‘What Color is Your Sky Today?’: The Becoming of the Image

Armineh Negahdari, a Bordeaux-based artist, presents her first institutional solo exhibition in France at the Fondation Louis Vuitton's Open Space series. Titled 'What Color is Your Sky Today?': The Becoming of the Image, the show features a new body of drawings that use charcoal, pastel, and oil paint to explore unstable morphologies between human, vegetal, and animal forms. The works resist narrative closure, emphasizing drawing as an event rather than representation, with lines that accumulate, falter, and begin again. The exhibition is on view at Gallery 8 until 30 August 2026.

Major new Jean-Michel Basquiat collector’s book, priced at $1,400, released from Assouline.

Assouline has released a new collector's book titled "Basquiat: The World of Jean-Michel," a 348-page volume featuring over 200 artworks and archival photographs of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Priced at $1,400, the book is part of the publisher's Ultimate Collection of large-format, hand-bound volumes, and is organized thematically into six chapters covering Basquiat's depictions of heads, New York City's influence on his work, his use of silkscreens, and spiritual themes.

Passages at Kunsthalle Friart Fribourg

Kunsthalle Friart Fribourg presents "Passages," a group exhibition running from March 14 to May 17, 2026. The show features works by Nat Faulkner, Solomon Garçon, Keta Gavasheli, Gaylen Gerber with Leah Ke Yi Zheng, Hervé Guibert, Nour Mobarak, Henrik Olesen, B. Ingrid Olson, Anastasia Pavlou, Matthew Peers, Cora Pongracz, Pope.L, Ariana Reines and Oscar Tuazon, Dieter Roth, and Sava Sekulić. The exhibition is documented with 51 images and a floor plan, with photos by Cedric Mussano.

“Cartographies of Growth” at MARTa Herford

From February 7 to June 7, 2026, MARTa Herford presents a dual exhibition dedicated to Lois Weinberger (1947–2020) and Katinka Bock (born 1976). The show explores poetic phenomena beyond human control, where materials react, spaces shift, and natural forces leave their traces both inside the museum and beyond.

Open Letter on Auction of “Tributes” to the Russian Avant-Garde

An open letter signed by art historians, curators, and researchers protests an upcoming auction at Stanley's Auction House in Zaventem, Belgium, scheduled for April 23, titled “Tributes to the Russian Avant-Garde & Constructivists.” The second sale is organized in cooperation with Drouot, a major French auction platform, and offers approximately one hundred works from the so-called Toporovsky collection, which has been linked to a scandal involving forged Russian modernist paintings at the Museum of Fine Arts Ghent. The alleged suppliers, Igor Toporovsky and Olga Toporovsky, face criminal charges including the sale of 171 forged works for about €20 million, with court proceedings beginning in May in Ghent. The signatories argue that the auction, with works priced around €300 each, is deeply troubling given the pending legal case and the undisclosed consignor identity.

Venice Biennale’s Visitor Lions Face Artist Boycott

Wiggy stardust! The mind-blowing hair artist who astonished Rihanna and Cate Blanchett

Taiba Akhuetie, a London-based artist who uses human and synthetic hair as her primary medium, is preparing for her first solo exhibition at the Sarabande Foundation. Her unsettling, taxidermy-like sculptures transform everyday objects—handbags, mirrors, rocking chairs, and umbrellas—into eerie, hair-covered artworks. Akhuetie began her career as a braider, founding the salon Keash Braids in Peckham, and pivoted to sculptural work during the pandemic. Her creations have attracted high-profile clients including Rihanna, Cate Blanchett, and Nigerian singer Tems, and have been featured by Vogue.

Would you sit on this? Australian designers take on the humble chair – in pictures

For the 10th edition of Melbourne Design Week, over 100 chairs by Australian designers are on display in an exhibition titled '100 Chairs', curated by Friends & Associates. Selected from an open call, each chair had to be made in Australia and functional for sitting. The designs range from traditional timber dining chairs to experimental pieces, including a chair that transforms into a table, a horse-shaped chair, and one with a satanic theme. The exhibition is held at South Magdalen Laundry, Abbotsford Convent in Melbourne until 24 May 2026.

