In Chelsea, Canal 47 and Max Levai Are Betting On Collaboration

New York gallery 47 Canal is relocating from SoHo to a 7,000-square-foot flagship at 529 West 20th Street in Chelsea, sharing the space with London dealer Max Levai. Founded by Oliver Newton and Margaret Lee in 2011, the gallery will maintain its own identity and exhibition program while coordinating schedules with Levai to create a more active environment. The renovated space, designed by IDSR Architecture, features two exhibition levels and will host longer exhibition runs, talks, performances, and events.

When the story has already been told -- ‘Gordon Parks: The South in Color’ at Jackson Fine Art

Gordon Parks: The South in Color, curated by Dawoud Bey, is on view at Jackson Fine Art in Atlanta through June 13. The exhibition celebrates the 20th anniversary of The Gordon Parks Foundation and the 70th anniversary of Parks’ 1956 Life magazine feature on segregation in the South. The show presents a broader selection of Parks’ photographs than the original magazine spread, including iconic works like In-Home Barbershop, Shady Grove, Alabama, 1956. The article, written by a photographer and writer for ArtsATL, reflects on the experience of seeing Parks’ work in person and contrasts the gallery presentation with the editorial framing of the Life feature.

This Figurative Painter Captures the Intricacies of Detroit Through a Local Tattoo Artist

Chinese figurative painter Liu Xiaodong has opened a solo exhibition titled "Host" at Lisson Gallery in Los Angeles, focusing exclusively on a single subject: John Mcintyre, a Detroit-based tattoo artist and member of a medieval reenactment club called Knyaz USA. The show features large-scale oil paintings that follow Mcintyre through his daily life—participating in armored historical battles in snowy forests, working in his tattoo studio, and relaxing at home—offering an intimate portrait of Detroit's subcultural communities.

White Stripes Frontman Jack White Is Showing Art at Damien Hirst’s Gallery

Jack White, frontman of the White Stripes, is opening a sculpture exhibition at Damien Hirst’s Newport Street Gallery in London. Titled “Jack White: THESE THOUGHTS MAY DISAPPEAR,” the show runs from May 29 to September 13 and features found-object sculptures, furniture designs, notebooks, and photography. White and Hirst first met in 2021 when White was opening a Third Man Records store near Hirst’s studio, and Hirst encouraged White to mount a show after seeing his artwork.

Sur Arte Radio et dans une expo, l’enquête d’Adrianna Wallis sur les traces de sa grand-mère peintre spoliée par les nazis

Artist Adrianna Wallis (born 1981) discovers that her paternal grandmother, painter Diane Esmond (1910–1981), was a victim of Nazi looting during World War II. After being contacted by historians Patricia Helletzgruber and Sophie Juliard, Wallis learns that much of Esmond's work was systematically destroyed by the ERR, the Nazi organization responsible for art theft in occupied countries. This revelation sparks a personal investigation that becomes a podcast for Arte Radio titled "Il restera la gravité," blending documentary, autobiographical inquiry, and sound installation. Wallis delves into archives, examining microfilms and lists that detail 46 of Esmond's paintings—each methodically described and declared destroyed, such as "Woman in blue evening dress: annihilated."

Gabrielle Goliath, Richard Avedon, “Chicken Linda”

Hyperallergic editor-in-chief Hakim Bishara reflects on skipping the New York art fairs and a record-breaking $181 million Jackson Pollock sale at Christie's, instead focusing on a profile of pioneering performance artist Linda Montano (now 84) who welcomed a contributor in a chicken costume, and Gabrielle Goliath's exhibition "Elegy" which was banned from South Africa's Venice pavilion by the culture minister but is now on view in a church. The newsletter also announces Hyperallergic's New York Press Club journalism award for Noah Fischer's comic "A Prospect Heights Ghost Story," supported by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project, and rounds up other art news including a $1 billion Christie's sale, a Billie Holiday monument commission, and public sculptures by Sarah Lucas, Roberto Lugo, and Kyle Goen.

Anni Albers Wasn’t Afraid to Start From Zero

Nicholas Fox Weber's new biography, *Anni Albers: A Life*, draws on his nearly 25-year friendship with the artist to offer an intimate, nuanced portrait of the pioneering textile artist. The book traces Albers's journey from her birth in Berlin in 1899, through her studies and teaching at the Bauhaus and Black Mountain College, her escape from Nazi Germany in 1933, and her later years in Connecticut. Weber, who serves as executive director of the Josef & Anni Albers Foundation, fills the biography with lively anecdotes—from her love of Kentucky Fried Chicken to her sharp wit—while correcting the "stock stories" she often repeated, revealing her personality and artistic dedication with rare depth.

