“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.

South African artist Gabrielle Goliath to approach high court over cancelled Venice Biennale pavilion

South African artist Gabrielle Goliath and curator Ingrid Masondo are taking urgent legal action against South Africa's sport, arts and culture minister Gayton McKenzie after he cancelled their project for the country's Venice Biennale pavilion. The pair were selected in December 2025 to present a new iteration of Goliath's decade-long project *Elegy*, which addresses femicide and the murder of LGBTQI+ people, and was also set to include references to the Ovaherero and Nama genocide in Namibia and the death of Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada. McKenzie, leader of the right-wing Patriotic Alliance party, described the Abu Nada-related content as "highly divisive" and cancelled the project on 2 January, just days before the submission deadline. The legal team, led by Adila Hassim, will file an application at the high court in Pretoria by 22 January, arguing that McKenzie's interference is unconstitutional.

Perkins Center in Collingswood Opens Winter Gallery Season With Dual E...

Perkins Center for the Arts in Collingswood, New Jersey, opens its winter gallery season with a joint artists' reception on January 10, 2026, featuring two exhibitions. In the Main Gallery, 'Room For My Lens' surveys the first 20 years of photographer Liz Wuillermin's career, pairing images with personal stories. Upstairs in the Loft Gallery, 'The Untitled Art Exhibition' presents oil, acrylic, and mixed-media works by Anthony Charles Christopher Johnson and special guest artist Jamil Ameer Cobb, exploring freedom of expression, transformation, and truth through layered surfaces and reimagined found objects. Both shows run from January 5 through February 27, 2026.

Paphos gallery owner received threats over Gavriel exhibition, painter says

An art exhibition by painter George Gavriel was removed from the Blue Iris Gallery in Paphos after the gallery’s owner received death threats. The threats began following a social media post by a candidate for the far-right ELAM party, escalating through Saturday. Gavriel withdrew the works, which often address political and religious themes, to protect the owner, who chose not to file a formal complaint. Three young people briefly entered the gallery’s basement and removed some pieces, which were later restored.

Paphos art exhibition cancelled after parties lash out over religious imagery

An art exhibition by Cypriot painter George Gavriel in Paphos was cancelled a day after its opening following public outcry over religious imagery. The show, titled “Antisystemic Art,” included paintings of Orthodox icon-style figures such as Christ and the Virgin Mary placed in explicit secular and sexually suggestive contexts. Political parties DISY and ELAM condemned the works as blasphemous, while the Blue Iris Gallery issued an apology and shut down the exhibition to avoid further unrest.

June Leaf Made Art Like a Mad Scientist, a Dancer, an Aviator and an Archer

The New York Times profiles artist June Leaf, whose multidisciplinary practice blended elements of science, dance, aviation, and archery. The article explores her unconventional approach to art-making, which defied easy categorization and drew from a wide range of influences and techniques.

SILSILA: Highlights from the Dalloul Collection including Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art at Christie's totals £4,112,260 - Christie's

Christie's London held the 'SILSILA: Highlights from the Dalloul Collection' auction on 6 November 2025, featuring Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern Art. The sale achieved a total of £4,112,260, with a 93% sell-through rate by value and 85% by lot. The top lot was Saloua Raouda Choucair's 'Poem' (1966-68), which sold for £393,700, setting a world auction record for the artist in the wood medium. Other highlights included Sliman Mansour's 'Untitled' (2014) at £323,850 and Kamal Boullata's 'Nocturne I' (2001) at £165,100. Eight world auction records were set during the evening.

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."

Pepperdine Administrators Shut Down Weisman Exhibition After Censoring Artwork

Pepperdine University administrators directed the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art to shut down a video installation by artist Elana Mann due to its political content, sparking a censorship controversy. After the censorship, over 20 artists in the exhibition "Hold My Hand in Yours" requested their works be removed in protest, leading the university to close the entire exhibition, which had been scheduled to run until March 29.

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.

Paul Kooiker on photographing 42 art-school students for Acne Paper Palais Royal debut

Dutch photographer Paul Kooiker has opened a new exhibition titled '2025' at Acne Paper Palais Royal in Paris, featuring portraits of 42 students from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam, where he taught photography for 25 years. Commissioned by Acne Studios' magazine offshoot Acne Paper, the show marks the first exhibition in the brand's new permanent gallery space. Kooiker shot the students spontaneously in corridors and classrooms, capturing them in his signature black-and-white style that blends timelessness with a sense of the unsettling, though this project breaks from his usual anonymity by focusing on faces and a specific moment in time.