The Founders of Open Restitution Africa (ORA) on Their New Open Data Platform

On March 31, the research initiative Open Restitution Africa (ORA) launched the ORA Open Data Platform, a database providing information on the restitution of African artifacts and ancestral remains. Developed over six years by ORA’s all-woman, pan-African team, the site uses case histories and AI-powered tools to offer practical insights into the return process, available in French and English. It presents 25 case histories spanning 200 years, using data visualizations, essays, and interactive tools to help individuals and communities develop their own restitution strategies. ARTnews interviewed founders Chao Tayiana Maina and Molemo Moiloa about the project's origins and goals.

The Most Provocative Performance in Venice

Florentina Holzinger, a performance artist known for extreme feminist works involving nudity, bodily fluids, and physical endurance, is representing Austria at the 2026 Venice Biennale with a pavilion titled “Seaworld Venice.” Opening May 9, the installation transforms the Austrian Pavilion in the Giardini into an underwater theme park and a functioning sewage treatment plant, where audience urine collected from portable toilets is cleaned and recycled into the tanks. The work explores themes of the human body, ecology, and Venice’s own struggles with sinking infrastructure and mass tourism.

Gabrielle Goliath Discusses Her Canceled South African Pavilion as She Shows New Work in a Venice Church

South African artist Gabrielle Goliath’s planned pavilion for the South Africa Pavilion at the Venice Biennale was canceled by culture minister Gayton McKenzie, who deemed it “highly divisive.” Despite the cancellation, Goliath has installed her work, a multi-screen iteration of her ongoing performance series *Elegy*, at the Chiesa di Sant’Antonin, half a mile from the Giardini. The new piece mourns victims of atrocities including South African femicide, the Herero and Nama genocide, and the death of Gazan poet Hiba Abu Nada, killed by an Israeli airstrike. Goliath stated that McKenzie explicitly demanded removal of the Palestinian content while deeming the other subjects acceptable.

Abbas Akhavan Transforms the Canada Pavilion Into a Greenhouse, Daring Viewers to Leave Behind Their Preconceptions

Artist Abbas Akhavan has transformed the Canada Pavilion at the Venice Biennale into a functioning greenhouse for his exhibition "Entre chien et loup." The pavilion now houses a 6,000-gallon pool containing giant Victoria water lilies, with modifications including grow lights, water misters, a new ventilation system, and structural reinforcements to support the 25-ton water tank. The installation evokes Victorian-era Wardian cases and London's Crystal Palace, but Akhavan emphasizes that his interest in the lilies began intuitively, not as a commentary on colonialism or empire. The project, developed with curator Kim Nguyen, involved collaboration with Kew Gardens and the Orto Botanico di Padova to cultivate the plants, and the outcome remains uncertain as the lilies may thrive or wither over the exhibition's six-month run.

Not Just the Biennale: What to See in Venice in Spring 2026 Among Galleries, Independent Spaces, and Special Projects

Non solo Biennale: cosa vedere a Venezia nella primavera 2026 tra gallerie, spazi indipendenti e progetti speciali

The article highlights a curated selection of exhibitions to see in Venice during spring 2026, beyond the main shows of the 61st Venice Biennale. It features projects in galleries, independent spaces, and historic venues, including a group show titled "Waves" at Casa Sanlorenzo with works by Alexander Calder and Lucio Fontana, a video installation by Ieva Lygnugarytė at Oratorio dei Crociferi, a Judy Chicago survey at Galleria Alberta Pane, a solo show by Hanna Rochereau at Mare Karina, and a Barry X Ball retrospective at the Abbey of San Giorgio Maggiore.

Dirty carpets to Palestinian skateboarders: a decade of Peckham 24 – in pictures

Peckham 24, a photography festival in south London, celebrates its 10th anniversary with a special edition titled "The Eras Edition," running from 15-17 May at Copeland Park and the Bussey Building. Founded a decade ago by artist-curator duo Jo Dennis and Vivienne Gamble as a fringe event of Photo London, the festival began as a 24-hour pop-up showcasing emerging talent. This year's edition explores the theme of time through works by artists including Kristina Yenza (documenting youth in wartime Ukraine), Vinca Petersen (rural community life on the Isle of Skye), Max Ferguson (the London College of Communication tower block), Julie F Hill (space telescope data visualizations), Mark Duffy (carpet detritus in the Houses of Parliament), and Maen Hammad (Palestinian skateboarders).

