Cinematic Painting Series

Cary Kwok's exhibition at Sessions Arts Club in London presents four new paintings created with support from Herald St, Cabin Studio, Jonny Gent, and David Southard. The works, rendered in acrylic and ink on paper, explore still lifes, silhouettes, and staged interiors inspired by 1980s visual culture, including interior design, cinematography, fashion editorials, and advertising. Featured pieces include *Eclipse* (2026) and *Anticipation* (2026), with the artist's signature subtly embedded in objects like jewelry and glassware. The show opens May 18 and is viewable by appointment or during dining hours, alongside a related wine label collaboration for the Sessions Arts Club Lost Wines Project.

Coolidge Corner art gallery relocates, brightening downtown Boston neighborhood

Praise Shadows Art Gallery, a contemporary art gallery focusing on untapped and unrecognized artists, has relocated from Coolidge Corner in Brookline to a larger 2,000-square-foot space on Kingston Street in downtown Boston. The gallery reopened in mid-March after moving in January, with founder and CEO Yng-Ru Chen citing the convenience and breathing room of the new location. The move was facilitated by the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture and the Downtown Boston Alliance, which aims to fill vacant storefronts with arts businesses and revitalize the neighborhood.

Apenas meus cabelos são brancos... [Only my hair is white...]

Galerie Lelong in New York is presenting "Lucia Laguna: Apenas meus cabelos são brancos... [Only my hair is white...]," the Brazilian artist's first solo exhibition in the United States, organized in collaboration with Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel. The show features new paintings from her ongoing series "Pequenos formatos" and "Paisagem," which explore the interplay between architecture and nature through vibrant color blocking and geometric forms. Laguna's work reflects her recent move from a suburban home with a garden to an apartment in Rio de Janeiro's Laranjeiras neighborhood, a shift that has prompted compositional changes as her studio space became more condensed and her views of the urban landscape changed.

Venice Biennale Opens Amid Strikes, Protests and Institutional Rupture.

The 61st Venice Biennale opened in May 2026 amid strikes, protests, and political unrest, rather than celebration. Coordinated by Italian labor groups and transnational coalitions, demonstrators targeted the Biennale's decision to allow participation by Israel and Russia during the ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine. The Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) led protests against Israel's participation, while Pussy Riot and FEMEN activists staged a protest outside the Russian pavilion. The Israeli pavilion's relocation from the Giardini to the Arsenale added symbolic weight, with critics viewing it as institutional endorsement. The late curator Koyo Kouoh's vision for the exhibition, titled "In Minor Keys," emphasized tenderness and complexity, contrasting with the volatile atmosphere.

Nazi-looted painting discovered in home of Dutch SS commander's heirs

Art detective Arthur Brand announced the discovery of a Nazi-looted painting, *Portrait of a Young Girl* by Toon Kelder, in the home of the heirs of Hendrik Seyffardt, a notorious Dutch SS commander. The painting was part of the more than 1,100 works plundered from Amsterdam art dealer Jacques Goudstikker by German occupiers. An anonymous heir, who changed his family name, contacted Brand after learning of his ancestry, expressing shame and demanding the painting be returned to the rightful Jewish owners. The current owner, a relative, claims ignorance of its provenance and says the family is discussing restitution.

Morocco debuts at the Biennale with an exploration of its age-old craft traditions

Morocco is debuting its first national pavilion at the Venice Biennale with a monumental installation titled "Asetta" by artist Amina Agueznay. The 300-square-meter site-specific work, located in the Arsenale, draws on centuries-old Moroccan craft traditions, including weaving, beadwork, and embroidery. Agueznay conducted field research across Morocco and collaborated with over 130 artisans, mostly women, some of whom she has worked with for decades. The installation explores the transmission of traditional craftsmanship and shared memory, and incorporates the concept of the threshold (âatba) from Moroccan vernacular architecture, offering visitors both an immersive experience and functional seating.

Reaching for the stars: enduring symbols of Soviet science – in pictures

Photographer Eric Lusito documents Soviet-era scientific institutes across former USSR states in his book "Soviet Scientific Institutes," published by FUEL. The photo essay captures decaying facilities and enduring equipment at locations including the Institute of Radio Astronomy in Kharkiv, Ukraine; the Byurakan astrophysical observatory in Armenia; the Andronikashvili Institute of Physics in Tbilisi, Georgia; and the Fesenkov Astrophysical Institute in Kazakhstan, among others.