Local feminist art coalition tackles censorship in current exhibition at San Diego Central Library

The Feminist Image Group (FIG), a local feminist art coalition, is opening a new exhibition titled "In the Land of…" at the San Diego Central Library on Sunday, running through Oct. 12. Originally invited to exhibit before the pandemic, the group shifted focus to address censorship after facing criticism directed at libraries and books. The show features 15 members' works in various media, including paintings, sculpture, fabric art, embroidery, and collage, confronting banned books, silenced histories, and the fight for free expression. Member Jennifer Spencer, a local photographer and painter, helped organize the exhibition and contributed an accordion-fold book piece inspired by Project 2025.

Her Museum Was Surviving in Russia. Then the Threats Became Too Much.

Nailya Allakhverdiyeva, the longtime director of the PERMM Museum of Contemporary Art in Perm, Russia, has fled the country following escalating intimidation and a raid by security forces. Despite her efforts to maintain the institution's integrity through strategic compromises and "Aesopian language" to navigate tightening censorship, the pressure became untenable after she was interrogated and her home was searched by the F.S.B. in connection with activist Pyotr Verzilov.

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.

CUBA PRESENTS FREE MEN AT THE VENICE BIENNALE

Cuba presents Roberto Diago's installation "Hombres Libres (Free Men)" at the 61st Venice Biennale, curated by Nelson Ramirez de Arellano Conde and commissioned by Daneisy García Roque. The work, on view from May 9 to November 22, 2025, features a group of sculpted heads made from oxidized metals, wood, plastics, and reclaimed materials that advance toward viewers, bearing scars that evoke a history of pain and resistance.

MARCELO BRODSKY IN WIESBADEN MEMORY AS AN ACTIVE PRACTICE

The Kunsthaus Wiesbaden is hosting a comprehensive survey of Argentine artist Marcelo Brodsky titled "Memory in Action," running through June 2026. The exhibition showcases Brodsky’s unique practice of intervening in archival photographs to address global human rights abuses, political violence, and the persistence of historical trauma. Key series on display include his seminal work on the Argentine military dictatorship, "Buena Memoria," alongside explorations of 1968 global protests and African liberation movements.

Ministry of Culture inspectors present report on Biennale: Russia pavilion will remain closed

Gli ispettori del Ministero della Cultura in Biennale presentano relazione: il padiglione Russia resterà chiuso

Italian Ministry of Culture inspectors have submitted a report to the Prime Minister's office regarding Russia's participation in the 2026 Venice Art Biennale. The report concludes that Russia did not receive a formal invitation from the Biennale Foundation to participate, nor did it sign the participation agreement—a situation shared by other countries with permanent pavilions. While Russia submitted a project and appointed a commissioner, its pavilion will remain closed to the public due to EU sanctions, though a private vernissage may proceed. The report finds no serious violations that would cancel Russia's participation, but notes critical issues that warranted more caution. The international jury resigned en masse after announcing it would not consider countries whose leaders are accused of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, including Russia and Israel, and after an Israeli artist threatened a discrimination lawsuit.

"Our regime does not represent our culture". Interview on the Belarusian project during the Venice Biennale

“Il nostro regime non rappresenta la nostra cultura”. Intervista sul progetto bielorusso durante la Biennale di Venezia

The article is an interview with Daniella Kaliada, curator of the Belarusian project "Official. Unofficial." presented at the Venice Biennale in the church of San Giovanni Evangelista. Organized by the Belarus Free Theatre, an independent underground group, the exhibition features site-specific paintings by Sergey Grinevich, a sound installation by Olga Podgayskaya, and large-scale sculptures by Vladimir Tsesler. The project includes a sphere of banned books crushed by a bulldozer, testimonies of recently released political prisoners, and sculptures made from prison bars, all addressing censorship and political trauma without direct representation of suffering.

The National Choreographic Center is doing everything to involve young people in ballet

Il Centro Coreografico Nazionale sta facendo di tutto per coinvolgere i giovani nel balletto

The Centro Coreografico Nazionale Aterballetto in Reggio Emilia has launched "Alla ricerca della meraviglia" (In Search of Wonder), a year-long research and production project aimed at engaging younger audiences through contemporary dance. The initiative involves three choreographers—Fernando Melo, Jacopo Jenna, and Francesco Marilungo—who are developing works that adopt a child’s perspective rather than simply creating content for children. These studies will be presented at the Internazionale Kids Festival in May 2026, with one selected for full production later that summer.

Winemakers Pasqua Vini Bet on Art: Artist Sara Ricciardi Discusses Her Project for Verona

I produttori di vino Pasqua puntano sull’arte. L’artista Sara Ricciardi racconta il progetto per Verona

Artist Sara Ricciardi has unveiled 'Resonance,' a site-specific immersive installation at the newly restored Monastero space within Palazzo Maffei, Verona. Commissioned by Pasqua Vini, the work celebrates the creative partnership between winery CEO Riccardo Pasqua and American winemaker Charles Smith. The installation utilizes light, sound, and large-scale geode-inspired structures to translate the 'alchemy' of winemaking and the meeting of two distinct identities into a sensory ritual for visitors.