Billie Holiday Comes to Queens

A shortlist of artists including Thomas J Price and Tavares Strachan is competing to design a new public monument honoring jazz legend Billie Holiday in Queens, New York. The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs has revealed six commission proposals for the project, which aims to celebrate Holiday's groundbreaking legacy as a vocalist and cultural icon. Separately, the Museum of the City of New York is opening the Puffin Foundation Center for Social Activism, dedicated to civic engagement and social justice.

The Divine Powers of “Chicken Linda”

Performance artist Linda Mary Montano, now in her 80s, invited writer Taliesin Thomas into her home in Saugerties, New York, which functions as a living shrine filled with altars, experimental sculptures, and religious iconography. Montano, who calls herself “Chicken Linda” to connect with the Holy Spirit, discussed her six-decade career as an endurance performance artist, her Catholic faith, her studies with guru Shri Bhramananda Saraswati, and her influential early years in San Francisco during the First Wave feminist art movement. She also recounted personal tragedies, including the murder of her former husband Mitchell Payne, which led to her video work “Mitchell’s Death,” now in the collections of MoMA and the Museum of Conceptual Art, Los Angeles.

A $1B Evening With Nicole Kidman

Hyperallergic's newsletter reports on a record-setting $1 billion evening sale at Christie's on May 18, which included works by Jackson Pollock and Constantin Brancusi alongside Hollywood star Nicole Kidman. Other stories cover an exhibition at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center celebrating Black American artists in Paris, a painted book cover trend analyzed by Tara Anne Dalbow, a Gaza Square sculpture unveiling in Paterson, New Jersey, and a performance event by Bahar Behbahani on Governors Island.

“Gaza Love” Monument Unveiled in Paterson, NJ

Artist and activist Kyle Goen's sculpture "Gaza Love" (2014) was permanently installed outside the South Paterson Library Community Center in Paterson, New Jersey, as part of the city's newly dedicated Gaza Square on Main Street. The unveiling took place on Palestine Day, May 17, and commemorates Paterson's large diasporic Palestinian community. The sculpture, which borrows the typography of Robert Indiana's LOVE series and the colors of the Palestinian flag, originated during protests against the 2014 Gaza War and has been used in organizing spaces for over a decade, including during the 2021 Strike MoMA movement.

The Painted Book Cover Is Back

The article reports on a growing trend in book cover design: the use of painted, figurative artwork instead of stock photos or digital renderings. Publishers are increasingly licensing paintings by artists from Hilma af Klint to Shannon Cartier Lucy, seeing them as a way to signal cultural authority and intellectual rigor. The trend is discussed through examples like Victoria Redel's *I Am You* (2025) and Kyung-Ran Jo's *Blowfish* (2025), with insights from LiteraryHub Managing Editor Emily Temple and Astra House publisher Benjamin Schrank.

‘Her crotchless trousers are etched in my brain for ever’: Valie Export remembered by the artists she influenced

Valie Export, the pioneering Austrian feminist artist known for provocative performances like *Tapp-und-Tastkino* (1968) and *Genital Panic* (1969), is remembered by four artists she influenced: Peaches, Florentina Holzinger, Joan Jonas, and Candice Breitz. Each shares personal reflections on Export's radical use of the female body as a political weapon, her confrontational public interventions, and her legacy of civil disobedience against patriarchal structures.

Who’s That Nude Figure on a Washing Machine Outside the New Museum?

British artist Sarah Lucas has unveiled a new public sculpture titled "VENUS VICTORIA" (2026) at the New Museum's entrance plaza on the Bowery in Lower Manhattan. The work, which will remain on view for two years, features a monumental nude female figure with flailing arms and large pink breasts perched atop a dusty washing machine, wearing bright yellow high heels. Lucas adapted the figure from her ongoing "Bunnies" series (1997–present), which uses knotted pantyhose and found objects. The sculpture was unveiled on May 12, 2026, inaugurating a decade-long series of public commissions by women artists at the museum.

A True-to-Life Biennale

Hakim Bishara, editor-in-chief of Hyperallergic, reflects on the 61st Venice Biennale after returning to New York, describing it as historical, political, and thrilling. He counters critics who claimed the Biennale imploded due to boycotts and resignations, arguing it was more alive than ever. The late Koyo Kouoh's main exhibition "In Minor Keys" is praised for reflecting global woes and joys. The article also highlights a major strike by artists and cultural workers that disrupted the pre-opening, the first cultural strike in the Biennale's 131-year history, with 54 artists in the international exhibition and 22 national pavilion teams withdrawing from awards consideration in solidarity with the jury's resignation.

