Olafur Eliasson stages public wake for the Great Salt Lake in Utah

Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson presented 'A symphony of disappearing sounds for the Great Salt Lake,' a large-scale multimedia installation in Salt Lake City’s Memory Grove Park. The work featured a three-story luminous sphere projecting visuals of wind currents and geothermal light, accompanied by a soundscape of migratory birds, brine flies, and frogs. Commissioned by the Salt Lake City Arts Council and Bloomberg Philanthropies, the ten-day public event served as a creative wake for the rapidly receding lake.

Unlike Josh Kline, I Choose New York

Artist Josh Kline’s recent essay on the devastating impact of New York City’s real estate market on the arts has sparked a heated debate regarding the city's future as a creative hub. While Kline argues that the 'polycrisis' of high rents and student debt is stifling artists born after 1975, this response critiques his generational focus, suggesting that the struggle for affordability is a structural issue affecting artists of all ages, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds who have faced these barriers for decades.

The Narrow Corridor of Normality

Der schmale Korridor der Normalität

Artist Beate Gütschow reflects on Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s 16th-century engraving "Spes" (Hope), which she encountered during a visit to the Kunstmuseum Basel. The artwork depicts a personified figure of Hope standing amidst a chaotic scene of shipwrecks and flooding, symbolizing the necessity of maintaining focus and action even in the face of overwhelming disaster.

Gilles Bloch: "The Museum needs 1.1 billion euros"

Gilles Bloch : « Le Muséum a besoin de 1,1 milliard d’euros »

Gilles Bloch, president of the Muséum national d’histoire naturelle in Paris, has issued an urgent call for €1.1 billion in funding to address the critical state of the institution's infrastructure. Ahead of its 400th anniversary in 2026, a diagnostic report reveals that 74% of the museum's 120 buildings are in poor condition, with several galleries currently closed to the public or suffering from inadequate climate control. The requested funds would cover €500 million in emergency repairs to stabilize decaying structures and a further €600 million for long-term modernization and energy efficiency upgrades.

LA museums to check out this Earth Month

Los Angeles museums are marking Earth Month with a series of exhibitions and events focused on sustainability and environmental consciousness. Highlights include the Hammer Museum’s exhibition, "Several Eternities in a Day: Form in the Age of Living Materials," which features works by 22 artists using organic substances like avocado, cochineal dye, and volcanic rock. Meanwhile, the Fowler Museum is hosting an immersive look at the indigenous rice cultivation practices of the Ifugao people in the Philippines.

Art museum paints a picture of despair

The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum in Gqeberha is facing a catastrophic institutional collapse due to years of municipal neglect and a 64% staff vacancy rate. A recent report reveals that the museum’s priceless collection—which includes works by George Pemba, Gladys Mgudlandlu, and LS Lowry—is being threatened by leaking roofs, spreading mold, and failing fire and security systems. While the galleries have been closed to the public for over a year, the facility currently lacks a qualified conservator to address the mounting damage to its historical and contemporary holdings.

ART AGAINST COLLAPSE 193 ARTISTS IMAGINE ALTERNATIVE FUTURES

The Nevada Museum of Art has launched 'Into the Time Horizon,' a massive, multi-year exhibition occupying its entire 120,000-square-foot building. Featuring 193 artists from across the globe, the show is organized into seven thematic sections that survey environmental art and confront the climate crisis, while proposing hopeful pathways forward grounded in care and collective responsibility. It will be on view in full until September 2026, with parts remaining until 2027.

Demise of world's largest mangrove forest inspires Bangladeshi artist Soma Surovi Jannat's new works

Bangladeshi artist Soma Surovi Jannat has opened her first UK exhibition, 'Climate Culture Care,' at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. The show features around 20 paintings and drawings created largely during a 2023 residency, drawing inspiration from the endangered Sundarbans mangrove forest and the museum's own collections. Her works fuse human, animal, and mythological imagery to depict the region's ecological and social struggles.

