shana moulton wellness culture buffalo interview 1234741025

Shana Moulton, an artist and chair of the art department at the University of California, Santa Barbara, discusses her exhibition "Meta/Physical Therapy" at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and her retrospective at the Buffalo Institute for Contemporary Art. The article centers on Moulton's semi-autobiographical alter ego, Cynthia, a hypochondriac navigating New Age wellness culture through video installations, performances, and a collection of eccentric objects. Moulton explores themes of hypochondria, hospital art, and the absurdity of wellness consumerism, drawing from her upbringing in a California mobile home park and her long-running video series "Whispering Pines" (2002–18).

the mastermind film review kelly reichardt josh oconnor 1234746055

Kelly Reichardt's new film *The Mastermind*, starring Josh O'Connor as a carpenter and family man who turns art thief, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and will be released by Mubi. The film follows O'Connor's character, J.B., as he plots a heist inspired by a real 1972 robbery of the Worcester Art Museum, targeting paintings by American modernist Arthur Dove. The movie blends suspense, humor, and meticulous visual storytelling, with Reichardt drawing on the aesthetic of 1970s America and the work of photographers Stephen Shore and William Eggleston.

art in america new talent issue 2025 1234741754

Art in America's 2025 "New Talent" issue features 20 emerging artists chosen by the magazine's editors, including Nico Williams, Bint Mbareh, Justin Allen, Agnes Questionmark, and Brooklin A. Soumahoro. The issue also includes a postmortem on figurative painting by Barry Schwabsky, an essay on spiritual art by Eleanor Heartney, a symposium on art's purpose with seven artists, and a tribute to the late Jaune Quick-to-See Smith by Emmi Whitehorse. Other sections cover Suzanne Valadon, Hito Steyerl's book, and a debate between art fairs and biennials.

artnotnet facebook marketplace art la scene 2742351

Artnet News is searching for a permanent writer for its Wet Paint gossip column, with guest writers like Janelle Zara filling in temporarily. The column focuses on speculating about the identity of the anonymous Instagram account @artnotnet, which posts humorous, all-caps commentary on art world headlines, and notes the rise of art sales on platforms like Facebook Marketplace.

our favourite viral gen z marketing scripts 2560542

Museums and cultural institutions are participating in a viral social media trend where staff, often older guides or curators, deliver marketing scripts written entirely in Gen Z slang. The trend, which began with a video from England's Hever Castle in early September, has spread across TikTok and Instagram, with hundreds of organizations creating their own versions. Typical phrases include "no cap," "ate and left no crumbs," and "menty b," often accompanied by the "Millennial Pause" for comedic effect. The article highlights several examples, including the Poe Museum in Virginia and the New York Historical Society, and notes that the trend has expanded beyond the art world to include accountancy firms, donkey sanctuaries, and even the NYC Ferry.

ls lowry ian mckellen documentary 2737539

A new BBC documentary, *L.S. Lowry: The Unheard Tapes*, will mark the 50th anniversary of the artist's death in 1976. The film features never-before-heard recordings of conversations between Lowry and a young fan, Angela Barratt, recorded in his living room—the last and longest interview he ever gave. These tapes will be brought to life through dramatic reenactments, with Ian McKellen lip-syncing Lowry's words and Annabel Smith portraying Barratt. The documentary is produced by Wall to Wall Media and aims to reveal intimate insights into Lowry's thoughts, ambitions, regrets, and humor.

2025 sigg prize winners 2729598

Wong Ping and Heidi Lau have been named joint winners of the third edition of the Sigg Prize, a biennial award stewarded by Hong Kong's M+ museum since 2018. This marks the first time the prize has recognized two artists simultaneously. Wong, based in Hong Kong, won for his animated narrative *Debts in the Wind* (2025), a lo-fi, darkly humorous commentary on a local land dispute over a golf course. Lau, born in Macau and now based in New York, won for *Pavilion Procession* (2025), an altar-like ceramic installation with a robotic spider inspired by the ancient Chinese text *Shanhaijing*. Both artists were selected from a shortlist of six, all born after the 1980s and '90s.

art bites facts holiday small talk 2711443

Artnet News offers a lighthearted holiday guide with seven art-historical conversation starters designed to deflect awkward family small talk. The article reveals quirky facts such as a secret apartment atop the Eiffel Tower, the Surrealists' party game 'Exquisite Corpse,' Leonardo da Vinci's role as a wedding planner for Milan's nobility, Marcel Duchamp paying his dentist with a fake check, and Frank Lloyd Wright inspiring Lincoln Logs.

