Janusz Jurek Embraces the Weirdness of Everyday Life in Captivating Street Photographs

Polish photographer Janusz Jurek, who works as a graphic designer and commercial photographer, creates candid street photographs that capture humor, happenstance, and the bizarre. He focuses on authentic moments outside the mainstream, often turning away from main attractions to observe people's reactions, small gestures, and strange coincidences. Jurek is preparing a photo collection titled "Look, Before It’s Gone," compiling five years of his street photography.

Daniel Hopp “Fictional Healing” at Kunsthaus Hamburg

Daniel Hopp's exhibition "Fictional Healing" at Kunsthaus Hamburg explores how transit spaces like train stations and public squares reveal social divisions, focusing on sites such as Berlin's Leopoldplatz and Hamburg's Drob Inn, a drug consumption counseling center. The show examines the collision of addiction, homelessness, and survival strategies in these urban environments.

Alex Thake “I Know This Much is True” at Triangolo, Cremona

Alex Thake presents a solo exhibition titled "I Know This Much is True" at Triangolo gallery in Cremona. The show features new works by the artist, continuing his exploration of material and conceptual themes.

Sorcières !

The article previews an upcoming exhibition titled "Sorcières !" at the Château des ducs de Bretagne – Musée d'histoire de Nantes, running from February 7 to June 28, 2026. It traces the historical debate around witchcraft in 16th-century Europe, focusing on key figures such as Heinrich Kramer, author of the *Malleus maleficarum* (1486), who argued that witchcraft was a female-specific evil requiring extermination, and Jean Bodin, who supported this view. In contrast, Johann Weyer and Michel de Montaigne challenged the persecution, suggesting accused women were mentally ill or elderly and deserved humane treatment rather than execution.

‘Rostos da Imigração’: Faces That Refuse Silence

Photographer Alfredo Cunha presents 'Rostos da Imigração' at the UCCLA gallery in Lisbon, a photographic exhibition featuring portraits of individuals from lusophone communities. The series resists anonymity and aestheticization, instead focusing on the lived experiences of migrants in contemporary Portugal. The exhibition is on view until 20 May 2026.

Echoes from the Margins: Guinea’s Debut Pavilion Resonates in Venice.

Guinea has presented its first-ever national pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale. Titled 'Le Son de l’Art,' the exhibition is installed on the island of San Servolo and is curated by Koyo Kouoh, featuring a multidisciplinary group of artists exploring memory, materiality, and postcolonial identity.

From Minor Keys to Uproar: The Crisis of the Venice Biennale

DE LAS MINOR KEYS AL ESTRUENDO: LA CRISIS DE LA BIENAL DE VENECIA

The 61st Venice Biennale is engulfed in a structural crisis, marked by geopolitical tensions over the inclusion of Russia (amid its invasion of Ukraine) and Israel (amid the Gaza genocide). The Biennale Foundation, led by Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, defended their participation on legalistic grounds, sparking outrage from over 200 artists, curators, and cultural workers who demanded Israel's exclusion, aligning with Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA). The international jury, chaired by Solange Farkas and including Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi, resigned collectively on April 30 after deciding not to award prizes to countries whose leaders face International Criminal Court arrest warrants. This led to the cancellation of the traditional Golden and Silver Lions, replaced by audience-voted "Visitor Lions," with awards deferred until November. The European Commission suspended a €2 million subsidy over Russia's participation, and Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli notably skipped the May 9 opening.

Syracuse’s ArtRage Gallery hosts new exhibit exploring global plastic crisis

ArtRage Gallery in Syracuse is hosting a new exhibition titled 'A Rising Tide of Plastic in Art,' featuring works by members of the international collective Project Vortex. The show includes sculptures, photographs, and installations created from reclaimed plastic waste, with artists like Alejandro Durán, Nicole Hixon, Anne Percoco, and Blue McRight transforming debris into commentary on pollution.

New contemporary art auction to debut in Dubai this May

A new auction platform called Bam Auctions will launch in Dubai this May, with its inaugural sale held on Saturday at Bayt AlMamzar, an independent cultural space in a restored villa. The sale features 21 lots of contemporary art from the UAE and the wider region, including works by Jaber Al Azmeh, Manal Al Dowayan, and Hale Tenger, with estimates ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. Bidding will be in person with remote options via phone, WhatsApp, and absentee bids.