ELENA DAMIANI, XIMENA GARRIDO-LECCA AND ISHMAEL RANDALL-WEEKS: SIGNAL AND STRATA

ELENA DAMIANI, XIMENA GARRIDO-LECCA E ISHMAEL RANDALL-WEEKS: SIGNAL AND STRATA

An exhibition titled 'Signal and Strata' featuring Peruvian artists Elena Damiani, Ximena Garrido-Lecca, and Ishmael Randall-Weeks was presented at the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts from February 5 to April 5, 2026. The show, examined in an accompanying essay by curator Madeline Murphy Turner, focuses on how the artists use materials like travertine, copper, and concrete to interrogate narratives of modernity, resource extraction, and the climate crisis.

Kunsthalle Mainz Facing the End?

Kunsthalle Mainz vor dem Aus?

The Kunsthalle Mainz is facing potential closure by the end of the year following the withdrawal of funding by the Mainzer Stadtwerke. The crisis is compounded by the departure of director Stefanie Böttcher, who is moving to the Kunsthalle Kiel, and the fact that her position has not been advertised for replacement. Despite its international reputation and successful recent exhibitions, such as the current Britta Marakatt-Labba retrospective, the institution lacks a secured financial future and a leadership succession plan.

Sun, Sea, and Security

"Sonne, Meer und Sicherheit"

The Art Cologne Palma Mallorca art fair has emerged as a strategic hub for wealthy German collectors, positioning the Mediterranean island as a safe and accessible alternative to more volatile global markets. While sales have been strongest in the lower price segments, the fair's revival highlights a trend toward 'lifestyle' art events that prioritize security and leisure. Simultaneously, the German art market faces a broader crisis of regionalization, where galleries are increasingly focusing on local buyers despite declining overall sales and a lack of transformative economic growth.

The Groups and Other Artistic Revolts: Networks and Collectivities in Mexico, 1976-1985

LOS GRUPOS Y OTRAS REVUELTAS ARTÍSTICAS. REDES Y COLECTIVIDADES EN MÉXICO, 1976-1985

The Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC) in Mexico City has launched a major exhibition titled "Los grupos y otras revueltas artísticas," which re-examines the surge of artist collectives in Mexico between 1976 and 1985. Drawing from the Arkheia Documentation Center, the show moves beyond a simple chronological survey to reconstruct emblematic works and document the radical shifts in artistic language that occurred during this era. It highlights key historical moments, such as the 1977 Paris Biennial and the formation of the Mexican Front of Cultural Workers' Groups, while exploring how these collectives navigated urban spaces and institutional boundaries.

Sony world photography awards 2026 – in pictures

The 2026 Sony World Photography Awards have announced their top honors across professional, open, student, and youth categories. Notable winners include Citlali Fabián for her series on Indigenous activists in Mexico, Seungho Kim for a project exploring the intersection of parenting and pet ownership in South Korea, and Dafna Talmor for her abstracted, collaged landscapes. The winning works span a diverse range of subjects, from the documentation of a fire at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm to intimate portraits of faith at the Vatican.

Artists take us down the rabbit hole in this group exhibition

The group exhibition 'Down the Rabbit Hole' at The Crypt Gallery features over 30 artists reflecting on the psychological and social impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Presented by the social enterprise Katya’s Space, the show honors the legacy of the late artist Katya Kan, who passed away in 2023. The works explore themes of digital addiction, isolation, and the 'dystopian' shift in reality experienced during global lockdowns, using Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland as a metaphor for this profound transformation.

Comment | Museums must be the leaders in a moral revolution

Dutch historian Rutger Bregman, in his 2025 BBC Reith Lectures and book 'Moral Ambition,' argues that Europe risks becoming a stagnant, museum-like relic and calls for a moral revolution to counter societal decline driven by unserious leadership. He positions museums, with their high public trust and status as democratic civic spaces, as crucial leaders in this revolution, urging them to move beyond passive neutrality and actively establish ethical standards, combat misinformation, and engage with urgent societal issues like authoritarianism and climate crisis.

