terracotta warriors china damage tourist mausoleum qin shi huang

A 30-year-old Chinese tourist damaged two ancient terracotta warriors at the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang in Xi’an, China, on Friday. According to local officials, the man climbed over guardrails and a protective net, jumped more than 15 feet into Pit No. 3, and pushed and pulled the clay figures, causing varying degrees of damage before being restrained by security. Authorities suspect the man suffers from mental illness, and the case remains under investigation. The site reopened the following day.

ancient archeology site chan chan peru vandalized graffiti

Authorities in Peru are searching for a vandal who spray-painted a penis image on a wall of Chan Chan, a 600-year-old pre-Columbian archaeological city and UNESCO World Heritage Site located 300 miles north of Lima. The act was filmed and posted on Facebook on May 12, prompting the Ministry of Culture to launch an investigation and file a criminal complaint. The suspect could face up to six years in prison under Peru’s Penal Code. A restoration team has been sent to clean and repair the damaged mud plaster wall.

ancient buddhist artifacts found in thailand

Workers installing a drainage system beneath Wat Dhammachak Semaram, a Buddhist temple in northeastern Thailand, discovered a cache of ancient relics buried just over a meter deep. The find includes 33 bronze, silver, and gold items such as rings, earrings, and two repoussé plaques—one gold depicting a seated Buddha in the teaching gesture, and one tin showing a standing Buddha with attendants. Archaeologists from Thailand’s fine arts department conducted a second phase of excavation, uncovering the plaques and a soil deposit embedded with metal sheets behind the temple’s famous 40-foot reclining Buddha.

Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley Expands THE DELUSION Beyond the Gallery with New Interactive Online Game

Serpentine has launched "I DIDNT REALISE YOU THOUGHT LIKE THAT," a new online game and critical thinking tool by artist and game designer Danielle Brathwaite-Shirley. Available from May 21, 2026, on web and mobile platforms, the project extends the world of Brathwaite-Shirley's acclaimed "THE DELUSION" and explores polarization, identity, and social connection beyond the gallery. Developed with nonprofit Beyond Code Collective and supported by Glass Castle Foundation, the game places players in a post-apocalyptic universe where they encounter fictional characters and make decisions that shape narratives and determine multiple endings, drawing on real-world materials from news cycles, social media, and community testimonies.

Kode Bergen Art Museum : Vibeke Tandberg : They Live

Kode Bergen Art Museum in Norway will present "They Live," the most comprehensive exhibition of artist Vibeke Tandberg to date, running from May 22 to September 12, 2026. The show spans over three decades of Tandberg's practice, featuring well-known works alongside new pieces, and includes photography, film, video, sculpture, text works, and ephemera displayed throughout the museum's Stenersen building. A sculptural installation, *Hestebarrikaden* (2023), will be placed at the main entrance.

Pelham Art Center presents ‘Relics: Ancient to Modern,’ a teen-curated exhibition, from May 7 through May 31

Pelham Art Center will host 'Relics: Ancient to Modern,' a teen-curated exhibition organized by its Teen Artist Council, from May 7 through May 31. The show opens with a public artist talk on May 7 and a reception on May 9, featuring works by over 50 artists from the United States and abroad, including Pakistan. The council, composed of high school students, developed the theme, issued an open call, and curated the final selection under the guidance of Gallery and Teen Programming Coordinator Fiona Agababian.

L.A.'s $1 Billion Lucas Museum Has Revealed Inaugural Exhibitions For This Year's Opening — Curated By George Lucas Himself

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles has announced its 18 inaugural exhibitions ahead of its September 22, 2026 opening. The $1 billion, 100,000-square-foot museum in Exposition Park will feature 32 galleries curated personally by George Lucas, including a dedicated Cinema space showcasing the Lucas Archives with original concept art, costumes, and props from Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Unlike traditional museums, the exhibitions are organized by emotion and storytelling themes such as Adventure, Childhood, Fantasy, and Romance, rather than by time period or artist.

For The First Time In Miami, An Exclusive Group Exhibition That Was A Success In NYC Arrives At The Museum of Sex — Featuring Works By Over 30 Local Artists

The Museum of Sex in Miami is presenting a new group exhibition titled "F*ck Art 2026: Nature & Artifice," opening April 29, 2026. Featuring over 30 local artists including Ana María Caballero, Cheryl Pope, and Justyna Kisielewicz, the show explores themes of bodies, desire, identity, surveillance, censorship, and intimacy through painting, textiles, sculpture, photography, and digital media. Works are displayed in glass vitrines to mimic the experience of browsing a digital feed.