Art Busan Bets on Sustainability Over Speculation

Art Busan's 15th edition, taking place May 21–24, 2026 at BEXCO Exhibition Center, will feature over 110 galleries from 18 countries, with expanded programming including craft and design sections, curated exhibitions, and a new section called LIGHTHAUS that reframes gallery booths as curated environments. Data from the 2025 edition indicates an art market reorganization rather than contraction, with increased pre-sale activity, repeat attendance, and purchases across a wide price spectrum, suggesting a shift away from speculation toward sustained engagement.

What Does a Booth Cost at a New York Art Fair?

Hyperallergic surveyed 13 New York art fairs about their booth pricing, revealing a wide range of costs from $3,500 at NADA Projects to over $105,000 for large booths at Frieze. The article details specific pricing tiers at Frieze ($31,977–$105,717), NADA ($3,500–$11,000), and Independent ($110 per square foot), noting that Frieze has kept 2025 prices for its 2026 edition and that NADA's costs have remained stable since 2022. The investigation also highlights the debut of the Sherman Family Foundation Acquisition Fund at Frieze and the partnership between Independent and the Henry Street Settlement.

Maia Chao Performs the Museum

Artist Maia Chao will activate the seventh-floor galleries of the Whitney Museum of American Art with her performance "Being Moved" as part of the 2026 Whitney Biennial programming. The work explores the theatricality and choreography of a museum visit, examining the gap between the fantasy of profound encounter and the ambivalence of spectatorship. Chao, who studied cultural anthropology at Brown University and grew up with artist parents in Providence, Rhode Island, approaches the museum as a structure that quietly trains behavior and participation. Her earlier projects include "My Business (Cards)" (2017), which invokes Adrian Piper's work, and "Look at Art, Get Paid" (2015–20), which paid non-museum-goers to serve as guest critics.

Sophia Rivera’s Mythology of Everyday New York

The article reviews "Sophie Rivera: Double Exposures" at El Museo del Barrio, the first survey of the late Nuyorican photographer Sophie Rivera, who died in 2021. The exhibition spans her career, including her feminist conceptual series "Rouge et Noir" and "Bowl Study" (c. 1976–78), which depict intimate bodily waste like used tampons and feces, and her socially engaged "Latino Portraits" series from the late 1970s, which countered negative media stereotypes of Puerto Ricans with affectionate, mythologizing portraits. The review highlights a moment where the critic misidentifies abstract toilet photographs as pinhole or double exposures before learning their true subject.

Alla Tate Modern di Londra arriverà una super mostra di Claude Monet nel 2027

The Tate Modern in London has announced its 2027 program, headlined by the first solo exhibition ever dedicated by the institution to Claude Monet. Titled "Monet: Painting Time," the show opens on February 25, 2027, and explores the Impressionist founder's relationship with time against the backdrop of the industrial era. It will feature celebrated works and rarely seen canvases from international lenders, supported by Morgan Stanley and AI company Anthropic. The exhibition follows an initial presentation at the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris starting September 30, 2026, which marks the centenary of Monet's death with 40 paintings from the Musée d'Orsay and Musée Marmottan, including a virtual reality component. The iconic Water Lilies series and the 1877 masterpiece "The Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare" will travel to London.

15 Artists Share the Best Advice They Got From Their Mother

Hyperallergic asked 15 artists to share the best advice they received from their mother or a maternal figure, in honor of Mother's Day. The article features reflections from artists including Pat Oleszko, Maddy Inez, Nathaniel Mary Quinn, and Shahzia Sikander, who recount maternal wisdom ranging from encouragement to pursue art to life lessons about empathy and resilience. Each anecdote is accompanied by images of the artists' works or personal photos.

Artist Kader Attia Will Organize 2027 Edition of India’s Top Biennial

Artist Kader Attia, known for his work addressing colonial violence and a winner of France's Prix Marcel Duchamp, has been selected to curate the 2027 edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, India's premier biennial. Attia, who previously curated the 2022 Berlin Biennale, was chosen by a committee led by prominent Indian artist Jitish Kallat. His appointment continues the biennial's tradition of artist-curators, following Nikhil Chopra (2024) and Anita Dube (2018).

The Kyrgyzstan Pavilion at the Venice Biennale Builds a Bridge Between Two Cultures

Il Padiglione del Kirghizistan alla Biennale di Venezia getta un ponte tra due culture

Alexey Morosov presents "BELEK" at the Kyrgyzstan Pavilion of the 61st Venice Biennale, a project inspired by the mountainous landscapes, glaciers, and brutalist dams of Kyrgyzstan. Combining video, sculpture, painting, and sound, Morosov explores water as a key resource for the future and a deep cultural memory of Central Asia, linking the region's hydro-engineering transformations with the nomadic heritage of the Kyrgyz people. The project centers on the traditional equestrian game Kok-Börü, which Morosov describes as constitutive of Kyrgyz identity, and features centaur-like figures made from raw earth used in local dwellings.

