ON THE IM-POSSIBILITY OF COMMUNICATING. “DICHO A MANO”, BY FELIPE PINEDA

SOBRE LA IM-POSIBILIDAD DE COMUNICARSE. “DICHO A MANO”, DE FELIPE PINEDA

The exhibition "Dicho a mano" by Chilean artist Felipe Pineda, curated by Ayelén Ruiz at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Santiago, explores the difficulty of communication when words fail, turning to the body and hands as alternative languages. Pineda draws on his migratory experience in London and references mutilated classical sculptures from the British Museum, while a recent theft of one piece adds an unexpected dimension. The show reflects on barriers in art and human connection, proposing that even failed communication carries a desire to be understood.

Between Ritual and Institution: Andrea Canepa's Interventions in Spain

ENTRE EL RITO Y LA INSTITUCIÓN: LAS INTERVENCIONES DE ANDREA CANEPA EN ESPAÑA

Andrea Canepa, a Peruvian artist born in 1980, has installed "Fardo" at the Palacio de Cristal in Madrid's Parque del Retiro, running from January 13, 2026 to January 1, 2027. The work wraps the building's perimeter in a printed fabric bearing patterns from Paracas funerary textiles, a pre-Columbian culture from southern Peru. Created during the palace's ongoing restoration (which began in 2023), the installation challenges the building's colonial history—it was built for the 1887 Exhibition of the Philippine Islands—by introducing indigenous visual and ritual references. Canepa also presented "Entre lo profundo y lo distante" at the IVAM in Valencia until April 12, 2026, which uses Andean huacas (sacred spaces) to propose a non-linear relationship between time, body, and space. Both works transform passive contemplation into active, bodily participation, using ritual as a means to reorganize the exhibition experience.

ARTIndia and Vadehra Art Collaborate for ‘Next/Now’ Exhibition in Delhi

A group exhibition titled 'Next/Now' will open in New Delhi on 29 May 2026, organized by ARTIndia Magazine and Vadehra Art Gallery. The show features 30 emerging artists selected from ARTIndia's '30 Under 30' list, working across painting, sculpture, installation, photography, and mixed media. The opening coincides with Defence Colony Gallery Night, and partial proceeds will support the ARTIndia Care Fund, which provides medical care for young artists.

Last chance to see exhibition showcasing amazing local talent as it draws to a close

Bolton Museum's Open Art Exhibition, featuring over 240 artworks by local artists and photographers, is closing on Sunday, March 17. The show includes paintings, photography, and sculptures from creators who live, work, or study in Bolton. Grand prize winner Richard Wood received £1,000 from the Mayor for his landscape 'Ghost Chimneys', while University of Greater Manchester student Olivia Edge won the Young Artist Award for her acrylic painting 'Rewilding'.

What We Saw at Buffalo Prescott’s 'Vernal 2026'

Buffalo Prescott’s Detroit headquarters is hosting 'Vernal 2026,' a spring-inspired contemporary arts exhibition running through June 27, with a public opening on May 22. The exhibition features works by resident artists including Jessica Wildman Katz, Halima Afi Cassells, Cyrah Dardas, Sara Nickleson, and Tony Printz, alongside metro Detroit and international artists. Highlights include Katz's botanical rabbit sculpture 'Kindling,' Cristina Umaña's whimsical 'Mesa De Centro' (a stack of white tables with human-like limbs), and Amelia Burns's photographic diptych 'Evil Eye' and 'Evil Eye Transmuted onto Organza, 2026,' which explores contemporary American culture through collage.

Creativity, contrast, conversation: Mumbai’s Tao Art Gallery promotes dialogue through exibitions

Mumbai’s Tao Art Gallery is fostering artistic dialogue through a series of exhibitions that emphasize creativity, contrast, and conversation. The gallery’s programming highlights diverse visual narratives and encourages engagement between artists and audiences.

Notre-Dame: The Lie About Respecting Viollet-le-Duc's Light

Notre-Dame : le mensonge sur le respect de la lumière de Viollet-le-Duc

The article criticizes the planned replacement of the stained-glass windows in Notre-Dame Cathedral, designed by Claire Tabouret, arguing that the public establishment behind the project has made false claims about respecting the original light and colors of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc's 19th-century windows. The author compares the existing and proposed windows baie by baie, asserting that the new designs do not match the chromatic balance or light quality, and calls the official justification a lie. It also highlights two additional alleged falsehoods: that the law for Notre-Dame's restoration deliberately omitted the Venice Charter (when the culture minister said it was unnecessary because the charter was already binding), and that the National Commission for Heritage and Architecture had approved the window replacement (which the author claims is contradicted by the commission's own minutes and multiple members).