88-Year-Old “Father of a Lost Technique” Exhibits Over 60 Years’ Worth of Amazing Glass Art

88-year-old Swedish glass artist Bertil Vallien, known as the "father of a lost technique" for perfecting glass sand-casting, presents his first solo exhibition in Brooklyn at the Robert Lehman Gallery. Titled "Starman: Sixty Years of Exploring Glass Art," the show features 35 works spanning his 64-year career, including his signature glass heads, transparent boats, surreal sculptures, and colorful vases. Vallien has worked with the Swedish heritage brand Kosta Boda since 1963 and is credited with popularizing black glass and pushing the boundaries of the medium.

In Minor Keys and legacies held in common

The article reflects on the 61st Venice Biennale, curated by Koyo Kouoh, who passed away on 10 May 2025 at age 57 after a cancer diagnosis. Her curatorial concept, "In Minor Keys," will be realized posthumously by her team. The Biennale preview opens on 6 May 2026, with the public opening on 9 May. Additionally, artist Henrike Naumann, selected for the German Pavilion, died on 14 February 2025 at age 41, also from cancer; her work will be shown in her name.

Henrike Naumann—selected for this year's Germany pavilion at the Venice Biennale—has died

Artist Henrike Naumann, who was selected alongside Sung Tieu to represent Germany at the 2024 Venice Biennale, has died at age 39. She passed away on February 14 in Berlin after a short, serious illness, which her website specified was a late cancer diagnosis. The Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen (Ifa), which oversees the German Pavilion, confirmed her death and stated that her planned work for the Biennale will be realized posthumously according to her completed vision.

Dangling sculpture—‘evacuated’ from Russian-Ukrainian frontline—will be focus of Ukraine's pavilion at Venice Biennale

Ukraine's pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale will feature artist Zhanna Kadyrova's concrete sculpture *Origami Deer*, which was evacuated from Pokrovsk in the Donetsk region as Russian forces advanced in 2024. The pavilion, titled *Security Guarantees*, references the 1994 Budapest Memorandum and will include archival materials and a video installation documenting the sculpture's journey across Europe. The work will be suspended from a crane on a truck along the Venice lagoon, symbolizing forced displacement and the fragility of international promises.

International poster exhibition on display at UA School of Art

The University of Arkansas School of Art is hosting the United States International Poster Biennial at its Studio + Design Center in Fayetteville, featuring juried posters from designers worldwide, including works by university faculty, students, and alumni. A public reception on January 29 will include remarks by assistant professor Ryan Slone and the presentation of the Gold Award to MDES Fellow Andi Hardin for her poster "The Gratitude Magma – Yellowstone." The exhibition has also traveled to several other U.S. universities and will have international stops in 2026.

How a tiny Arizona town became home to a national queer arts exhibition

A small Arizona town of 1,500 residents, Tubac, is home to Bruce Baughman Studio & Gallery, an LGBTQ+-owned business run by life partners Bruce Baughman and Bill Davis. For three years (2021-2023), the gallery partnered with the Tubac Center of the Arts to host "Proud to Be Seen," a national juried exhibition of works by LGBTQ+ artists and allies. Despite backlash from some community members and the local Chamber of Commerce, the exhibition succeeded and became a local standout. Baughman, known for his reverse painting technique and bold acrylic works, has operated the gallery since 2001 after previously running a space in Saugatuck, Michigan.

Artist Soumyadeep Roy's latest exhibition spotlights migration and identities

Artist Soumyadeep Roy's latest exhibition, "Shahrashob," explores migration and identity through the lens of historical and personal narratives. The show traces movements from Delhi to Lucknow in the 18th century, Lucknow to Calcutta in the 19th century, and post-partition shifts to Bombay and Karachi, centering on Wajid Ali Shah's journey to Kolkata and the creation of a mini-Lucknow in Metiabruz. The exhibition features video films of paan-sellers in Lucknow and Calcutta, archival references, and creative re-imaginings, drawing on Roy's personal bonds with descendants of historical figures.

