First-Ever Atrium Gallery Exhibition honors Texas Trailblazing Women at McKinney Cotton Mill

MillHouse Foundation, in partnership with Cotton Mill Partners, has launched the inaugural America 250: Texas Trailblazing Wonder Women Exhibition at the newly opened Atrium Gallery inside the McKinney Cotton Mill Arts and Design District in McKinney, Texas. Running from June 12 through August 26, the exhibition features 24 large-scale original works by Texas artists honoring influential Texas women such as Barbara Jordan, Lady Bird Johnson, Ann Richards, Simone Biles, Beyoncé, and Selena Quintanilla. All artworks are available for purchase, and a Meet the Artists Reception on June 27 will announce award recipients including the $5,000 Texas Trailblazer Award.

And the (Senior Show and URECA Art Exhibition) Winners Are …

The Paul W. Zuccaire Gallery at Stony Brook University hosted the opening reception of the ninth annual combined Senior Show and URECA Arts Exhibition on April 29, drawing about 300 attendees including students, faculty, staff, university leaders, and local museum curators. The Senior Show, a nearly 50-year tradition, features works by senior studio art majors and minors, while the URECA exhibition highlights undergraduate research-based art selected by faculty. This year's exhibition is noted for its diversity in subject matter and materials, from chalk painting to digital media, and runs through May 22.

Commentary: This year's Met Gala proved one thing: The real devil who wears Prada is Jeff Bezos

Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sánchez Bezos served as honorary co-chairs and sponsors of this year's Met Gala, sparking widespread protests and calls for boycotts. Guerrilla activist group Everyone Hates Elon plastered New York with anti-Bezos signage, and activists placed 300 bottles filled with fake urine inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art to highlight Amazon workers' bathroom break complaints. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani declined his invitation, and the absence of celebrities like Meryl Streep and Zendaya fueled speculation about a boycott, though representatives denied any coordinated protest. Despite the controversy, the gala proceeded with many attendees and is expected to raise more than last year's $31 million for the Costume Institute.

Opening Reception | 21st Annual SDSU Art Council Scholarship Exhibition | Athenaeum Art Center

The Athenaeum Art Center in San Diego is hosting the 21st Annual SDSU Art Council Scholarship Exhibition from May 16 to July 3, 2026, with an opening reception on May 16. The exhibition features new work by five graduate and undergraduate students from San Diego State University's School of Art and Design: Andrea Mendoza, Tina Mardan, Todd Bradley, Ana Saad, and Isa Ybarra. Their works explore themes of the body as a site of history, resistance, and reinvention, addressing chronic pain, immigrant memory, queerness, and colonial boundaries through diverse media including painting, metalsmithing, photography, installation, clay, fiber, and printmaking.

The best exhibitions to see in London this weekend

The Financial Times' critics have curated a list of the most compelling art exhibitions to see in London during 2026, featuring shows dedicated to Henry Moore, Cecily Brown, Tracey Emin, and Francisco de Zurbarán. The recommendations span a range of styles and periods, from modern sculpture to contemporary painting and Baroque still lifes, offering a diverse cultural itinerary for weekend visitors.

Venice Biennale previews in chaos as war follows art into world's oldest exhibition

The Venice Biennale previewed its 61st edition in chaos on Tuesday, marked by the unprecedented resignation of its jury over the participation of Israel and Russia. Ukrainian artists displayed a statue of an origami deer from the war-torn eastern front, while Russian pavilion participants danced to house music and Palestinians marched wearing the names of artists killed in Gaza. The jury had stated it would not award prizes to countries under International Criminal Court investigation, singling out Russia and Israel, and its resignation has thrown the exhibition's structure into question.