Art Dubai announces details for revised 2026 edition

Art Dubai has unveiled the details for its 2026 "special edition," which features a significantly reduced scale in response to ongoing regional conflict. The fair will host 50 galleries—a sharp decline from the 120 participants in 2025—with a strategic focus on regional representation, as nearly two-thirds of the exhibitors hail from the Middle East. To compensate for the smaller commercial footprint, the event will deepen its ties with local institutions like the Sharjah Art Foundation and Alserkal Avenue through expanded collaborative programming.

The Milan fair dedicating an entire day to reflecting on the state of Italian art: 8 straight hours of conversations

A Milano la fiera che dedica un’intera giornata per riflettere sullo stato dell’arte italiana: 8 ore filate di conversazioni

The debut edition of Paris Internationale in Milan, scheduled for April 2026 at Palazzo Galbani, will feature a marathon eight-hour symposium titled "Aperto Italia." Organized in collaboration with the Fondazione Nicola Trussardi and curated by Massimiliano Gioni, the event brings together 35 international galleries and a significant roster of Italian artists. The program is designed as a continuous cycle of conversations to address the current state of contemporary art in Italy, paying tribute to the late Flash Art publisher Giancarlo Politi.

New York is so expensive that it is no longer possible to produce art and culture in the city

New York è così cara che ormai non è più possibile produrre arte e cultura in città

Artist and curator Josh Kline has sparked a significant industry debate with his essay, "New York Real Estate and the Ruin of American Art," which argues that the city's prohibitive real estate market is dismantling its cultural foundation. Kline posits that the financialization of property and the disappearance of affordable lofts and mid-size galleries have created an unsustainable ecosystem where only those with independent wealth can survive. This economic pressure is forcing a generation of creative workers to choose between their practice and basic survival, leading to a stagnation of innovation.

This beloved pop culture art gallery in L.A. is closing after 20 years — is AI to blame?

Gallery 1988, a pioneering Los Angeles institution that branded itself as the world's first pop culture-focused art gallery, will cease operations at the end of April after 20 years. Founded in 2004, the gallery became a cult favorite for its tribute exhibitions dedicated to films, video games, and television, often drawing massive crowds for shows like "Crazy 4 Cult." Owner Katie Sutton cited a historically weak art market and the loss of a physical storefront as primary factors in the decision to close.

Endless’s Street Art Calls Attention to London’s Homeless Crisis

British street artist Endless has installed a new public artwork on the corner wall of Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church in London. The piece depicts a rough sleeper in a sleeping bag with the text "210,000 Homeless today," creating a stark visual juxtaposition against the affluent backdrop of the nearby Oxford Street shopping district.

Rocío Sáenz: Wild Order

ROCÍO SÁENZ: ORDEN SALVAJE

Mexican artist Rocío Sáenz presents "Orden salvaje" (Wild Order) at the Museo de las Artes de la Universidad de Guadalajara (MUSA), an exhibition featuring over 60 works created over three years. Spanning painting, ceramics, photography, and drawing, the collection explores the tension between beauty and horror, specifically addressing the harrowing reality of forced disappearances in Mexico. The exhibition is designed as an open studio, showcasing the artist's creative process alongside finished pieces that utilize black humor and satire to navigate themes of death and reconstruction.

Which Country’s Art Market Came Out on Top in 2025?

The United States solidified its position as the world's leading art market in 2025, with fine-art auction sales rising 25.3 percent to reach $5.4 billion. Despite early volatility caused by trade tariffs, a surging stock market and cooling inflation fueled a massive November auction season in New York, where nine of the year's ten most expensive artworks were sold. In contrast, China's market contracted by nearly 11 percent due to a persistent property crisis, while the United Kingdom and France saw significant growth, with Paris benefiting from the momentum of Art Basel Paris.