Row Over Russia’s Return to the Venice Biennale Deepens

Newly leaked emails reveal that the Venice Biennale has been secretly coordinating with Russia since last summer to facilitate its return to the 2025 edition, despite ongoing international sanctions. The correspondence, published by Italian outlets Open and La Repubblica, shows Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, director Andrea Del Mercato, and Russian commissioner Anastasia Karneeva working together on visa issues, pavilion logistics, and a legal strategy to bypass E.U. sanctions prohibiting collaboration with state-backed Russian entities. Russia's pavilion will be open during preview days with performers activating the space, while footage will play for the public from a closed pavilion thereafter.

The LA Art World’s New Obsession Is a Theater Where Artists Run the Show

Calla Henkel and Max Pitegoff, former artistic directors of Berlin's Grüner Salon, launched New Theater Hollywood in 2024 as a nonprofit venue on Santa Monica Boulevard. The 49-seat theater specializes in genre-defying, multidisciplinary collaborations, staging works like Sophie Becker's ventriloquist act *Ronnie's Big Idea* and Diamond Stingily's *The Driver*. Every performance sells out, attracting a cult following of literary, art world, and pop culture figures who often linger to discuss shows.

How a Remote California Artists’ Retreat Inspired Vhernier’s Latest Ring Collection

Italian jewelry maison Vhernier has collaborated with artist Pae White to create a 10-design limited-edition ring collection inspired by White's childhood memories of Sea Ranch, a remote artists' retreat in Sonoma County, California. The collection translates the architecture of crustaceans and abalone into precious materials, using sapphires, diamonds, and rock crystal set in white or rose gold, with only two versions of each design produced.

fashion bottega veneta peter fraser venice

Photographer Peter Fraser has collaborated with Bottega Veneta on a new series of 27 photographs exploring Venice, capturing both its iconic landmarks—canals, marble floors, Byzantine façades—and its overlooked details like construction cranes, discarded plaster casts, and beached boats. The images are juxtaposed with Bottega Veneta's intrecciato bags from Louise Trotter's first collection, nodding to the fashion house's long history in the Veneto region. In an interview, Fraser discusses his approach to photographing a city burdened by its own legacy, emphasizing the need to distance himself from preconceptions and to shoot based on feeling rather than appearance.

WAYAMOU: LENGUAS DE LO COMÚN. LAURA ANDERSON BARBATA Y SHEROANAWE HAKIHIIWE

The exhibition "Wayamou: Lenguas de lo común" at the Museo Tamayo in Mexico City presents the collaborative work of artists Laura Anderson Barbata and Sheroanawe Hakihiiwe, whose artistic and political relationship spans over three decades. The show traces their shared history, beginning in the early 1990s when Barbata traveled to the Venezuelan Amazon and taught handmade papermaking using local plant fibers, introducing Hakihiiwe to a sustained visual exploration of Yanomami cosmology, oral tradition, and legacy. In 1992, they co-founded Yanomami Owë Mamotima ("Yanomami art of papermaking"), a project enabling the community to tell its own stories through its own visual and linguistic codes, exemplified by the handmade book "Shapono (Casa)" (1996).

Dolce Vita is Over

Dolce Vita war gestern

Andrea Modica's new photobook "Italian Story" collects four decades of photographs taken in Italy, beginning with her first trip there in the late 1980s. Born in 1960 to a family with roots in Sicily and Naples, Modica received a Fulbright scholarship to travel to Sicily and photograph the origins of the Catholic imagery, gender roles, and family structures she experienced growing up in New York. The book, however, is not a documentary of her heritage; instead, it presents dreamlike, surreal images—motionless bodies in water, dead fish, figures behind mosquito nets, Madonna statues—that resist clear narrative or identity politics. Modica works with an 8x10 large-format analog camera and prints using the historic platinum-palladium process, giving the images a timeless, collaborative quality.

Barrie artist bringing Louvre-inspired realism to Aurora gallery

Micak Gallery in Aurora is presenting "Gilded Gold," a solo exhibition by Barrie-based artist JR Newton, featuring new oil paintings on view from May 16 through June 13, 2026. The show includes a live painting event on May 16 and an artist talk and reception on June 4. Newton's highly technical realist works, inspired by a recent trip to the Louvre, reimagine Renaissance portraiture, femininity, and historical grandeur through a contemporary lens, incorporating drapery and jewelry as central motifs.