American Folk Art Museum Workers Picket Gala, Calling for Higher Wages

Workers at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City, represented by UAW Local 2110, picketed the museum's annual gala at the Mandarin Oriental in Manhattan on May 6, 2026. They demanded higher wages and better benefits after contract negotiations stalled for nearly two years. Frontline workers earn $19 per hour, about $12,000 below the city's living wage, while the museum's CEO Jason Busch earned $321,882 in 2024. The union requested a three-year contract raising wages to $30 per hour, but management offered only $21.50 and refused to guarantee existing benefits, leading to the protest.

Remembering Georg Baselitz, Nicole Hollander, and Doris Fisher

Hyperallergic's weekly 'In Memoriam' column honors seven figures from the art world who recently passed away, including German Neo-Expressionist painter Georg Baselitz, feminist cartoonist Nicole Hollander, and arts patron Doris F. Fisher, co-founder of The Gap. Other notable figures remembered are photographer Stephanie Chernikowski, West Coast assemblage artist George Herms, Spanish artist and designer José María Cruz Novillo, and Bay Area muralist Dan Fontes. The article provides brief biographies and highlights of their contributions to visual art, photography, comics, and public art.

Pussy Riot Storms Russia Pavilion at Venice Biennale

Pussy Riot staged a dramatic protest at the Russia Pavilion during the Venice Biennale, releasing pink smoke and waving Ukrainian flags while chanting slogans like 'Blood is Russia’s art.' Around 50 protesters, including members of Femen, occupied the area. Pussy Riot founder Nadya Tolokonnikova called for the pavilion to be closed and given to oppressed peoples, challenging Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco to meet her. The protest lasted about 20 minutes, with performers climbing the pavilion and exposing political slogans on their chests.

Pussy Riot and FEMEN Join Forces in Punk Protest in Venice: ‘Russia Kills! Biennale Exhibits!’

On Wednesday morning, Pussy Riot and FEMEN led a protest outside the Russian Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, chanting slogans like “Russia kills! Biennale exhibits!” and “Blood is Russia’s art!” Dozens of protesters, some in pink balaclavas and others bare-chested with floral crowns, gathered in the Giardini under light rain, carrying guitars and blasting punk rock and hip-hop. The action was organized by Nadya Tolokonnikova and other Pussy Riot members alongside FEMEN, a Ukrainian-founded women’s movement. They released pink, yellow, and blue smoke, and Tolokonnikova criticized the Biennale for allowing Russian participation while artists who oppose the war in Ukraine are imprisoned. She proposed an alternative exhibition, “Resistance Imprisoned,” currently on view in Strasbourg, featuring incarcerated artists.

Met Gala Memes That Ate the Rich and Left No Crumbs

The article covers the 2026 Met Gala, sponsored by Jeff and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, and the intense online backlash it generated. Despite a dress code of "Fashion is Art," celebrities faced merciless mockery on social media for their looks, with particular scorn directed at Lauren Sánchez Bezos's Schiaparelli gown inspired by John Singer Sargent's "Madame X." The criticism was amplified by weeks-long protests against Amazon's labor practices and Bezos's involvement, as well as the museum's own unionized employees speaking out. The piece compiles the most inventive and cutting memes from X (formerly Twitter), targeting everything from fashion fails to political hypocrisy.

At 90, Printmaker Mohammad Omer Khalil Gets His Due

Mohammad Omer Khalil, the 90-year-old Sudanese-born printmaker based in New York, is the subject of a multi-city retrospective titled "Common Ground." The anchor exhibition runs through May 31 at the Blackburn Study Center in Manhattan, with satellite events at venues including Twelve Gates Arts in Philadelphia, the Arab American National Museum in Michigan, the New York Public Library, and Anthology Film Archives. Curated by Amina Ahmed and Jenna Hamed, the show spans Khalil's entire career, from his first etching made in Florence in 1964 to large-scale works inspired by Bob Dylan songs, poetry by Adonis, and films such as "The Chalk Garden."

In Minor Keys: how Venice's international exhibition was brought to life after the death of artistic director Koyo Kouoh

The 61st Venice Biennale's international exhibition, titled "In Minor Keys," was realized after the sudden death of its artistic director, Koyo Kouoh, in May 2025. A team of five of Kouoh's collaborators, known as "la squadra di Koyo Kouoh," worked with her before her death and finalized the exhibition's themes, artist list, and scenography. The exhibition features 111 invited artists, duos, collectives, and artist-led organizations, with the team emphasizing that this remains Kouoh's vision rather than a replacement.