Art Dubai Opens With 50 Exhibitors Amid Geopolitical Pressures

The twentieth edition of Art Dubai opened to VIP visitors on Thursday in a smaller format than originally planned, delayed from mid-April due to regional geopolitical unrest. The fair presented around fifty galleries, roughly 60% fewer than the approximately 120 exhibitors initially expected, yet drew a strong crowd of collectors primarily from the Gulf states and the wider Middle East. Separately, a new gallery, 971 Art Gallery, has opened in Dubai's Art of Living Mall, featuring international artists such as Gérard Rancinan, Isabelle Scheltjens, Riccardo Gusmaroli, Benito Cerna Leon, and Michele Tombolini, and offering curatorial advice and collection management to a growing base of newer collectors.

Exhibition | Yelena Popova, 'Moments of Grace' at Osnova gallery, Valencia, Spain

Yelena Popova's solo exhibition 'Moments of Grace' opens at Osnova gallery's new space in Valencia, Spain, marking a decade of collaboration between the artist and the gallery. The show brings together works from several of Popova's major series, including 'Painting Installations' (2012-2017), 'Evaporating Paintings', 'Post-Petrochemical Paintings', and three jacquard-woven tapestries, tracing her practice over the past fifteen years. Popova approaches each project as part of an interconnected body of work, comparing her logic to garden cultivation—a layered, cyclical process. Her cross-disciplinary research focuses on the material conditions of painting, exploring temporal transformations like evaporation, oxidation, and decay, as well as the dynamics between image, surface, and space.

Mastering the Mood: Exhibition explores emotion through light and color

American Legacy Fine Arts in Pasadena is launching a new exhibition titled 'Mastering the Mood: Atmospheric Emotion,' running from April 24 to June 6. The show features approximately 45 works by 25 contemporary-traditional artists, focusing on how light, color, and atmosphere in representational painting can evoke emotional responses in viewers.

Ephemeral Geographies: Where Land, Light and Time Shift at Gallery Pradarshak

A group exhibition titled 'Ephemeral Geographies: Where Land, Light and Time Shift' opens at Gallery Pradarshak in Mumbai on April 24, 2026. The show features ten emerging and mid-career Indian artists—Alistan Dias, Amol Pawar, Bhoomika Karbhari, Manthan Tambe, Meetul Agarwal, Pradip Suryawanshi, Rohan Bhavsar, Sharu Anjirbag, Siddhant Bansod, and Suresh Jangid—who present landscapes across mediums like painting and mixed media as evolving conditions shaped by perception, memory, and atmospheric change.

Damola Adepoju Evokes Hope With ‘Light’, His Solo Exhibition

Nigerian artist Damola Adepoju has opened his third solo exhibition, titled 'Light', at Mydrim Gallery in Lagos. The show, curated by Idowu Bankole to commemorate Adepoju's 50th birthday, features 30 paintings and mixed-media works created between 2015 and the present, focusing on Lagos cityscapes and employing his signature technique of newspaper prints, acrylic, and soft gold on a grey palette.

'Optical debris': Be transported to a world of light and shadows at unique art exhibit

Two Vancouver-based artists, Emilie Fantuz and Gillian Richards, are showcasing their work in a joint exhibition titled "Liminal City" at the Pendulum Gallery in downtown Vancouver. The show explores the effects of light and shadow in painting, with Fantuz focusing on what she calls "optical debris"—bursts of light and shadows that fracture contemporary vision—while Richards highlights transitional urban spaces and functional architecture, elevating overlooked everyday scenes. Fantuz, who is completing her MFA at Emily Carr University, has shifted from detailed neighborhood paintings to abstract studies of light and perception, often filtered through windows and screens. Richards, a former scenic artist in the film industry, uses photography as a starting point to capture intimate views of utilitarian structures.

Auntiescapes at Load Gallery asks: Can the hyperreal impact social reality?

The article covers the exhibition 'Auntiescapes' at Load Gallery in Barcelona, featuring the work of Singaporean artist Wenhui Lim, who works under the moniker niceaunties. The show includes a central AI-powered mirror that transforms viewers into the face of an Asian auntie, offering blunt, loving remarks, alongside surreal digital landscapes like Auntlantis and Auntiecity that reimagine aunties as protagonists in fantastical worlds. Lim, a former architect, uses AI and editing software to create these hyperreal, expansive works.