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Performance Space New York is auctioning naming rights to the stalls in its fourth-floor unisex restroom as a fundraising campaign. Artist Bailey Hikawa will create custom resin toilet seats and commemorative plaques for each stall, collaborating with donors to reflect their personal aesthetics. One stall remains available and will be auctioned online this summer. The campaign coincides with a sound installation by Kevin Beasley that transforms the restroom into an immersive acoustic environment. Senior director Pati Hertling produced a promotional video using AI tools, featuring a synthetic newscaster announcing the fundraiser.

art bites duchamp man ray tennis 2620586

The article recounts the first meeting between artists Marcel Duchamp and Man Ray in 1915, when a language barrier threatened their connection. They broke the ice with an impromptu tennis match using old rackets and a ball, with no net, as Man Ray called out tennis scores and Duchamp simply replied 'yes.' This playful encounter launched a five-decade friendship and prolific collaboration, during which they co-created works ranging from photographs and installations to experimental films, and became central figures in New York Dada.

kent monkman interview 2635224

Kent Monkman, a contemporary artist from the Fisher River Cree Nation, is preparing for his first major U.S. museum exhibition, “Kent Monkman: History is Painted by the Victors,” at the Denver Art Museum. In an interview, Monkman discusses his career-long practice of reimagining Western art history from an Indigenous perspective, using beauty, humor, and theatricality to expose colonial violence and systemic injustices. The exhibition, which began planning in 2018 and was delayed by the pandemic, will later travel to Canada, and Monkman reflects on the rare opportunity to see his dispersed works reunited and the liberating experience of trusting curators with the presentation.

amy sillman cameron martin sikkeman jenkins malloy dia bridgehampton 1234750430

Artist Cameron Martin discusses his new exhibition “Baseline” at Sikkema Malloy Jenkins in New York with fellow painter Amy Sillman. The conversation explores Martin’s shift from earlier landscape-derived graphic paintings to a more abstract approach involving “almost signs”—forms where signifier and signified don’t fully align. Martin describes his work as engaging with paradox and contradiction, using surrogates for gesture and juxtaposing elements that don’t quite fit together, which can produce a sense of humor or drollness.

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Walter Swennen, a Belgian artist who began his career as a poet before turning to painting, has died at age 79. His death was announced by his gallery, Xavier Hufkens, without specifying a cause. Swennen was known for his playful, language-infused paintings that combined cryptic phrases, comic-book-like figures, and unconventional materials such as found wood and metal. He rose to prominence in Belgium alongside other painters interested in materiality, but his work stood out for its freewheeling humor and destabilization of meaning. A major retrospective at WIELS Contemporary Art Centre in Brussels in 2013 helped revive his career, leading to later shows at Gladstone Gallery in New York and a growing international following.

Thomas Zipp, artist with a sideways sense of history, 1966–2026

German artist Thomas Zipp, known for his dark, punk-infused explorations of history and science, has died at age 60. Throughout a career spanning painting, sculpture, and immersive scenographic installations, Zipp blended a Dadaist sensibility with a deep interest in politics, neuroscience, and the nuclear age. His work often challenged viewers with complex, opaque environments, such as his notable 2013 Venice Biennale installation that transformed a palazzo into a psychological sanatorium.

As Prada Marfa Turns 20, Artists Elmgreen & Dragset Open Their Most Surreal Exhibition Yet

Artists Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset, known for their iconic land art piece Prada Marfa, are opening a new exhibition titled “The Alice in Wonderland Syndrome” at Pace Gallery in Los Angeles. The show features surreal installations including a silicone gallery assistant asleep at her desk, men in VR goggles embracing, and circular sky paintings with mirrors, all presented at both full and half scale in two rooms. The exhibition draws inspiration from Alice in Wonderland syndrome, a neurological condition that distorts perception of scale, and continues the duo’s 30-year practice of transforming gallery spaces into immersive, humorous environments that challenge power structures.