Paradise at Stove Works in Chattanooga

Paradise, an exhibition at Stove Works in Chattanooga, Tennessee, curated by Graham Feyl and J. Sova, presents works by thirteen artists centered on queer futurity and abundance. The show features installations, sculptures, paintings, and textiles, including Lisa Waud's artificial flower installation 'tread/tender' (2026), Nicholas Elbakidze's erotic Meissenettes (2026), Brian Smith's beaded nets, Aaron McIntosh's quilted 'Invasive Queer Kudzu' (2015-ongoing), and works by Yu Yan, E. Saffronia Szanton Downing, Angie Jennings, Michael Childress, and Hannah Banciella. The exhibition transforms the former foundry into a space of playful, erotic, and joyful refusal, drawing on Audre Lorde's definition of the erotic as a source of power.

At the 2026 Biennale, the Bulgarian Pavilion Transforms into a Political Laboratory to Explore the Present

Alla Biennale 2026 il Padiglione della Bulgaria si trasforma in laboratorio politico per esplorare il presente

The Bulgarian Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, housed in the Sala Tiziano of the Centro Culturale Don Orione Artigianelli, has been transformed into a speculative political laboratory by The Federation of Minor Practices. Curated by Martina Yordanova, the project features an all-female group of artists—Veneta Androva, Gery Georgieva, Maria Nalbantova, and Rayna Teneva—whose four films serve as "signals" exploring tensions around ecology, media systems, disinformation, and collective responsibility. The pavilion is conceived as a research headquarters from the near future, open until November 22, 2026.

In Tuscany a new festival brings contemporary art to agricultural estates with exhibitions and artist residencies

In Toscana una nuova rassegna porta l’arte contemporanea nelle aziende agricole con mostre e residenze d’artista

The first edition of CARMI.CO 2026 – Carmignano Contemporanea will take place from May 15 to 24, 2026, in the Carmignano area near Prato, Tuscany. The festival features five exhibitions and five artist residencies hosted by local wineries and agricultural estates, alongside talks, workshops, and studio visits. Exhibitions are staged at venues including the Rocca di Carmignano, Museo Archeologico di Artimino, and Museo delle Maioliche di Bacchereto, with works by artists such as Marco Bagnoli, Qiu Yi, Gola Hundun, Rachel Morellet, Fargo, Marco Ulivieri, Serena Fineschi, and others. Residencies take place at Tenuta di Capezzana, Colline San Biagio, Tenuta Le Furre, Tenuta di Artimino, and Fattoria Il Grumolo, involving artists Max Magaldi, Ronaldo Fiesoli, Vittorio Cavallini, Graziano Riccelli, and Gola Hundun.

Mafalda meets Pimpa. In Rome, the dialogue between two authentic comic icons: interview with the curators

Mafalda incontra Pimpa. A Roma il dialogo tra due autentiche icone del fumetto: intervista ai curatori

A new exhibition in Rome titled "Mafalda & La Pimpa" brings together two iconic comic strip characters for the first time. Created by Quino (1964) and Altan (1975) respectively, Mafalda and Pimpa represent different approaches to childhood: Mafalda critically questions adult society, while Pimpa explores a gentle, wonder-filled world. The show runs from May 14 to July 11 at the Instituto Cervantes, featuring over 120 original strips and plates, and is organized in collaboration with ARF! Festival and other partners. Curators Stefano Piccoli and Daniele Bonomo designed the exhibition to highlight both the contrasts and surprising analogies between the two beloved figures.

Social documentary network ZEKE award 2026 winners – in pictures

The 2026 ZEKE award winners have been announced, with Ginevra Bonina winning the award for systemic change for her project 'Out for Blood,' which documents period poverty in India and the women fighting to reclaim their bodies. Ebrahim Alipoor won the award for documentary photography for his long-term project 'Bullets Have No Borders,' capturing the lives of border porters carrying goods across the Iran-Iraq mountains.

