Art News. Vasari Codex

museum exhibitions schedule May 7, 2026 visibility 20 link 2 artists

S&M-inspired Greek Pavilion in Venice confronts its fascist chains

The Greek Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, titled "Grecia" and conceived as a drag artist, presents an S&M-inspired installation by artist and architect Andreas Angelidakis. The immersive space features a red neon-lit floor, soft sculptures resembling beanbags, fragmented marble columns wrapped in chains, and souvenirs bearing images of queer artists and the late activist Zak Kostopoulos (Zackie Oh). The pavilion aims to deconstruct the idea of a fixed national identity, exploring themes of queerness, fascism, and historical trauma.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 7, 2026 visibility 18 link 4 artists

The Bahamian Pavilion Brings Junkanoo to Venice in a Biennale Standout

After a thirteen-year hiatus, the Bahamian Pavilion has returned to the Venice Biennale with an exhibition titled "In Another Man's Yard," featuring the late master John Beadle and his former student Lavar Munroe. The pavilion, housed in the San Trovaso Art Space in Dorsoduro, centers on Junkanoo—the vibrant, crepe-costumed procession that is a defining cultural tradition of the Bahamas. Munroe's large-scale sculptural works incorporate strips of discarded Junkanoo costumes, while paintings and installations commemorate Beadle, who died in 2024. The presentation was revived with support from Baha Mar, a resort company, after government funding was withdrawn in 2014.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 17 link 2 artists

Abbas Akhavan Transforms the Canada Pavilion Into a Greenhouse, Daring Viewers to Leave Behind Their Preconceptions

Artist Abbas Akhavan has transformed the Canada Pavilion at the Venice Biennale into a functioning greenhouse for his exhibition "Entre chien et loup." The pavilion now houses a 6,000-gallon pool containing giant Victoria water lilies, with modifications including grow lights, water misters, a new ventilation system, and structural reinforcements to support the 25-ton water tank. The installation evokes Victorian-era Wardian cases and London's Crystal Palace, but Akhavan emphasizes that his interest in the lilies began intuitively, not as a commentary on colonialism or empire. The project, developed with curator Kim Nguyen, involved collaboration with Kew Gardens and the Orto Botanico di Padova to cultivate the plants, and the outcome remains uncertain as the lilies may thrive or wither over the exhibition's six-month run.

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article news schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 18 link 3 artists

Dozens of Venice Biennale Artists Stage ‘Drone’ Perfomance in Protest of Israel’s Participation

On the opening day of the Venice Biennale, around 60 artists and dozens of other participants staged a protest titled “Solidarity Drone Chorus” at the Giardini entrance, humming a viral song by Gazan composer Ahmed “Muin” Abu Amsha to sonically occupy the space. The action, organized by artists in the main exhibition over several months, protested Israel’s participation in the Biennale and expressed support for Palestine, with participants wearing T-shirts bearing the names and artworks of Gazan and Palestinian artists, many of whom have been killed. The protest follows an open letter from the Art Not Genocide Alliance demanding Israel’s exclusion.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 17 link 4 artists

With Nearly 30,000 Clay Earth Bricks, Dana Awartani Remakes History in the Saudi Arabia Pavilion

Dana Awartani, a Jeddah- and New York-based artist of mixed Palestinian, Saudi, Jordanian, and Syrian descent, has created the Saudi Arabia Pavilion at the Venice Biennale using nearly 30,000 clay earth bricks. The installation, titled "May your tears never dry, you who weep over stones," replicates traditional mosaic motifs sourced from over 20 cultural heritage sites across the Arab world that have been destroyed by human conflict. Awartani emphasizes collaboration, crediting numerous skilled craftsmen—economic migrants to Saudi Arabia—who worked alongside her, and her practice blends formal training at Central St. Martins with Islamic geometry and illumination studies in Turkey.

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article culture schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 30 link 2 artists

How the adoption of canvas in Venice changed the way artists painted

Art historian Cleo Nisse has published a new book, *Venetian Canvas and the Transformation of Painting*, examining how 16th-century Venetian painters such as Titian, Veronese, and Tintoretto pioneered the use of canvas as a painting support. Nisse reveals that canvas was not a uniform material—artists experimented with different weaves, including tabby and herringbone patterns, and even repurposed sailcloth and tablecloth-quality fabrics to achieve specific visual effects. The book argues that canvas was already familiar in the late Middle Ages for banners and alternatives to tapestry, and that Vittore Carpaccio was the first master of the medium, varying canvas types for expressive purposes in his *Legend of St Ursula* series.

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article culture schedule May 5, 2026 visibility 22 link 6 artists

Comment | Degenerate art all over again? Nazi attack on Modern art is not far away from trends in today’s world

The article draws a provocative parallel between the Nazi regime's attack on modern art—epitomized by the 1937 "Degenerate Art" (Entartete Kunst) exhibition—and contemporary political aesthetics, particularly around President Donald Trump. It traces the Nazi party's early use of visual spectacle, mass rallies, and monumental art to forge a national identity, contrasting this with Trump's proposed National Garden for American Heroes and stalled White House Ballroom, which the author dismisses as kitsch but lacking the cohesive fascist aesthetic of Albert Speer's masterplans.