Hubert Robert & Fragonard. Le sentiment de la nature

The Musée d'art et d'archéologie in Valence, France, is presenting an exhibition titled "Hubert Robert & Fragonard. Le sentiment de la nature" from March 7 to June 21, 2026. The show traces the artistic friendship between Hubert Robert and Jean-Honoré Fragonard, who met as young French artists sketching in the ruins of Rome under the guidance of Charles-Joseph Natoire. It features works from the museum's renowned collection of sanguine drawings, notably those from the foundational bequest of Julien Victor Veyrenc (1835-1836), and includes new attributions proposed by curator Sarah Catala, a graduate conservator from the Institut National du Patrimoine.

Notre-Dame : les travaux commencent, le combat se poursuit

Work has begun on replacing the stained-glass windows at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, with scaffolding installed immediately after the work permit was posted. The project involves removing six ornamental windows created in 1864 by Alfred Gérente under Eugène Viollet-le-Duc and installing six new windows by artist Claire Tabouret and the master glassmakers Simon-Marq. The authorization, signed by the prefect, has sparked legal challenges from the heritage association Sites & Monuments, who argue the replacement is neither conservation nor restoration. The article details how the state's own authorization document inadvertently strengthens opponents' arguments by affirming that the entire cathedral, including Viollet-le-Duc's windows, is protected as a historic monument.

The Politics of In-action: Review of In-action: Viennese Actionism and the Passivities of Performance Art

Caroline Lillian Schopp's new book *In-action: Viennese Actionism and the Passivities of Performance Art* (2025) offers a revisionist history of Viennese Actionism, a movement retroactively named in 1970 by Peter Weibel and Valie Export. Schopp introduces the term "in-action" to describe a politics of artistic action that emphasizes intimacy, hesitation, and vulnerability rather than the violent or liberatory extremes typically associated with the movement. She expands the canon to include women artists such as Anna Brus, Hanel Koeck, and Ingrid Wiener, and reexamines the work of Rudolf Schwarzkogler, whose death was mythologized as a suicide by self-castration but was actually a fall from a window. Through close readings of photographs, Schopp argues that Schwarzkogler's performances were characterized by passivity and "in-sincerity," challenging the dominant narrative of actionism as aggressive or heroic.

Venice Biennale Opens Amid Strikes, Protests and Institutional Rupture.

The 61st Venice Biennale opened in May 2026 amid strikes, protests, and political unrest, rather than celebration. Coordinated by Italian labor groups and transnational coalitions, demonstrators targeted the Biennale's decision to allow participation by Israel and Russia during the ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine. The Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) led protests against Israel's participation, while Pussy Riot and FEMEN activists staged a protest outside the Russian pavilion. The Israeli pavilion's relocation from the Giardini to the Arsenale added symbolic weight, with critics viewing it as institutional endorsement. The late curator Koyo Kouoh's vision for the exhibition, titled "In Minor Keys," emphasized tenderness and complexity, contrasting with the volatile atmosphere.

Giant glacier painting disappears from Argentina’s presidential palace after new law passes loosening protections for these icy regions

Days before Argentina’s Congress approved an amendment to the glacier law that weakens protections for glacial regions to facilitate mining, President Javier Milei’s government removed a monumental painting of the Perito Moreno Glacier from the Casa Rosada presidential palace. The work, Helmut Ditsch’s photorealist *The Triumph of Nature* (2006), had been on loan and on display since 2012. The government cited “maintenance reasons” and “structural damage,” but the artist says he was not notified and has contacted lawyers. A portrait of Juan Domingo and Evita Perón was also removed the same day, with the same vague explanation.

CalArts President Booed During Commencement Speech

California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) President Ravi S. Rajan was loudly booed by students during the school's commencement ceremony on May 15, as they held signs reading “Hold the Admin Accountable” and “Save Our Faculty & Staff.” The protest stemmed from ongoing financial turmoil at the esteemed art school, including a multi-million-dollar budget deficit, significant staff and faculty layoffs, and a decline in enrollment from 1,500 to roughly 1,200. Despite Rajan's attempts to redirect focus to the graduates, the booing persisted, and board chair Charmaine Jefferson unsuccessfully appealed for calm. The incident follows a broader crisis at CalArts, where over 75% of staff sought to unionize in 2024, and faculty held a “Chop from the Top” rally in March against proposed $5 million in cuts.

