three of his own works.

In Kyoto, a photography festival unites artists on society's fringes

Kyotographie, an independent international photography festival in Kyoto, has announced 'The Edge' as its theme for the 2026 edition, following a focus on humanity in 2025. The festival will feature exhibitions exploring fringes, darkness, and extremes of life, including a posthumous show of Fatama Hassona's 'The Eye of Gaza', a focus on South Africa with works by Lebohang Kganye, Pieter Hugo, and a peripatetic library from A4 Arts Foundation, as well as Ernest Cole's 'House of Bondage' at the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art—his first exhibition in Japan. Other highlights include Linder Sterling's survey 'Goddess of the Mind' at the Museum of Kyoto Annex and Anton Corbijn's 'Presence' at the Shimadai Gallery.