51% of Men Say Mona Lisa "Should Smile More"

A new visitor experience survey at the Louvre Museum has revealed that 51% of male respondents believe Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa "should smile more." The finding highlights a specific demographic's critique of the artwork's famously enigmatic expression.

Diana Al-Hadid’s Norm-Resisting Survey Exhibition at MSU Broad Art Museum

The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University is presenting a survey exhibition titled “unbecoming” by Syrian-American artist Diana Al-Hadid, curated by Dr. Rachel Winter. The show features Al-Hadid’s sculptural wall panels made from polymer gypsum, steel, plaster, metal leaf, and pigment, many of which break rectilinear forms and reveal their fragile internal structures. The works incorporate recognizable imagery—silhouettes, bodies, art-historical references—that dissolves into the surface, creating tension and inviting viewers to question fixed meanings. The article also recounts a personal encounter with the artist, highlighting the humor and resistance embedded in her practice.

Inside the Brighton studio of painter David Shrigley, as an exhibition of his work opens in London

The article offers a behind-the-scenes look at British artist David Shrigley’s Brighton studio, where he prepares for a London exhibition titled 'Exhibition of Old Rope' at Stephen Friedman Gallery. Shrigley, known for his humorous, naive-style paintings and conceptual approach, describes his process of working from word lists generated by assistants, producing up to 12 paintings a day, and embracing absurdity and chance. The studio, a former office building he bought two years ago, is filled with recent large-scale works, a guitar collection, and studio paraphernalia, reflecting his playful yet disciplined practice.

If you show up in a swimsuit, you get free entry to the Cézanne exhibition. It happens in one of Switzerland's most serious institutions.

Se ti presenti in costume da bagno entri gratis alla mostra di Cézanne. Succede in una delle istituzioni più serie della Svizzera

The Fondation Beyeler in Basel, Switzerland, is hosting a major monographic exhibition dedicated to Paul Cézanne, running until May 25, 2026. Curated by Ulf Küster, the show brings together around 80 works focusing on the artist's late career, including portraits, landscapes, variations on Mont Sainte-Victoire, and bather scenes. On May 1, 2026, the museum held a "Bathers Day" promotion inspired by Cézanne's bathers and Maurizio Cattelan's playful approach, offering free entry to visitors who came in swimwear. The event attracted families and individuals, with some even swimming in the foundation's garden pond afterward.

Met Gala Memes That Ate the Rich and Left No Crumbs

The article covers the 2026 Met Gala, sponsored by Jeff and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, and the intense online backlash it generated. Despite a dress code of "Fashion is Art," celebrities faced merciless mockery on social media for their looks, with particular scorn directed at Lauren Sánchez Bezos's Schiaparelli gown inspired by John Singer Sargent's "Madame X." The criticism was amplified by weeks-long protests against Amazon's labor practices and Bezos's involvement, as well as the museum's own unionized employees speaking out. The piece compiles the most inventive and cutting memes from X (formerly Twitter), targeting everything from fashion fails to political hypocrisy.

The Best April Fools’ Jokes in the Art World This Year

Hyperallergic compiled a list of notable April Fools' Day pranks executed by major arts and cultural institutions in 2025. The jokes included the Morgan Library and Museum pretending to give its ornate interior a cheap "Landlord Special" makeover, the New York Public Library announcing it would replace its iconic lion statues with beaver sculptures, and the Brooklyn Museum and Brooklyn Botanic Garden proposing a whimsical, amusement park-style tunnel connecting their campuses.

Woman With Her Back to the Viewer in Gallery Photos Speaks Out

A satirical article features an exclusive interview with the fictional archetype "Woman With Her Back to the Viewer in All Those Gallery Photos." She describes her daily routine of posing ambiguously next to artworks, her artistic influences like Caspar David Friedrich, and the challenges of her unseen labor, including a lack of sales commission and the need for side hustles like making herself blurry in photos.

List of Failed Business Ideas Found Beneath Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch”

A recent conservation analysis of Rembrandt's "The Night Watch" at the Rijksmuseum has revealed a surprising discovery beneath the painting's surface. Using macro X-ray fluorescence, researchers uncovered a handwritten list of alternative business ideas considered by the young Rembrandt, including face-painting at children's parties, an umbrella repair shop, and making luxury combs from fishbones.

