6 curatorial projects picked for Art Macao 2025

The Cultural Affairs Bureau of Macau has announced the six winning curatorial proposals selected for the 'Local Curatorial Project' of Art Macao 2025, the Macao International Art Biennale. Chosen from 34 submissions by a panel of international and local experts, the projects include 'Genetic Duration' by Guilherme Ung Vai Meng, 'After Oriental Garden' by Cheong Weng Lam, 'The Sea of Languages: Macao Language Research Programme' by He Yanjun and Zhang Ke, 'A Speakable Position for Women' by Cheong Cheng Wa and Wang Jing, 'Beneath the Wetware Peninsula' by Daisy Di Wang and Wong Mei Teng, and 'Jacone’s Tower' by Feng Yan and Ng Sio Ieng. These proposals will be exhibited during Art Macao 2025 and are shortlisted for the chance to represent Macau at the 61st Venice Biennale Collateral Event.

Art in Madinah through the eyes of a local artist

Artist and Madinah native Meshal Al-Hujaili discusses the expanding art scene in Madinah, Saudi Arabia, which blends traditional and contemporary influences rooted in Islamic heritage and cultural identity. His work, including the painting 'Flow' created during the Madinah International Symposium 2023, is currently displayed at the Madinah Art Center, where he also collaborates on exhibitions like 'Path' with curator Nouf Al-Balawi. Al-Hujaili describes how the center's programs, training sessions, and dialogues have fostered his artistic growth and exposure to other artists.

Empire Arts Gallery builds community through exhibitions and tattoos

Empire Arts Gallery in Kirkwood, founded in 2020 by Brandi Smart and Malia Rifkin, operates as a hybrid space combining an art gallery, a tattoo studio, and a boutique. Gallery coordinator and tattoo artist Jessica Locklar, along with manager Sara Slick, run the space, hosting exhibitions for local artists while also offering tattoo services in a welcoming, femme-operated environment. The gallery fosters community by blending art sales, exhibitions, and tattooing in a symbiotic model.

CUSP Gallery brings contemporary art to Belmont Chapel

CUSP Gallery is organizing the first art exhibition at Newport's historic Belmont Chapel following a major restoration. Titled "As Above, So Below," the show runs from June 14 to 22, 2025, and features circular paintings by local artist Juditta Musette that blend cosmic and earthly themes. The opening reception is June 14 from 5 to 7 p.m. The chapel, built in 1886 by financier August Belmont in memory of his daughter Pauline, recently underwent restoration led by the Belmont Chapel Foundation, earning the 2024 Doris Duke Historic Preservation Award and a Rhody Award for Historic Preservation. Musette will also preview a painting at the Belmont Stakes Race Day Fundraiser, donating it to the foundation's charity auction.

Liu Dan’s Chinese ink art with Western influences on show in Hong Kong

Leading contemporary Chinese ink artist Liu Dan is holding his largest solo show to date at Phillips’ space in Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District. The selling exhibition, titled “Liu Dan: Morphogenesis,” features 26 Chinese ink and watercolour works created over four decades, with a focus on Taihu stone—a perforated limestone from Suzhou that has long inspired Chinese scholars. The centerpiece is “Taihu Rock aka ‘Yu Ling Long’ (from Yu Garden, Shanghai) (2024),” priced at HK$10 million (US$1.3 million), the highest in the show. The exhibition runs until May 12.

There’s A Whimsical Pop-Up Exhibition With Cute Artworks & Sculptures Featuring Animals & Fruits

London-based illustrator Tess Smith-Roberts is making her solo debut in Singapore with a pop-up exhibition titled "Hello Singapore!" at the newly opened Heartware Store & Gallery in Joo Chiat, running from 25th April to 25th May 2025. The free-entry exhibition features a whimsical collection of colorful artworks, sculptures, silkscreen prints, and merchandise, all centered on playful motifs of animals, fruits, and food. Smith-Roberts, known for her bold and humorous style, has previously exhibited in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Seoul, and during the opening weekend she drew live portraits of visitors.

New experimental art gallery launches in Brighton

A new experimental art gallery, the Founders Room, is launching in Brighton in May 2026 as part of the Brighton Festival. The inaugural exhibition, titled Act 0, is organized by The Adelaide Salon in collaboration with Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival. It features works by two artist couples—Isobel Smith and The Baron Gilvan, and Lucy Newman and Bob Dixon—exploring process-led, relational, and interdisciplinary practices. The exhibition questions the boundary between artist and artwork, presenting painting, drawing, and performance-led works that blur authorship and lived experience.