"Dispossessions in the Americas" Confronts the Colonialism That Invades All Territory

The article reviews "Dispossessions in the Americas," a group exhibition at Wrightwood 659 in Chicago curated by Jonathan D. Katz and Eduardo Carrera. Featuring works from 1960 to 2025, the show examines colonial legacies in the Americas, focusing on the forced dispossession of land, culture, and language from indigenous, Afro-descendant, queer, and trans communities. The review critically questions how a polished, architecturally prestigious venue can coherently display art about socially voiceless communities without falling into voyeurism or fetishization of pain.

Tom Vattakuzhy’s Mumbai exhibition follows the feeling a story leaves behind

Tom Vattakuzhy's new exhibition "Where Words End" opens in Mumbai from May 3–17, 2026, at ICIA Gallery in Kalaghoda. The show presents a series of "story paintings" that explore the emotional residue left behind after reading a narrative, focusing on moods and sensations rather than plot or illustration. Vattakuzhy, who began his career as an illustrator, shifts here toward open-ended scenes where figures appear mid-gesture and rooms feel charged with unspoken meaning, drawing from literary sources as points of departure rather than literal subjects.

New works by oil painters Betz Green and Jim Green at Stover Mill Gallery

Oil painters Betz Green and Jim Green will showcase their work at the Stover Mill Gallery in Erwinna, Pennsylvania, on weekends from May 9 through May 31, with an opening reception on May 9. Betz Green creates representational, portrait-oriented still lifes with whimsical narratives, while Jim Green works in an impressionistic and expressionistic style with vibrant colors and exaggerated forms. Both artists have won top awards at local venues such as Phillips Mill and Stover Mill.

New photo exhibit at Godfrey Dean Art Gallery focuses on storytelling

The Godfrey Dean Art Gallery in Yorkton is hosting a new photography exhibition titled 'Storied Telling: Performative & Narrative in Photography,' organized by the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils (OSAC) through its Arts on the Move program. Running until May 15, the show features six Canadian artists—Catherine Blackburn, Lori Blondeau, Xiao Han, Marium Magsi, Meryl McMaster, and Laura St. Pierre—whose work uses the camera to create layered, story-driven images exploring themes of identity, cultural heritage, diaspora, and history.

Gallery Jupiter presents "The Immersive Landscape" - works by Christie Scheele

Gallery Jupiter in Little Silver, New Jersey, presents "The Immersive Landscape," a solo exhibition of paintings by artist Christie Scheele, running from April 30 through June 11, 2026. The show features Scheele's open vista landscape paintings and her new Place Series assemblages, which incorporate foraged natural materials like stones, bark, and seaweed. An opening reception is scheduled for April 30. In conjunction with Earth Day, Scheele also collaborated with artist Kathleen Sweeney and designer Dominick Santise on EcoAction Cards, a set of activity cards aimed at inspiring environmental action.

Alserkal Art Month: Your step-by-step guide to Weekend 2

Alserkal Art Month in Dubai continues with Weekend 2, featuring the headline exhibition 'Déjà Vu' opening at Concrete on Saturday, April 25. The weekend includes a kids' art workshop led by Lucy Jung, a majlis talk series curated by Nadine Khalil, a slow art walk with Natalya Konforti, a film screening of 'Ghanati Man' by Al Reem Al Beshr, a performance workshop by Dirwaza Curatorial Lab and Ammar Al Attar, and a music performance by Bull Funk Zoo curated by Ratish Chadha.

Water's Awakening - Clara Chiu's debut solo art exhibition at Gallery Lane Cove

Photographic artist Clara Chiu is presenting her debut solo exhibition, 'Water's Awakening,' at Gallery Lane Cove. The show, curated by Miguel Olmo, features abstract photographic works focused on water, exploring its fleeting forms and movement to question perception and offer contemplative sanctuary. The exhibition runs from May 13 to June 6, 2026.