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.

A Struggle Between Artist and Machine

Ein Ringen zwischen Künstler und Maschine

Mario Klingemann, a pioneer of AI art, presents "Conflict of Interest," a pop-up exhibition at Sleek Art Space in Berlin during Gallery Weekend. Curated by Anika Meier and produced in collaboration with Art on Tezos, the show features works that challenge the flood of AI-generated imagery. Klingemann displays mundane landscape photographs from private slides, a series called "Weapons of Mass Distraction" where he disrupts an AI algorithm's image generation, and a haunting 2020 video in which AI-generated faces morph to music. The exhibition makes visible the struggle between human control and machine logic.

The Art of the Chosen Family

Die Kunst der Wahlfamilie

Mike D, co-founder of the Beastie Boys, has co-curated an exhibition titled "Mishpocha. The Art of Collaboration" at the Jewish Museum Frankfurt. The show explores the concept of family beyond biological ties, featuring works such as Ira Eduardovna's video installation "The Library Room," which depicts a family packing for emigration, and immersive audiovisual spaces evoking techno, hip-hop, punk, and Riot Grrrl subcultures. The exhibition includes contributions from artist Jan Ove Hennig, photographer Jan Zappner, design studio Atelier Markgraph, and hospitality group Ima Clique, with Mike D serving as artistic director and ambassador.

From simple blue to haute couture suit: workwear studied at the Musée Postal

Du simple bleu au tailleur haute couture, le vêtement de travail étudié au musée Postal

The Musée Postal in Paris has reopened with a new name and identity, launching its first exhibition titled "Sous toutes les coutures" ("Under All Seams"). Curated by Elodie Goëssant and Didier Filoche, the show brings together 420 pieces, artworks, and archival objects to explore the history of workwear in France, from uniforms and protective clothing to high-fashion collaborations. It traces the evolution of work attire from the 18th century to the present, highlighting how women lacked dedicated work clothing until the 1970s and how airlines like Air France pioneered partnerships with luxury houses such as Christian Dior to dress flight attendants as national ambassadors.

À Sars-Poteries, le MusVerre célèbre pour ses dix ans toutes les infinies possibilités de l’art verrier

The MusVerre in Sars-Poteries, France, celebrates its tenth anniversary with a new exhibition titled "Enchanté – La fabrique des histoires," curated by Laura Bouvard. The museum, which opened in 2016 in a distinctive blue beveled building, houses over 800 glass artworks and 3,000 ancient pottery pieces, originating from the passion of amateur collector Louis Mériaux. Under new director Laetitia Messager, the museum is forging collaborations with the Musée de Charleroi, Cirva Marseille, and Frac Normandie, and plans to host a symposium in autumn to mark the anniversary.

À Marseille, l’installation textile monumentale d’Adrien Vescovi déploie ses couleurs

Artist Adrien Vescovi has installed a monumental textile work titled "Dormir comme le soleil" at the Vieille Charité in Marseille. The installation features over 600 dyed sheets suspended across 108 arches of the former hospice, using natural pigments from plants, spices, and ochres. The fabrics, dyed in a labor-intensive process involving large wooden spoons and cauldrons, are designed to fade and evolve over the eight-month exhibition, responding to wind, humidity, and Mediterranean light.

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.

The Musée d’Ixelles at the Crossroads of Different Perspectives

Le Musée d’Ixelles à la croisée de différents regards

The Musée d’Ixelles in Brussels, closed for eight years for expansion and renovation, is nearing completion of its architectural transformation with a reopening scheduled for spring 2027 (March 19). Founded in 1892 in a former slaughterhouse, the museum has grown through successive donations and a continuous acquisition policy, now holding over 15,000 works spanning Belgian art from the 19th century to the contemporary period. Director and curator Claire Leblanc, who has led the institution since 2006, emphasizes a participatory approach that integrates diverse public perspectives, including a project called "Musée comme chez soi" during the closure where locals hosted artworks in their homes.