"The Watchful Savior" , 2026

Bonu Deji's painting "The Watchful Savior" (2026) is being offered for sale through Art R us gallery in Naples, Florida. The acrylic and oil on canvas work, measuring 25 × 31 inches, is priced at US$1,400 and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Deji, a Nigerian contemporary visual artist born in 2003 and based in Lagos, creates figurative works exploring poverty, labor, resilience, and human dignity. The piece was previously exhibited in the gallery's 2026 solo presentation of the artist and in the 2025 group show "Faces of Us" at The Zebra Gallery.

Slane Castle Unveils CAIM: A groundbreaking contemporary art exhibition

Slane Castle in Ireland has announced CAIM, a new contemporary art program launching with an inaugural exhibition from September 12th to 30th. Curated by Jenn Ellis of Apsara Studio and Matilda Liu of Meeting Point Projects, the exhibition will feature immersive installations, sculptures, and multimedia works by emerging and established international and local artists. The works engage with themes of protection, ritual, and humanity's bond with nature, set within the castle's historic grounds and state rooms. The opening weekend includes an exclusive Riverside Gala Dinner on September 13th.

He’s Royal: Kingsley George Lawton Cooper

The 19th Annual African American Fiber Art Exhibition opened on April 29 in Charleston, South Carolina, featuring over 70 artists from 22 states under the theme 'Regal Threads: The Majesty of Blue and Purple.' Curated by Torreah 'Cookie' Washington, the juried exhibition explores the spiritual and historical significance of blue and purple in African diasporic traditions. Among the works is Donnette Cooper's quilt 'He's Royal: Kingsley George Lawton Cooper,' honoring her late brother Kingsley, who died in June 2024, incorporating the adinkra symbol Nyame Nwu Na Mawu and referencing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s eulogy.

‘Before Common Era’: artist Jamz Jamezon exhibits in Silves

Belgian artist Jamz Jamezon presents 'Before Common Era' at Espaço JALI in Silves, Portugal, running until May 24. The exhibition features canvas paintings, wooden sculptures from salvaged materials, and reclaimed cardboard works, alongside a film documenting his murals. Jamezon, who began his career in graffiti in Ghent, now creates large-scale public murals in hospitals, schools, and care centers, aiming to bring calm and fantasy to intense environments. The venue, a former cork factory transformed by Marion Buz into a cultural center, also hosts a cork oak tree mural painted by the artist in its garden.

Geometry of the Inner World: Art as Therapy in Budapest

On 22 April, Art Corner by Clark and Leo opened its ninth exhibition, 'Art Is Therapy', featuring works by Hungarian artist Judit Horváth Lóczi at the Hotel Clark Budapest and Leo Bistro. The show includes paintings and small-scale sculptures that explore personal experience, emotional memory, and female identity through geometric structures and vivid colors. The exhibition builds on material first presented in Berlin in 2020, now expanded with new works, and was inaugurated with a private vernissage attended by prominent figures from the Hungarian art scene, accompanied by a performance from Zoltán Grecsó and cellist Endre Kertész, plus a specially curated gastronomic program.

Fairy Tales and the Power of Wonder

The CU Art Museum at the University of Colorado Boulder is presenting "Fairy Tales and the Power of Wonder," an exhibition running from February 6 through May 2026. The show brings together artworks, books, and maps that explore the themes and narratives of fairy tales, featuring hybrid creatures, magical beings, and imagined landscapes. It is supported by CU Boulder Student Arts and Cultural Enrichment fees and coordinated with concurrent exhibitions at the CU Museum of Natural History and Norlin Library.

New Oxfordshire Museum exhibition marks over six decades of collaboration for local artists

A new free exhibition at The Oxfordshire Museum will showcase the works of local artists David Lockett and Peter Ross, whose friendship and professional collaboration spans over six decades. Opening on September 6 and running through September 21, the show features landscapes, portraits, and abstract works, with many pieces available for purchase. Lockett presents recent landscapes and seascapes painted from direct observation, while Ross exhibits a selection spanning fifty years, including his 2024 Open Art Competition-winning portrait “Emma Groves, Belfast 1978.”