Archway Gallery Marks 50 Years of Artist-Led Vision

Archway Gallery, the longest-running artist-owned cooperative in Texas, is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a series of commemorative exhibitions. The festivities began with 'Homecoming' at the Jung Center—the site of the gallery's first show in 1976—and continue with 'Fifty Forward' at their main Houston space, featuring works and self-portraits by all 34 current members alongside contributions from founding artists.

Two Visitors’ Lions have been established for the Biennale Arte 2026

La Biennale di Venezia has announced the establishment of two Visitors' Lions for the 61st International Art Exhibition, following the resignation of the International Jury appointed by curator Koyo Kouoh. The awards ceremony, originally scheduled for May 9, has been moved to November 22, the final public day, echoing a similar shift during the 2021 Architecture Exhibition due to COVID-19. The Visitors' Lions will be voted on by ticket holders who visit both exhibition venues between May 9 and November 22, with one award for the Best Participant in the exhibition "In Minor Keys" by Koyo Kouoh and another for the Best National Participation.

Eye on Art: Art abounds with spring flowers around the region

The article highlights two spring-themed art events in the region. In Fitchburg, the 2026 Hidden Treasures Festival of Nature, Culture & History offers free public events throughout May, including a Henry David Thoreau reading, a community vigil, and a drumming workshop at the Fitchburg Art Museum. In Lowell, the Loading Dock Gallery presents "Full Bloom 8," a members' exhibition celebrating flowers, birds, insects, and gardens, running through May 31 with a reception on May 2.

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.

Off-campus galleries in Dallas and Denton step in as UNT art students boycott school spaces

University of North Texas (UNT) art students are boycotting on-campus exhibition spaces, prompting off-campus galleries in Dallas and Denton to step in and provide alternative venues for their work. The boycott stems from student grievances over institutional policies and conditions within the university's art program, leading to a grassroots shift in where student art is displayed.

Jury of the Venice Biennial resigns, Russia and Israel return to Award Contention

The five-member international jury of the 61st Venice Biennale, led by Brazilian curator Solange Farkas, has resigned effective April 30, 2026. The jury—comprising Solange Oliveira Farkas, Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi—announced their resignation in a written statement, referencing a prior Statement of Intention issued on April 22. In response, La Biennale di Venezia postponed the Awards Ceremony from May 9 to November 22, the final public day, and introduced two new "Visitors' Lions" awards—one for the Best Participant in the main exhibition "In Minor Keys" by Koyo Kouoh, and one for the Best National Participation—to be decided by ticket-holder vote.

CSUF student artists capture childhood wonder at biannual ASI art show

Cal State Fullerton recently hosted its biannual Associated Students Inc. (ASI) Art Show at the Titan Student Union Center Gallery, centered on the theme of "Memory and Nostalgia." The exhibition showcased 20 student works spanning traditional oil paintings, digital illustrations, and 3D-printed media. Awards were presented across multiple categories, highlighting pieces such as Michael Butorac’s acrylic painting "Unforgotten Friday’s" and Victor Castaneda’s digital photograph "Becoming."

Art freedom under fire

The Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC) censored an exhibition titled 'Constellation of Complicity: Visualising the Global Machinery of Authoritarian Solidarity' after pressure from the Chinese embassy. The exhibition, which opened on July 24, featured works by exiled artists from Myanmar, Iran, Russia, and Syria exploring authoritarian alliances. Following a visit by Chinese embassy staff, several works were removed, including a multimedia installation by a Tibetan artist, and texts mentioning 'Hong Kong', 'Tibet', and 'Uyghur' were redacted. The curator, Sai, a Myanmar artist in exile, said the interference was not unexpected.

Speed Art Museum exhibit 'Brilliant Exiles' empowers a new generation

The Speed Art Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, is hosting the traveling exhibition 'Brilliant Exiles: American Women in Paris, 1900-1939,' on loan from the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. The show highlights the trailblazing work of American women artists, writers, and designers who moved to Paris at the turn of the 20th century, exploring their contributions across disciplines like art, fashion, and literature. The museum has added interactive QR codes with curated playlists, and the exhibition runs through June 22, 2025.

Syrian artist Ismail Nasra explores silence and solitude in new Damascus exhibition

Syrian visual artist Ismail Nasra has opened a new exhibition at Zawaya Art Gallery in Damascus, featuring 28 medium- and large-scale works that mark a departure from his earlier dense, colorful style. The paintings, created over three years on aged and weathered fabrics, employ muted palettes, abstraction, and negative space to explore themes of silence, absence, and emotional solitude. Solitary female figures and recurring bird motifs—symbols of freedom and escape—dominate the compositions, with the natural textures and cracks of the fabric becoming integral to the artwork.