Delicacy as Resistance. Interview with the Curator of the Turkey Pavilion at the Venice Biennale

La delicatezza come resistenza. Intervista alla curatrice del Padiglione Turchia alla Biennale di Venezia

For the 2026 Venice Biennale, the Turkey Pavilion, commissioned by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), will present "A Kiss on the Eyes" by artist Nilbar Güreş, curated by Başak Doğa Temür. The exhibition takes its title from a Turkish expression conveying affectionate closeness without intrusion, and features a mix of new productions and earlier works spanning sculpture, installation, painting, and works on paper and fabric. In an interview, curator Temür explains that the project avoids a retrospective or didactic approach, instead creating a spatial rhythm of approach, pause, and slight withdrawal, where intimacy, politics, irony, and fragility press against one another.

L’antica certosa vicino Siena dove il disegno è diventato una performance condivisa. Il report

The third edition of the De Linea Art Festival took place on May 2-3 at the Certosa di Pontignano near Siena, Italy. Curated by Matteo Marsan and Riccardo Guasco, the event transformed the historic monastery into a living laboratory of drawing, illustration, and performance. Nine illustrators—including Marina Marcolin, Francesco Poroli, Elisa Macellari, Gianluca Folì, Ale Giorgini, Gloria Pizzilli, Matteo Berton, Giovanna Giuliano, and Daniele Caluri—participated in a week-long residency, producing works inspired by the site and the festival's theme "Crepe e spiragli" (Cracks and Glimmers), a contemporary interpretation of a Leonard Cohen quote. Over 500 visitors attended workshops, talks, and shared creative sessions, including a workshop by Fondazione Il Bisonte and performances by actress Daniela Morozzi and graphic poet Alessandro Valenti (Alvalenti).

The Works of Alfredo Pirri for the Very First Exhibition of the Polytropon Arts Center in Tuscany

Le opere di Alfredo Pirri per la primissima mostra del Polytropon Arts Center in Toscana

The Polytropon Arts Center, founded by Greek-born architect Maria Papadaki Badanjak, opens its inaugural exhibition "Quello che avanza" featuring works by Italian artist Alfredo Pirri. The venue, a converted former spinning mill located between Pelago and Pontassieve near Florence, hosts the show through June 21, 2025. The exhibition includes 144 cyanotypes created between 2014 and 2017, along with Pirri's "Arie" series in plexiglass, crystal, feathers, and colors. The show is accompanied by a musical program curated by artistic director Andrea Cavallari, with concerts scheduled for May 17 and June 21. Pirri and Cavallari previously collaborated in 2019 at the Museo Novecento in Florence as part of the "Firenze Suona Contemporanea" festival.

The Great Festival of Contemporary Creativity in Parma Celebrates Its First 10 Years: The Events to See

Il grande festival di Parma sulla creatività contemporanea festeggia i suoi primi 10 anni: gli eventi da vedere

The Parma 360 Festival, a major contemporary creativity festival in Parma, Italy, celebrates its tenth edition with the theme "Lux. Visioni sulla Luce" (Lux: Visions of Light). Curated by Chiara Canali and Camilla Mineo, the festival features five exhibitions across special city locations, transforming Parma into a diffuse museum. Highlights include Antonio Barrese's "Morphology Light. Viaggio nella forma della luce" at Galleria San Ludovico, exploring light as plastic matter, and Michael Kenna's photographic exhibition "Il fiume Po. Scritture di luce" at Palazzo Pigorini, capturing the Po River through contemplative black-and-white imagery. Over its nine previous editions (2016–2025), the festival has presented more than 70 official exhibitions and involved over 200 artists.

There are 21 artists supporting the new voyage of the Global Sumud Flotilla that set sail from Sicily with painted sails

Ci sono 21 artisti a sostegno del nuovo viaggio della Global Sumud Flotilla salpata dalla Sicilia con vele dipinte

A new humanitarian mission by the Global Sumud Flotilla set sail on April 26 from Augusta, Sicily, with 59 Italian and Spanish boats heading toward Gaza. The flotilla, which follows a first attempt in September 2025 that ended with activists arrested by the Israeli military, aims to deliver humanitarian aid by early May. Twenty-one artists have joined the initiative, called Vele d'Arte, painting the sails of the boats with symbolic artworks. Among the participating artists are Gio Pistone, Antonio Curcio, Escif, Lydia Giordano, Glenda Costa, Millo, Elia Novecento, MP5, Matteo Todeschini, Alleg, Sam3, Okuda, Antonella Santonocito, Fabrizio Foti, Igor Scalisi Palmiteri, Andrea Sposari, and Salvo Ligama. The project was conceived by Carlo Alberto Giardina, who hopes the energy painted on the sails will transform into positive forces.