Traverse City exhibition highlights indigenous artists around the world (and here, too)

An exhibition titled "The Traveling Gallery of the Intercontinental Biennial of the Native American, Indigenous or Millenarian Art and Culture" is on display at The Alluvion in Traverse City, Michigan, through August 31, 2025. Featuring over 100 works from around the world, the show highlights indigenous artists from South and North America, including local Traverse City artists Paul Sinclair and Janelle Dahlberg, as well as St. Ignace artist Darryl Brown. Highlights include a portrait of Geronimo by Anderson Jahir Colcha Viñan and large oil-on-canvas rainforest paintings by Ana Piaguaje of Ecuador. The exhibition is produced and directed by Jorge Iván Cevallos and was brought to the venue by curator Jessica Kooiman Parker.

Langkawi becomes an open canvas for contemporary art

Langkawi, Malaysia, is hosting the 29th Bakat Muda Sezaman (BMS29) showcase, transforming the island into an open-air gallery through July 26, 2026. Contemporary artworks and performances are installed in unexpected public locations such as padi fields, jetties, beaches, the Kuah public market, and Dataran Lang, featuring installations, digital art, and interactive works by emerging artists. The National Art Gallery director-general Amerrudin Ahmad stated the initiative aims to bring contemporary art closer to the public by moving beyond conventional gallery spaces.

Science Museum Partners With Serendipity Arts For Free Events In London This June

The Science Museum in London has partnered with Serendipity Arts, a not-for-profit foundation supporting artistic practice across South Asia, to present free events this June. The collaboration launches on June 5 with Innovation Lates, an adults-only evening of music, making, and ideas inspired by Indian innovation, as part of the Great Exhibition Road Festival. The festival marks 175 years since the Great Exhibition of 1851 and includes workshops, talks, performances, and a puppet parade directed by Dadi Pudumjee.

28 Texas Galleries to Participate in Affordable Art Fair Austin, May 14-17

The third annual Affordable Art Fair Austin will take place from May 14 to 17 at the Palmer Events Center, featuring 28 Texas galleries and a total of 55 galleries from locations as far as Sydney, Australia. Artworks are priced between $100 and $12,000, and the fair includes live painting, an interactive mural, family programming, and a raffle benefiting Dell Children’s Medical Center. Over 30% of participating galleries are Austin-based, with local names such as Art From the Streets, Davis Gallery & Framing, and Wally Workman among them.

Arts District Liberty Station Launches Open-Air Gallery and Unveils New Installations for 2025

Arts District Liberty Station in San Diego has launched a new open-air gallery and unveiled several new installations for 2025. The initiative transforms outdoor spaces within the former naval training center into a public art experience, featuring works by local and national artists. The new installations include sculptures, murals, and interactive pieces designed to engage visitors and integrate art into the community's daily environment.

20 artisti lavoreranno in 20 paesini remoti di 20 regioni italiane. La rassegna che porta l’arte contemporanea nei borghi torna per il settimo anno

The seventh edition of "Una Boccata d'Arte," an initiative by Fondazione Elpis, will bring contemporary art to 20 remote villages across all 20 Italian regions. Twenty artists, each paired with a curator, will create site-specific projects that will be inaugurated simultaneously on June 20-21, 2026, and remain on view until October 4. A key innovation this year is that artists and curators spent extra time engaging with local communities before designing their works, fostering deeper connections. Examples include Greek artist Vasilis Papageorgiu transforming a traditional tablecloth from a resident of Tredozio, and Francesco Alberico collaborating with a socio-health facility in Bressanone to create a bird-themed installation.

Stefano Boeri designs a new monastery that will be born in Milan in the district where Expo 2015 was held

Stefano Boeri progetta un nuovo monastero che nascerà a Milano nel quartiere dove si fece l’Expo2015

Stefano Boeri Architetti has designed a new monastery, the Monastero Ambrosiano, to be built by 2029 in the Mind – Milano Innovation District, the tech hub developed on the site of Expo 2015 in Milan. Presented at the Abbey of Chiaravalle, the project is commissioned by the Diocese of Milan and includes a church for 300-350 worshippers, a Cloister of Religions, a Garden of Religions, and a Library of Religions, blending contemporary architecture with monastic tradition and interfaith dialogue.