Bears collaborate with UK artist Christian Jeffery to celebrate 40th anniversary of Super Bowl XX champions

The Chicago Bears are collaborating with UK artist Christian Jeffery and OOF Gallery to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the 1985 Super Bowl XX championship team. A free exhibition at OOF Gallery inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London will run from October 10-12, featuring a one-of-a-kind art piece by Jeffery, limited-edition t-shirts with his bespoke design, and appearances by former Bears defensive end Israel Idonije. The collaboration marks the Bears' continued push into the UK lifestyle market following their London game last season.

Interview with Lisja Tërshana

Lisja Tërshana, co-founder of Khrais–Tërshana, an art dealership and production studio based in London with operations between Tirana and Krakow, discusses her unconventional path from law to the art world. After studying law in London and passing the Solicitor Qualifying Exam, she enrolled in Central Saint Martins' MA Innovation Management, where she met co-founder Sofian Khrais. The dealership operates across three distinct art markets: Poland's confident and institutionally anchored scene, Albania's emerging infrastructure with few international commercial galleries, and London's established yet innovative market. Tërshana emphasizes the importance of curation in her work, blending market instincts with curatorial vision, and draws on her legal background to ensure fairness and trust between artists and collectors.

Third National Art Gallery to open in Ipoh, to feature immersive exhibition

Malaysia's Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry announced the opening of a third National Art Gallery branch in Ipoh, housed in the historic Ipoh Old Post Office building starting next year. The new venue will feature two main exhibition spaces showcasing visual arts with digital elements, including masterpieces from Malaysian and Southeast Asian artists, and a lower level dedicated to what officials describe as the country's most extensive immersive exhibition. Secretary-general Datuk Shaharuddin Abu Sohot and National Art Gallery director-general Amerrudin Ahmad attended the announcement during the Ipoh Suka Langka Programme.

New look for Guernsey’s Old Quarter

Art for Guernsey’s Street Art exhibition and summer project ‘Diversion’ is transforming Mill Street in Guernsey’s Old Quarter with vibrant murals and public art. Running from 27 June to 30 August, the project features works by 14 international and 16 local artists, plus contributions from children in the Summer Holiday Art Club. Artists are actively creating the displays, which have already generated positive buzz on social media, with passersby sharing photos and praising the initiative.

Artist whose work addresses art world access is not in Basel—because his visa was denied

Zimbabwean artist Richard Mudariki, creator of the Art World Passport project, was denied a visa by the Swiss embassy in Pretoria to attend the Africa Basel art fair in Switzerland. The project, which sells physical booklets at art events for attendees to document their experiences, symbolically addresses barriers faced by artists from the global South in accessing Western institutions. Mudariki had planned to debut the project in Europe at Africa Basel but was forced to appear via video link after the visa rejection, citing unreliable documentation for his stay.

How Two Men with Hard Heads Broke Through Murano’s Glass Ceiling

Edoardo Pandolfo and Francesco Palù, the founders of the glass brand 6:AM, are revitalizing the traditional glassmaking industry of Murano with a contemporary, "punk" sensibility. By collaborating with master artisans and pushing the technical boundaries of the medium, the duo creates avant-garde pieces that challenge the island's historical aesthetic while maintaining its rigorous craftsmanship standards.

At Milan Design Week, Noodling Around With an Italian Classic

Milan Design Week is hosting a provocative exhibition centered on the intersection of technology and culinary tradition through 3-D-printed pasta. The showcase features a variety of experimental shapes and textures that challenge conventional manufacturing methods, presenting pasta not just as food, but as a feat of precision engineering and industrial design.

‘Volcano Snake Sun, September’: A Poem by Ella Frears

Poet Ella Frears has composed a new literary work in response to Charlie Prodger’s 2024 drawing, 'Volcano Snake Sun, September'. The poem explores themes of observation, physical detachment, and the tension between tranquility and underlying violence, mirroring the shift in Prodger’s practice from conceptual film to representational pencil-and-pastel works on paper.

Roma insiste sulla rigenerazione urbana: Stefano Boeri trasforma un ex deposito di bus in oasi verde per uffici, commerci e cultura

Stefano Boeri Architetti has been commissioned to transform a former ATAC bus depot in Rome's Prati-Delle Vittorie district into a multifunctional hub called Depositi delle Vittorie. The project, owned by the family behind the Fondazione Memmo, will convert the 16,000-square-meter disused site into a mixed-use complex featuring commercial, cultural, and leisure spaces, along with a 8,000-square-meter rooftop park suspended 15 meters high that will host art installations. Construction is set to begin in late 2027 and conclude by 2030.