The Biennale Must Remain Open – Also for Russia

Die Biennale muss offen bleiben – auch für Russland

The article argues against calls to exclude Russia from the Venice Biennale, focusing on the controversy surrounding the Russian pavilion's planned exhibition titled "Der Baum ist im Himmel verwurzelt" (The Tree Is Rooted in Heaven). The pavilion is set to feature musicians from Russia, Argentina, Mali, and Mexico, and its theme revolves around the idea that politics is time-bound. The author contends that while the demand to exclude Russia is understandable given the geopolitical context, it is dangerous because once a biennial begins disinviting states, it undermines the very concept of the international exhibition.

Exhibition | Lin Zhipeng, 'LIN ZHIPENG (NO. 223): Relationship Duplicates' at DE SARTHE, Hong Kong

DE SARTHE gallery in Hong Kong presents 'Relationship Duplicates', the second solo exhibition by Beijing-based photographer Lin Zhipeng (No.223). The show, on view from May 16 to June 27, explores the tactile, intimate dimensions of human relationships through large-scale photoprints, a smartphone installation, and curated collages. Lin redefines 'duplicates' as supplements that extend relationships rather than mere copies, using nudity and physicality to counter the alienation of digital connectivity.

Mennello Museum’s 'Our Orlando' group show returns, featuring three innovative local artists

The Mennello Museum in Loch Haven, Orlando, has launched the fourth edition of its 'Our Orlando' group exhibition, featuring three local artists: Tasanee Durrett, Mado Smith, and Martha Jo Mahoney. The show, curated by museum director Shannon Fitzgerald and co-curator Flynn Dobbs, includes four works each by Durrett and Mahoney and two by Smith, drawn from studio visits. The exhibition runs through late August with an opening reception on Friday.

DO Savannah: Ella Langley, TEDxSavannah, and more

This article is a local events calendar for Savannah, Georgia, covering the week of May 12–21, 2026. Highlights include a SCAD Jewelry Trunk Show, a Telfair Museums anniversary preview of Impressionism and Modernity: French and American Painting with a lecture by National Gallery of Art curator Mary Morton, the opening of the Seven Ladies Exhibit at the Davenport House Museum, the 15th annual TEDxSavannah, a country concert by Ella Langley, a brewery anniversary party, a jazz fundraiser, and several preservation-focused lectures including one by National Preservation Partners Network CEO Kim Trent and a talk on landscape architect Clermont Lee. The Courtyard Concert Series at SCAD MOA concludes with local bluegrass band Swamptooth.

Kerry Cumpstone to demo at Euclid Art Association event | Gallery Glances

The Euclid Art Association will hold its next meeting on May 4 at the East Shore United Methodist Church in Euclid, Ohio, featuring a demonstration by artist Kerry Cumpstone. Cumpstone, who created the "Spiral Series" of 130 animal drawings, will showcase her technique; many of her subjects are endangered species. The article also announces the Lake Metroparks' 39th annual amateur photo contest, with entries accepted through May 31 at Penitentiary Glen Reservation.

Studio Sessions: Raili Jänese

Artist Raili Jänese, an Estonian-born painter now based in Kirkland, Washington, creates colorful acrylic works that capture everyday human and animal behaviors with humor and tenderness. Her practice, which began after a corporate career, focuses on observation of mundane moments—people eating, drinking coffee, riding transit, and animals in urban settings. Her upcoming solo exhibition, "E.L.U," will be on view at Ryan James Fine Arts from May 1–31, 2025, with a Gallery Night on May 22. Jänese has shown work regionally at venues including Happy Time Studio Gallery, Oxbow Montlake, and the Seattle Art Fair, and has completed public art projects in Bellevue, Kent, Kirkland, and Seattle.

Native artists highlighted Thursdsay

An event highlighting Indigenous art, the “Evening of Native American Artistry,” will take place Thursday at the Jackson Hole History Museum in conjunction with the seventh annual Teton Powwow. Curated by Susan Durfee and Al Hubbard of Central Wyoming College, the exhibit “Behind Linear Narratives” focuses on ledger art—drawings on repurposed accounting paper—featuring historic works from the late 1800s alongside contemporary pieces by father-and-son artists Terrance Guardipee and Terran Last Gun. Six other downtown galleries will each host an Indigenous artist, and Central Wyoming College’s culinary program will collaborate with chefs from Owamni Restaurant and NATIFS to create heritage-inspired appetizers.