Story of Stampé is the new social atelier in Turin: art gallery, workshop, laboratory of ideas and participation

Storia di Stampé è il nuovo atelier sociale di Torino: galleria d’arte, bottega, laboratorio di idee e di partecipazione

Stampé, a new community atelier in Turin, Italy, has opened at Via Stampatori 5, a historic street once home to printers. The space is a hybrid cultural hub combining an art gallery, a workshop, a showroom for artisanal and food products, and a social enterprise incubator. It launched with a group exhibition featuring seven cultural associations and the communication agency Hello Tomorrow, showcasing works by emerging artists and graphic artworks from past events. The initiative is part of the "Piani Generativi 2" social enterprise development project, funded by the city of Turin and the Compagnia di San Paolo foundation.

Insects, Dresses, and Rebellion: Why 'The Law of Lidia Poët' is Different from All Other Costume Dramas

Insetti, abiti e ribellione: perché “La legge di Lidia Poët” è diversa da tutte le altre serie in costume

The third and final season of the Netflix series "The Law of Lidia Poët" concludes the story of Italy's first female lawyer in 1880s Turin. While the narrative follows her legal battles and social defiance, the production distinguishes itself through a rigorous and symbolic approach to costume design led by Stefano Ciammitti. Rather than modernizing the past, the series uses historical aesthetics—specifically gothic literature and naturalistic obsessions—to construct a visual language of rebellion.

From Prison to Cultural Space: New Life for the Former Austrian Jails of Busto Arsizio

Da prigione a spazio per la cultura: nuova vita per le ex carceri austriache di Busto Arsizio

The city of Busto Arsizio has officially inaugurated the transformation of its mid-19th-century Austrian prison into a vibrant cultural hub. Following a €2.35 million restoration project largely funded by the EU’s PNRR (NextGenerationEU), the historic structure on Via Borroni now serves as an extension of the "G.B. Roggia" Civic Library. The facility features three levels of study rooms, multi-purpose exhibition spaces, and a literary café, all while preserving original architectural elements like cell doors and prisoner graffiti.

ART OSAKA 2026 RETURNS WITH EXPANDED VENUES

ART OSAKA 2026 will take place from 28 May to 1 June with an expanded two-venue format, featuring over 60 galleries from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, and beyond. The fair is split between the Galleries Section at Grand Green Osaka in the Umekita district and the Expanded Section at Creative Center Osaka, a former shipyard. A special exhibition, "Another 1990s—Kansai Artists Beyond Time," revisits regional art practices from the 1990s.

Colares studio opens its doors for one-day art show

Three artists—Maria José Meneses, Clara Rêgo, and Mary St. George—are opening their studio at Casa do Celeiro in Colares, Sintra, for a one-day "Open Studio" event on Saturday, May 30, from 12pm to 6pm. The event offers the public a rare behind-the-scenes look at a working art studio, featuring contemporary paintings, mixed media, sculptural ceramics, and artists' books in a 17th-century building that was once a barn and stable.

Exhibition celebrates the horse's cultural role

An exhibition titled 'New Steeds of the Silk Road' has opened at Yanhuang Art Museum in Beijing, featuring horse-themed paintings and sculptures by artists from China and Belarus. The show celebrates the horse as a symbol of strength, courage, freedom, and loyalty, and coincides with the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac. It runs until May 18.

Between Here and Elsewhere: A New Generation Steps Forward

The Javett Art Centre at the University of Pretoria will host 'Between Here and Elsewhere,' an exhibition featuring the Top 10 artists from the 2025/26 Tlhagella Incubation Programme. Curated by Puleng Plessie, the show opens on 1 May 2026 and presents works that explore themes of presence, memory, and belonging through a polyphonic, multi-perspectival approach.

ICA Live Art Festival at UCT Announces Open Call

The Institute for Creative Arts (ICA) at the University of Cape Town has announced an open call for its 2026 Live Art Festival. Scheduled for October 14–17, 2026, in Cape Town, the festival seeks proposals for experimental and interdisciplinary live artworks from both South African and international practitioners. The selection process will prioritize conceptual strength and works that challenge conventional artistic forms within a non-commercial, research-driven environment.

Art exhibition at Paxton House will put art by Ian J. Cowan in the spotlight

Paxton House is set to host a major solo exhibition featuring the work of Ian J. Cowan, an artist known for a vibrant and eclectic style that ranges from custom-painted guitars for celebrities to traditional portraits and local landmarks. The exhibition, hosted in the Hayloft Gallery from April 11 through May 31, offers a comprehensive look at Cowan’s creative evolution and his transition from commercial music industry commissions to fine art.