Dozens of Venice Biennale Artists Stage ‘Drone’ Perfomance in Protest of Israel’s Participation

On the opening day of the Venice Biennale, around 60 artists and dozens of other participants staged a protest titled “Solidarity Drone Chorus” at the Giardini entrance, humming a viral song by Gazan composer Ahmed “Muin” Abu Amsha to sonically occupy the space. The action, organized by artists in the main exhibition over several months, protested Israel’s participation in the Biennale and expressed support for Palestine, with participants wearing T-shirts bearing the names and artworks of Gazan and Palestinian artists, many of whom have been killed. The protest follows an open letter from the Art Not Genocide Alliance demanding Israel’s exclusion.

Oleg Prokofiev’s Lost Trove of Paintings Comes to Light After Decades in Hiding

A trove of abstract paintings and sculptures by Russian artist Oleg Prokofiev, hidden for decades in Moscow after he fled the Soviet Union, has been rediscovered and is now on public display for the first time. Prokofiev concealed the works in the 1950s and 1960s to avoid state persecution—abstract art was banned in the USSR, and his relationship with British scholar Camilla Gray made marriage impossible until 1969. After Gray's death and his move to England, the artworks remained safely stored in Moscow, where he found them intact after the Soviet collapse. The collection, including paintings, sculptures, sketchbooks, and letters, is now exhibited at the newly founded Prokofiev Studio in Hackney, London, established by his four children and curator Anzhela Popova.

TikTok Shop adds ‘fine art’ category—will it disrupt the art market?

TikTok Shop has launched a new "fine art" category within its collectibles section, allowing artists to sell original artworks directly through shoppable videos, photographs, and livestreams. The category debuted with a three-hour live sale by artist Sophie Tea, who created a series of 20 oil paintings titled *Bric-a-Brac* and sold them for £2,800 each. The sale faced technical glitches—items added to baskets were prematurely marked as sold, causing confusion—and required workarounds for TikTok's pricing caps, automatic discounts, and shipping policies.

Monk football and sperm whales: All About Photo awards winners 2026

The 11th edition of the All About Photo awards – The Mind's Eye has announced its 2026 winners, with first place awarded to Matt McClain for his image of an intern working in a historic millinery shop at Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. The competition features a diverse range of winning photographs, including conceptual self-portraiture by Brooke Shaden, a street scene at the Benin-Togo border by France Leclerc, a train sleeping in Tunisia by Javier Arcenillas, freedivers with sperm whales by Khaichuin Sim, and young monks playing football in the Himalayas by Andrew Newey. Winners receive $5,000 in cash prizes.

In Tuscany, an Artistic Sculpture Hub Thrives

The article profiles Pietrasanta, a small town in Tuscany, Italy, that has evolved into a thriving international sculpture hub. It traces the town's artistic lineage back to Michelangelo, who sourced marble from local quarries in 1518, and highlights how today a dense network of workshops, foundries, and craftspeople attracts artists from around the world. The local government has established the Fondazione Centro Arti Visive di Pietrasanta to promote the town as a year-round art center, not just a seasonal destination. The piece features the Armenian-born artist Mikayel Ohanjanyan, who has seven sculptures on display in the town.

‘My Father’s Shadow’: Now You See Me

Clive Chijioke Nwonka reviews Akinola Davies Jr.'s film *My Father's Shadow* (2025), a semi-autobiographical story of two adolescent brothers traveling through Lagos with their estranged father during the 1993 Nigerian presidential elections. The film, selected for the Cannes Official Selection, employs a metaphysical narrative style rooted in the Nigerian oral tradition, blending literal and spiritual worlds to explore diasporic identity, memory, and cultural preservation.

The Interview: Gabrielle Goliath

Gabrielle Goliath, a South African artist, created the performance work "Elegy" in 2015 after hearing a father mourn his daughter, Ipeleng Christine Moholane, who was raped and murdered. The piece features seven operatic women sustaining a single note in relay for an hour, evolving over a decade into a series of iterations that address systemic violence and grief. In January 2026, South Africa's Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, cancelled Goliath's presentation of the latest version of "Elegy" at the 61st Venice Biennale, which was to include tributes to victims in South Africa, Namibia, and Gaza, including journalist Hiba Abu Nada. Goliath refused to alter the work, took legal action, and will now show it independently at the Chiesa di Sant'Antonin in Venice, while the official South African Pavilion will remain empty for the first time since 2011.