Who is the new Minister of Culture in Hungary in the first post-Orbán government? The profile of Zoltán Tarr

Chi è il nuovo Ministro della Cultura in Ungheria nel primo governo post-Orbán? Il profilo di Zoltán Tarr

Zoltán Tarr è stato nominato Ministro delle Relazioni Sociali e della Cultura nel primo governo post-Orbán in Ungheria, guidato dal nuovo Primo Ministro Peter Magyar. Tarr, 52 anni, ex pastore della Chiesa riformata ungherese ed europarlamentare per il PPE, ha promesso di ripristinare la libertà d'espressione e smantellare il sistema di favoritismi politici nella cultura, dopo 16 anni di governo autoritario di Viktor Orbán.

The first of May starts a new issue of Pax. Previews of the newsletter on cultural tourism (subscribe)

Il primo maggio parte una nuova uscita di Pax. Le anticipazioni della newsletter sul turismo culturale (abbonatevi)

The article previews the upcoming May 1st issue of Pax, a newsletter by Artribune focused on cultural tourism. It highlights a feature on Italy's colorful villages, explaining how bright colors historically aided sailors and fishermen, and how white facades served hygienic purposes. The issue also covers off-the-beaten-path destinations like Bolsena, which recently opened a contemporary art space in Palazzo Cozza Caposavi, and explores slow tourism practices such as barefooting, discussed with its founder Andrea Bianchi. Additional content includes a roundup of cultural initiatives from Berlin to Naples, Budapest's Citadella reopening, and the Sussex forest's Winnie-the-Pooh centenary.

Wagner comes alive in Milan. Not only at the theater but also in these two exhibitions

A Milano rivive Wagner. Non solo a teatro ma anche in queste due mostre

Two exhibitions dedicated to Richard Wagner's Ring cycle have opened at Milan's Teatro alla Scala, coinciding with a new production of the Ring des Nibelungen and the centenary of the first Scala staging of the tetralogy in 1926. The Museo Teatrale alla Scala presents "La rivoluzione del Ring – Visconti Ronconi Chéreau," curated by Giovanni Agosti with design by Studio Margherita Palli, while the Ridotto dei palchi "A. Toscanini" hosts "Risonanze Wagner – Visioni intorno al Ring," curated by Gianluigi Colin and Mattia Palma, featuring contemporary paintings by four women artists—Antonella Benanzato, Flaminia Veronesi, Chiara Calore, and Federica Perazzoli—each reinterpreting one of the four operas.

Artist lays bare journey through alcoholism in 'powerful' North East show

Artist Nat Hardy's exhibition 'ISM – Art with Heart' has opened at Arts Centre Washington in northeast England, showcasing over 30 works inspired by her journey through alcoholism and recovery via the 12-step program. A former social worker and self-taught artist working in needle felting, textiles, watercolors, and pastels, Hardy won the 2024 Spotlight Washington Open Exhibition. Her pieces, such as 'The Journey,' use color and natural imagery to represent the emotional landscape of addiction and healing, with the show running until June 6.

Artist explores shifting perspective on family story

Artist Avi Amesbury has opened her new exhibition, 'Shifting Perspectives: The Self Reconciliation Project', at Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery in Australia. The show combines ceramics, mixed media, and sound to explore her personal family history as a descendant of white settler colonists in Western Australia. Over three years, Amesbury traveled across the country for residencies at Fremantle Arts Centre and Central Craft in Alice Springs, collecting wild clays and collaborating with composer MJ from Those Who Ride With Giants to incorporate poems, writings, and landscape sounds into the installation.

Winners of the Leicester Open announced

The winners of the Leicester Open exhibition have been announced, with Simon Farrow winning the prestigious Attenborough Award for his drawing "Clock Tower: Heaven or Hell," which depicts Leicester's Clock Tower with a street preacher and passers-by. Farrow, an amateur artist from Leicester, was selected from over 1,000 entries across paintings, sculptures, prints, and photographs. Other winners include Peter J Lester, Lisa Davies, Alexis Hutson, and several young artists in categories for ages 5-18. All winning works are on display at Leicester Museum & Art Gallery until January 30, 2026, with adult artworks available for purchase starting at £50.