Michael Armitage and the Feverish Memory of Images

Michael Armitage und das fiebrige Gedächtnis der Bilder

The British-Kenyan painter Michael Armitage is the subject of a major solo exhibition at the Palazzo Grassi in Venice, part of the Pinault Collection. The showcase features new works, including the titular painting "52,000 Years," which references prehistoric cave art while weaving together themes of political unrest, the refugee crisis, and lush landscapes. Armitage’s technique is noted for its use of Lubugo bark cloth, a traditional Ugandan material that adds a tactile, irregular dimension to his complex figurative compositions.

Mongolia Pavilion Announces Artistic Team for 2026 Venice Biennale

Mongolia has selected artists Nomin Bold, Dorjderem Davaa, Gerelkhuu Ganbold, and Tuguldur Yondonjamts to represent the country at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026. The pavilion, titled 'Entanglements: Connectivities Across Borders,' will be curated by Uranchimeg Tsultem and Thomas Eller and will explore interspecies relations, spirituality, and historical trade links, specifically the Mongol Empire's 13th-century connections to Venice.

Comment | All hail the rise of the art internship

Sotheby's auction house and Sotheby's Institute of Art, through their parent company Edconic, have launched a formalized, paid fellowship program. The initiative places 20 master's students from the Institute's New York program into 12-week paid internships at the auction house, with plans to expand to London and eventually involve 60 students. The program aims to provide practical, credit-earning work experience directly within the art market.

At Rirkrit Tiravanija’s “Say Yes To Everything”, Eating Is Part Of The Experience

Renowned contemporary artist Rirkrit Tiravanija has launched his largest solo exhibition in Singapore at STPI – Creative Workshop & Gallery. Titled "Say Yes To Everything," the retrospective spans over a decade of the artist's practice, featuring prints, editioned works, and interactive installations that emphasize communal experiences. The show includes signature elements of Tiravanija’s relational aesthetics, such as communal meals, origami sessions, and works that utilize UV light to reveal extinct animals, highlighting themes of migration, ecology, and social interaction.

Vittoria Matarrese new director of the Magasin in Grenoble

Vittoria Matarrese nouvelle directrice du Magasin de Grenoble

Vittoria Matarrese has been appointed as the new director of the Magasin, the National Center for Contemporary Art in Grenoble. The Italian architect and curator, who previously held positions at the Villa Medici in Rome, the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, and the Bally Foundation in Lugano, and most recently led the first Art Week Riyadh, succeeds Céline Kopp. Her appointment comes as the institution seeks a new direction after a prolonged period of crisis.

New School Faculty React to Plans to Lay Off 15% of Workforce

The New School announced plans to lay off 15% of its full-time faculty and staff by mid-June, a move driven by a projected $48 million deficit and a 20% enrollment decline since 2021. The cuts are part of a broader workforce reduction strategy that has already included voluntary buyouts. The restructuring will disproportionately affect the New School for Social Research and Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts, which are undergoing major mergers and program discontinuations, while the Parsons School of Design faces fewer cuts.

A major traveling event arrives in Verona where books are bought by the kilo: an interview

A Verona arriva un grande evento itinerante dove i libri si acquistano un tot al chilo: intervista

The traveling literary event Librokilo is set to arrive in Verona on April 11–12, 2026, hosted at the independent cultural space Habitat 83. This initiative allows attendees to purchase second-hand and rare books at a fixed price of 10€ per kilogram, aiming to rescue titles that would otherwise be sent to landfills. Since its inception in 2022, the project has recirculated over 120,000 books across Italy, addressing the systemic issue of overproduction in the publishing industry.

‘Changing Climate, Changing Communities’ sparks conversation and celebrates local art

The Oxford Community Arts Center recently hosted the opening of "Changing Climate, Changing Communities," an exhibition organized by Engaging for Climate in Oxford (ECO). The show features a diverse range of media, including paintings, sculptures, and graphic works created by professional artists, Miami University faculty, and local elementary students. Notable works include Tara Trueblood’s abstract painting "The Flood," which explores the tension between crisis and hope, and imaginative drawings of undiscovered animals by sixth-grade students from Ridgeway Elementary.