A Blade of Grass Names 2026 “In Fellowship” Cohort

New York-based arts nonprofit A Blade of Grass (ABoG) has announced the three members of its 2026 In Fellowship cohort: Emily Johnson / Catalyst, The Projects/Space, and UNDOC+Collective. Each fellow receives $25,000 in support and a $25,000 honorarium for their socially engaged practices. The fellowship, established in 2025, focuses this year on gathering as a form of movement building and resource distribution.

I cantieri che restaurano i saloni rinascimentali di Palazzo Venezia a Roma si possono visitare (gratis!). Ecco come

Palazzo Venezia in Rome is opening its monumental Renaissance halls to the public for free guided tours on three dates in 2026—May 23, June 6, and June 20—as part of the "VIVE Cantiere Aperto" project. Visitors will be led by restorers and art historians onto scaffolding to observe the restoration of the Loggia Grande, Sala del Mappamondo, and Sala delle Battaglie, including their wooden ceilings, sculptural decorations, and wall paintings. The halls have served as Venetian embassy, Austro-Hungarian imperial seat, and Mussolini's government headquarters before becoming a museum space.

Fondazione Bvlgari Bets on the Venice Biennale: Beyond the Pavilion in the Giardini, an Exhibition at the Biblioteca Marciana

Fondazione Bvlgari scommette sulla Biennale di Venezia: oltre al padiglione ai Giardini, una mostra alla Biblioteca Marciana

Fondazione Bvlgari is making its debut at the Venice Biennale with a collateral exhibition at the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, featuring site-specific works by Monia Ben Hamouda and Lara Favaretto. The show runs from May 9 to November 22, 2025, alongside the 61st International Art Exhibition. Ben Hamouda presents 'Fragments of Fire Worship,' neon sculptures in the Vestibule that explore language and cultural heritage, while Favaretto installs the final edition of 'Momentary Monument – The Library' in the Salone Sansovino, inviting public consultation of donated books. Additionally, Bvlgari has a pavilion in the Giardini featuring Canadian artist Lotus L. Kang, as part of a three-edition partnership with the Biennale through 2030.

Oshorenoya David Francis Explores Identity in Solitude, Fantasies & Becoming at 1853 Studios, Manchester

Oshorenoya David Francis presents a solo exhibition titled *In Solitude, Fantasies & Becoming* at 1853 Studios in Manchester, running from 15 to 17 May 2026. Co-curated by Obi Nwaegbe and Natasha Virli, the show features new acrylic paintings on canvas and paper that explore themes of solitude, identity, and emotional transformation through expressive figurative compositions. Key works include *Hug*, *Thoughts in Blue*, *Chapters in Atomic Habits*, and *Thy Wish*, each employing bold color, intimate perspectives, and narrative ambiguity to evoke psychological depth.

Risk and Reward: Jason Price Gets Artists Business-Savvy

Jason Price, an artist and entrepreneur, is launching a new initiative called 'Risk and Reward' aimed at helping artists develop business acumen. The program offers workshops and resources on financial literacy, contract negotiation, and marketing strategies tailored specifically for visual artists. Price draws on his own experience navigating the art market to provide practical guidance, with the first sessions scheduled to take place in New York and Los Angeles.

In Pictures: Opening-Day Action From Frieze New York

Frieze New York opened with a flurry of activity, drawing collectors, curators, and art enthusiasts to the fair's latest edition. The event featured a wide range of contemporary galleries and presentations, with notable early sales and strong attendance signaling a vibrant start to the fair season in New York.

Frieze New York ‘Focus’ Stand Prize Winner Announced

The article announces the winner of the Frieze New York 'Focus' stand prize, a dedicated award for emerging galleries at the fair. The prize recognizes outstanding presentation and curatorial vision among the Focus section participants.

Sung Tieu and the Art of Difficulty

Sung Tieu, a Vietnamese-born German artist, is the subject of a critical feature in Frieze that examines her work's engagement with difficulty—both in terms of the complex political and historical themes she tackles and the challenging formal qualities of her installations. The article highlights her recent projects, including works shown at the Venice Biennale, which address issues of surveillance, migration, and Cold War legacies through meticulous research and unconventional materials.

Abbas Akhavan Refuses to Perform an Identity

The article is a critic's guide to the 2026 Venice Biennale, highlighting key installations and pavilions in the Arsenale and Giardini. It features works such as fierce pussy's posters welcoming LGBTQ+ visitors and Florentina Holzinger's water-themed Austrian Pavilion, among other notable presentations.