Art and Cultural Engagement Can Slow the Pace of Aging: Report

A new study published in the journal *Innovation in Aging* finds that engaging with arts and cultural activities can slow biological aging at a molecular level. Led by Daisy Fancourt of University College London, the research measured participation in four types of activities—participatory arts, receptive arts, visiting heritage sites, and other cultural activities—and used epigenetic clocks to assess aging. Those who engaged at least once a week showed a four-percent slowdown in aging, while monthly engagement yielded a three-percent slowdown.

Manhattan D.A.’s Office Returns More Than 650 Looted Artifacts to India

On April 28, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., announced the return of 657 trafficked antiquities valued at nearly $14 million to India. The items were recovered by the D.A.'s Antiquities Trafficking Unit and Homeland Security Investigations, and formally returned at a ceremony in New York. Among the repatriated pieces are a bronze figure of Avalokiteshvara (valued at $2 million), stolen from the Mahant Ghasidas Memorial Museum in Raipur in 1982; a red sandstone Buddha statue (valued at $7.5 million) smuggled by convicted dealer Subhash Kapoor; and a sandstone Ganesha sculpture looted by trafficker Vaman Ghiya and sold through Christie's by Nancy Wiener, who was later convicted of antiquities trafficking.

US Border Wall Construction Damages 1,000-Year-Old Indigenous Land Art in Arizona

Construction crews building a barrier between the United States and Mexico have damaged a 200-foot-long etching of a fish embedded in the land in Arizona, known as the Las Playas Intaglio, which is thought to be 1,000 years old. According to a report in the Washington Post, workers destroyed a 60-to-70-foot portion of the ancient Indigenous land art as part of President Donald Trump’s $46.5 billion border-wall project. Satellite imagery confirmed the destruction, showing bulldozer marks running through about a third of the fish formation. U.S. Customs and Border Protection acknowledged the incident, stating that a contractor inadvertently disturbed the cultural site on April 23, 2026, and that the remaining portion has been secured.

How a Remote California Artists’ Retreat Inspired Vhernier’s Latest Ring Collection

Italian jewelry maison Vhernier has collaborated with artist Pae White to create a 10-design limited-edition ring collection inspired by White's childhood memories of Sea Ranch, a remote artists' retreat in Sonoma County, California. The collection translates the architecture of crustaceans and abalone into precious materials, using sapphires, diamonds, and rock crystal set in white or rose gold, with only two versions of each design produced.

Regional exhibition of Ohio Collage Society opening May 29 at Coburn Art Gallery

The Coburn Art Gallery at Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio, will host a regional exhibition featuring 70 works by members of the Ohio Collage Society from May 29 through July 24. The free opening reception takes place on May 29 from 6 to 7:30 p.m., showcasing two-dimensional and three-dimensional collages that explore diverse materials and techniques. Featured artists include Anita Burgess, Nancy S. Sotka, Mary Ann Sedivy, and others.

Monuments in Motion

Denkmäler in Bewegung

Berlin-based artist Sarah Ama Duah, who transitioned from fashion to sculpture, creates works that explore Afro-German memory culture. Her practice includes beeswax portraits, found objects like Delft porcelain and baroque vases, and performances at venues such as the Humboldt Forum. In 2025, she received the Wolfram Beck Prize for Sculpture. Duah's early fashion work, including silicone garments shown at the Fashionclash Festival in Maastricht, evolved into sculptural investigations of clothing, body, and space, leading her to study performance and sculpture at the Berlin University of the Arts under Jimmy Robert.

The Great Shitshow

Die große Shitshow

Florentina Holzinger has transformed the Austrian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale into a radical performance installation titled "Seaworld Venice." The piece features naked performers suspended from meat hooks, a performer ringing a bell while dangling upside down from a crane, a woman on a jetski circling inside a flooded pavilion, and a system where visitors are invited to urinate into portable toilets, with the waste processed and recirculated into the water. The work combines extreme physical stunts, nudity, and bodily fluids to create a visceral, immersive experience that has drawn long queues and stunned reactions from the art world.

Shit has the power to destabilize systems of order

"Scheiße hat die Kraft, Ordnungssysteme zu destabilisieren"

Aline Bouvy, the artist representing Luxembourg at the Venice Biennale, has created a film essay titled "La Merde" that centers on excrement as its main character. Originally conceived as a performance, the work explores themes of bodily circulation, transformation, and the grotesque, using feces to challenge societal taboos and systems of order. Bouvy discusses the film's development with curator Stilbé Schroeder, noting that the Biennale provided the resources and time to realize the project, which will later travel to the Kunstverein in Salzburg.

He’s Trolling Your Trash, and Turning It Into Art

Thomas Dambo, a Danish artist known for constructing giant, whimsical sculptures from recycled scrap materials and hiding them in forests around the world, has gained a massive global following. His troll-like creatures, made from discarded wood and trash, have become viral sensations, drawing visitors to remote locations. Now, after years of operating largely outside the traditional art establishment, Dambo is receiving recognition from the mainstream art world, with galleries and institutions beginning to embrace his work.