Sarah Rowe Will Light Up Native Neon Residency in Kingston, NY

A new residency program for Indigenous artists working with neon for the first time has been launched through a collaboration between the Walker Youngbird Foundation and Lite Brite Neon Studio in Kingston, New York. Sarah Rowe, a painter and installation artist from Omaha, Nebraska, was selected as the first recipient from over one hundred applicants. She plans to create a work inspired by the heyoka, a trickster figure from Lakota tradition, and will receive a $10,000 stipend plus fully funded fabrication, materials, studio time, and technical instruction valued at around $50,000. The resulting artwork will be publicly presented, and Rowe will retain full intellectual property rights and ownership.

US Returns 337 Looted Objects to Italy in Repatriation Effort

The United States officially returned 337 looted antiquities to Italy at a ceremony held at La Marmora barracks in Rome. Of these, 221 objects were repatriated through the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, while the remaining 116 were recovered on April 10, 2026, via joint efforts by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the District Attorney’s Office, and Christie’s New York auction house. The objects span from the Villanovan era (900–700 BCE) to the Hellenistic period (323–31 BCE) and include a 1st-century CE marble head of Alexander the Great, a bronze sculpture from Herculaneum, and two Egyptian basalt sculptures.

SILENCE HAS MATTER ETHIOPIA BRINGS THE WORK OF TEGENE KUNBI TO THE VENICE BIENNALE

The Ethiopia Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale presents "Shapes of Silence," an exhibition by artist Tegene Kunbi, curated by Abebaw Ayalew, running from May 9 to November 22, 2026, at Palazzo Bollani. The show marks the culmination of Kunbi's thirty-year practice, exploring silence as a social and political condition through abstraction, textiles, and assemblage, drawing on Ethiopian folkloric traditions and material histories.

Gary Baseman fills iconic L.A. coffee shop with charming drawings on real restaurant menus

Artist Gary Baseman has opened his first hometown solo show in over a decade, titled “Off the Menu,” inside the long-shuttered Johnie’s Coffee Shop on Wilshire and Fairfax in Los Angeles. The exhibition features about 40 colored pencil drawings, mostly executed on real menus from iconic L.A. restaurants such as Musso & Frank, Canter’s Deli, and Genghis Cohen, as well as newer spots like Jon & Vinny’s. The whimsical show, which launched in conjunction with the opening of the Wilshire and Fairfax subway station, runs through June 14 and celebrates the dining culture and community of the Fairfax neighborhood.

Hisae Ikenaga ”Anatomies of Use” at KIOSK, Ghent

From April 4, KIOSK in Ghent presents a new solo exhibition by Hisae Ikenaga titled "Anatomies of Use." The Mexican-Japanese artist brings together sculptures, assemblages, and collages that rework industrial materials and everyday objects into hybrid forms, blending ceramic fragments with a visual language that balances functionality and abstraction.

“Porous Grounds, Sacred Codes” at Marres, Maastricht

Seven artists with roots in West Africa—Yacine Tilala Fall, Selly Raby Kane, Maguette Dieng, Ican Ramageli, Hamedine Kane, Eva Diallo, and Babacar Traoré Doli—have jointly created a multi-sensory total installation at Marres in Maastricht. Titled “Porous Grounds, Sacred Codes,” the exhibition incorporates sculpture, sound, textiles, and video, connecting Zikr chanting of mantras, daily life in the Medina, and the trees of the dry landscape.

Edgar Calel at Kunsthalle Bern

Edgar Calel, a Guatemalan artist born in 1987, is the subject of an exhibition at Kunsthalle Bern. His work draws on the rituals and traditions of his native Guatemala, focusing on the working conditions and environmental impact of export-oriented agricultural industries, particularly palm oil and coffee plantations that dominate the country's economy.

Around North America, Community Members Are Stitching Nearly 11,000 Birds

Artist and educator Holly Greenberg launched the multi-year project "Bird Collisions in the Anthropocene" in 2024 after learning about a mass bird collision at Chicago's McCormick Place Lakeside Center in October 2023, where nearly 1,000 birds died in a single night. Using data from the Chicago Field Museum and ornithologist Dave Willard, Greenberg focuses on the 10,863 birds found dead after hitting Chicago buildings in 2023 alone. The project involves community members stitching nearly 11,000 fabric birds to raise awareness and educate the public about preventing window collisions, which kill an estimated one billion birds annually across North America.