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article news schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 16 link 3 artists

Family of Nonagenarian Sculptor Is Fighting to Halt Demolition of Iconic Brutalist Fountain in Downtown San Francisco

The family of 96-year-old Quebecois sculptor Armand Vaillancourt is fighting to halt the demolition of his 710-ton concrete fountain, known as Québec Libre! or the Vaillancourt Fountain, in San Francisco’s Embarcadero Plaza. The city began dismantling the 1971 public artwork this week, citing a planned plaza renovation, and the disassembly is expected to cost $4 million. Vaillancourt’s son Alexis and the group Friends of the Plaza have filed an appellate petition challenging the city’s use of an emergency exemption under the California Environmental Quality Act, arguing that the fountain’s disrepair does not constitute a sudden emergency requiring immediate action.

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museum exhibitions schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 19 link 7 artists

‘Sensitive, sexy and surreal’: Japan’s Kyotographie festival

Kyotographie, Japan's leading international photography festival, opened its 2025 edition with the theme 'Edge,' featuring 14 exhibitions across Kyoto. The festival includes a major retrospective of Daido Moriyama, the 86-year-old pioneer of the 'are-bure-boke' aesthetic, showcasing over 200 images, 400 magazines, and 100 books. Also featured are British artist Linder Sterling, known for her punk-era feminist photomontages and album art for Buzzcocks, and Kenyan photographer Thandiwe Muriu, this year's African artist in residence, who uses patterned kitenge fabric to explore identity and female empowerment.

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trending_up market schedule Apr 28, 2026 visibility 13 link 2 artists

TikTok Shop adds ‘fine art’ category—will it disrupt the art market?

TikTok Shop has launched a new "fine art" category within its collectibles section, allowing artists to sell original artworks directly through shoppable videos, photographs, and livestreams. The category debuted with a three-hour live sale by artist Sophie Tea, who created a series of 20 oil paintings titled *Bric-a-Brac* and sold them for £2,800 each. The sale faced technical glitches—items added to baskets were prematurely marked as sold, causing confusion—and required workarounds for TikTok's pricing caps, automatic discounts, and shipping policies.

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article local schedule Apr 28, 2026 visibility 14 link 3 artists

Nymphs, mermaids and rosy cherubs: mansion filled with hidden wall paintings makes Victorian Society’s endangered buildings list

A derelict mansion called Parndon Hall, located within the grounds of Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow, Essex, has been named to the Victorian Society’s annual list of the top ten at-risk buildings in England and Wales. The house, built in 1867, contains a hidden trove of wall paintings by the almost-forgotten Victorian artist Elizabeth Arkwright, who covered walls, ceilings, and doors with nymphs, mermaids, and cherubs—many still concealed under Edwardian whitewash. The building has been used for storage and has sat unoccupied since flood repairs in 2024.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 20, 2026 visibility 5 link 12 artists, 2 galleries

Ten artists serving life have a story to tell. It’s on the walls of this Center City art gallery.

Ten artists serving life sentences at SCI-Phoenix, a Pennsylvania state prison, have their work on display at Morton Contemporary Art Gallery in Philadelphia in an exhibition titled "The Weight of Time." The show is co-curated by artist Keith Andrews, who has been incarcerated for nearly 30 years, and gallerist Debbie Morton. Andrews' painting "Defiant Mercy" explores themes of time, isolation, and confinement, reflecting his own experience. The exhibition includes nearly 50 works by ten artists, each accompanied by biographies detailing their lives inside and outside the carceral system.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 12, 2026 visibility 14 link 2 artists

At Frieze New York and Beyond, Indigenous Artists Are in the Spotlight

At Frieze New York and other concurrent exhibitions, Indigenous artists Sara Flores, Suzanne Kite, and Seba Calfuqueo are presenting works that challenge and expand traditional definitions of Indigenous art. Their pieces are on view in New York, Venice, and beyond, marking a significant moment for contemporary Indigenous voices in the global art scene.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 4, 2026 visibility 14 link 3 artists

A Dutch Art Studio Lights Up Venice’s Grand Canal

Dutch artists Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta of Studio Drift have installed their kinetic light sculptures along Venice’s Grand Canal, bringing their work outdoors for the first time during the Venice Biennale. The installation transforms the iconic waterway with moving, illuminated forms that interact with the surrounding architecture and water.

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museum exhibitions schedule Apr 22, 2026 visibility 13 link 2 artists

The Nerve Center of This Art Fair Isn’t Painting. It’s Couture.

The Independent art fair in New York is featuring a significant presentation of designs by Rei Kawakubo and her label Comme des Garçons. The works, which include garments and sculptural objects, are being presented as a curated exhibition within the fair, challenging traditional art fair categories.

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rate_review review schedule May 15, 2026 visibility 7 link 3 artists

‘My Father’s Shadow’: Now You See Me

Clive Chijioke Nwonka reviews Akinola Davies Jr.'s film *My Father's Shadow* (2025), a semi-autobiographical story of two adolescent brothers traveling through Lagos with their estranged father during the 1993 Nigerian presidential elections. The film, selected for the Cannes Official Selection, employs a metaphysical narrative style rooted in the Nigerian oral tradition, blending literal and spiritual worlds to explore diasporic identity, memory, and cultural preservation.