Philadelphia Museum of Art Rebrands Again as "PhArt"

The Philadelphia Museum of Art has announced a rebranding to "PhArt," following the discovery of a long-lost Marcel Duchamp readymade—an early prototype of a whoopee cushion titled "Le rire"—in its archives. The institution is dropping "Museum" from its name to signal a commitment to art that transcends traditional boundaries, and the new branding will be featured prominently on social media.

Maurizio Cattelan’s Latest Work is Hotline for People to Confess Their Sins… to Him

Italian conceptual artist Maurizio Cattelan has launched a new project: a hotline and WhatsApp service inviting the public to confess their sins. The project, timed to coincide with the Easter period and the 21st anniversary of Pope John Paul II's death, will culminate in a livestream on April 23 where Cattelan will offer a form of symbolic absolution to selected participants. Alongside the hotline, he is releasing a limited edition of 666 small-scale replicas of his controversial 1999 sculpture, *The Ninth Hour*, which depicts the late pope struck by a meteorite.

An Otto Dix Masterpiece Comes to Life in the New Season of 'À Musée Vous, À Musée Moi'

Un chef-d’œuvre d’Otto Dix prend vive dans la nouvelle saison d’« À Musée Vous, À Musée Moi »

The popular web series "À Musée Vous, À Musée Moi" has returned for a new season focusing on Otto Dix’s 1926 masterpiece, "Portrait of the Journalist Sylvia von Harden." Created by Fouzia Kechkech and co-produced by the Centre Pompidou and Dada Media, the series uses short, humorous live-action sketches to bring iconic paintings to life. In these episodes, actress Isabelle Desplantes portrays Von Harden, navigating anachronistic situations—such as dealing with social media trolls—while providing historical context about the New Objectivity movement and the "New Woman" of the Weimar Republic.

bint mbareh sound art palestinian resistance 1234743980

Bint Mbareh, a Palestinian sound artist and stage name assumed around 2019, creates installations and performances that use water and sound as metaphors for Palestinian experience. Growing up in Ramallah and later studying at Goldsmiths in London, she learned geographically specific Palestinian rain-summoning songs, which she twists and destabilizes using digital technology in works like *Time Flows in All Directions: Water Flows Through Me* (2020). After October 7, 2023, she expanded her practice to include a “choir” of collaborators performing collective grief, with appearances at an Artists for Aid benefit concert in London and at Tate Modern. Recent installation works such as *Bodies of Knowledge* (Royal College of Art) and *What’s Left?* (Sharjah Biennial) incorporate water tanks vibrated by sound, evoking both childhood and displacement.

yale errata exhibition 2751007

Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library is hosting a new exhibition titled "'Beauties of My Style,'" which explores 500 years of printed errors and errata sheets. Curated by Rachel Churner and Geoff Kaplan, the show features approximately 30 artifacts ranging from James Joyce’s error-riddled first edition of Ulysses to the infamous 1631 "Wicked Bible," which accidentally commanded readers to commit adultery. The exhibition highlights how these slips of paper serve as more than just corrections, acting as sites of humor, legal maneuvering, and poetic reinterpretation.

national gallery mysterious altarpiece 20 million 2639437

London's National Gallery has acquired a mysterious altarpiece painted by an unknown artist around 1510, paying £16.4 million ($21.8 million) for the work titled *The Virgin and Child with Saints Louis and Margaret*. The painting, arranged via a private sale by Sotheby's and funded by the American Friends of the National Gallery London, features unusual details including a uniquely expressive dragon beneath baby Jesus's feet, playful angels, and subtle symbolic references. The acquisition marks the museum's bicentennial and will go on public display on May 10 in the rehung Sainsbury Wing.

art young photographer chris cook

Cultured magazine profiles Chris Cook, a 33-year-old New York photographer nominated by Ming Smith. Cook describes himself as a "native tourist" of New York, chronicling urban life through photography. His book documenting the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests has been acquired by major institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Yale University, the British Library, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Cook cites influences such as Jamel Shabazz, Roy DeCarava, Ming Smith, Kerry James Marshall, Gary Simmons, and Jean-Michel Basquiat.