JR transforms the Pont-Neuf into an immense immersive cave

JR métamorphose le Pont-Neuf en immense caverne immersive

French artist JR has transformed the Pont-Neuf in Paris into a massive immersive cave installation titled "La Caverne du Pont-Neuf," unveiled in May 2026. The work pays homage to Christo and Jeanne-Claude's 1985 wrapping of the same bridge, using an inflatable double-wall structure covered with printed fabric to simulate rock formations and a prehistoric cave. The 120-meter-long installation is free and open to the public day and night, featuring augmented reality experiences via mobile devices and VR glasses, with a soundscape by a former Daft Punk member. The project, budgeted at €10.9 million funded by private sources, marks the first time JR has invited the public inside one of his works.

Russia’s Venice Pavilion Will Be Closed to Public for Duration of Biennale

Russia's pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale will be closed to the public for the duration of the exhibition, from May 9 to November 22, following escalating controversy over the country's participation. The group show, titled “The tree is rooted in the sky,” will only be open to press and industry insiders during the preview days (May 5–8). The move comes after the International Criminal Court accused Russia of crimes against humanity, leading the Biennale to bar Russia and Israel from competing for awards. Italian culture minister Alessandro Giuli has also boycotted the preview and opening ceremony in protest.

Hisae Ikenaga ”Anatomies of Use” at KIOSK, Ghent

From April 4, KIOSK in Ghent presents a new solo exhibition by Hisae Ikenaga titled "Anatomies of Use." The Mexican-Japanese artist brings together sculptures, assemblages, and collages that rework industrial materials and everyday objects into hybrid forms, blending ceramic fragments with a visual language that balances functionality and abstraction.

Marko Tadić “Funga Robo” at Trotoar, Zagreb

Marko Tadić presents his solo exhibition "Funga Robo" at Trotoar in Zagreb, showcasing recent works that explore speculative futures of cities through the lens of artistic ecologies. The exhibition title merges references to fungal mycelia and robotics, establishing a dialogue between biological systems and technological development.

Lucio Santiago | LA ESPERA (2015) | For Sale

Lucio Santiago's bronze sculpture "LA ESPERA" (2015) is listed for sale at US$3,400 through Bernardini Art Gallery & Auction House. The work measures 23 × 19 × 19 cm, is unique, and signed. Lucio Santiago, born in 1987 in Oaxaca de Juárez, is the son of artist Alejandro Santiago. His artistic training includes workshops in photography at the Manuel Álvarez Bravo center and with Katy McFadden, as well as graphic art at Gráfica Bambú and a three-year residency at La Ceiba in Xalapa. His first solo exhibition was in 2007, and he has since shown in Europe and the US. His work explores themes of life and death, incorporating wings, skeletons, mutilated bodies, and animals like eagles, fish, and coyotes.

Art Problems: WTF Is an A-Corp?

The article explains the concept of an Artist Corporation (A-Corp), a new business structure for artists introduced in a bill before the Colorado state legislature, originally proposed by entrepreneur Yancey Strickler. It allows artists to form a legally recognized business entity without hiring a lawyer, simply by filling out a form, and provides liability protection by separating personal assets from business assets. The bill is expected to reach the governor's desk by mid-May and be enacted within six months, with five or six other states, including New York, expressing interest.

What Did the Golden Lion Die Of? On Judgment and Disavowal at the Venice Biennale

The international jury of the 61st Venice Biennale announced it would exclude from prize consideration countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, specifically targeting Russia and Israel. This prompted the Italian culture minister to send inspectors to the Biennale's offices, leading the jury to resign. The Biennale then replaced the Golden Lion with "Visitors' Lions" prizes voted by ticket-holders, immediately making Russia and Israel eligible again. The article traces this crisis to the Biennale's historical structure under Mussolini's 1930 Royal Decree, which established the national pavilion system as a diplomatic concession system designed to serve state power, and notes the recent acceptance of a €50 million donation from Qatar for a new permanent pavilion in the Giardini.

AMSET showcasing two dynamic exhibitions this month in Beaumont

The Art Museum of Southeast Texas (AMSET) in Beaumont is presenting two new exhibitions this month, featuring a mix of contemporary and regional artwork. An opening reception honoring artists Bill Pangburn and Julius Stockfleth was held on May 8, and the shows will remain on view through the summer. The exhibitions showcase diverse mediums and perspectives, highlighting both emerging and established artists from Southeast Texas and beyond.