Rome and its visions in contemporary photography: from Carbone to De Angelis, to Hervé Gloaguen

Roma e le sue visioni nella fotografia contemporanea: da Carbone a De Angelis, fino a Hervé Gloaguen

The article critiques a recent trend in contemporary photography of Rome, exemplified by a 2020 exhibition at the Mattatoio (Nuove produzioni 2020 per la collezione Roma) that presented black-and-white images reducing the urban landscape to a dark, lifeless mass. The author contrasts this with a personal photograph of a horse taken during the Covid-19 pandemic, which captures Rome's periphery with warmth and specificity, and praises the 2024 exhibition "Roma 1975, città, volti e storie dell'anno giubilare" featuring photojournalist Fabio De Angelis's rediscovered work as a vital counterpoint.

FYI Calendar: Traveling exhibition “Painting the Arkansas Parks” is on display at Arts On Main

A traveling exhibition titled "Painting the Arkansas Parks" is on display at Arts On Main in Van Buren, Arkansas, through June 27. The show features artworks created outdoors that highlight the natural beauty and character of Arkansas's landscapes. The article also lists numerous other events and exhibitions in the region, including "In Full Color" showcasing pastel works, "Peeking Inside the Imagination" featuring student art from Southside High School, and "Soul Taking Shape" by Arkansas Living Treasure Longhua Xu at the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum. Additionally, the calendar includes theater performances, culinary classes, a plant swap, and a cycling festival.

Art Haus Unlimited in Columbus showcases fine art, photography

Artists Elliot Twelvetrees and Daniel Snouffer have opened a new gallery called Art Haus Unlimited in Columbus, Ohio, located at 765 Summit St. in a historic building. The gallery features fine art and photography by Twelvetrees, Snouffer, Colin Dearth, and Tamera Bryant. Twelvetrees, an abstract painter and former interior designer, and Snouffer, an award-winning photographer and designer, launched the space in November 2025, with Twelvetrees returning to the very studio she once used. The gallery participates in the Short North Gallery Hop and hosts events like Twilight Soirées with live music to create an inviting atmosphere.

Nigerian art, culture returns to Atlanta in historic international exhibition

Fulton County Arts & Culture in Atlanta has announced "Threads of Heritage: A Cultural Confluence Connecting Africa to Atlanta," a major Nigerian-American cultural exchange initiative running from May to June 2026. The program, led by Nigerian textile icon Nike Monica Okundaye and involving Nike Art & Culture Foundation, Nike Art USA, and UniSpectrum Inc., will feature Nigerian artists, cultural practitioners, bata dancers, and tradition bearers in visual arts, textile traditions, muralism, sculpture, storytelling, workshops, and youth education at the Fulton County Arts & Culture Downtown Exhibition Space.

Serakai Studio unveils dreamedcore, a multi-sensorial exhibition exploring digital nostalgia in Hong Kong

Serakai Studio presents 'dreamedcore', its second exhibition at GOLD in Hong Kong's Wong Chuk Hang district, running from June 6 to August 1. Curated by Shirley Lau and Tobias Berge, the show blends an art exhibition, concept store, and runway format to explore digital-age nostalgia through the lens of 'dreamcore' aesthetics—drawing on 1990s and early 2000s visual textures. Featuring 22 emerging multi-disciplinary artists and creative practitioners from across Asia, including Li Shuang, Wong Ping, and Peng Ke, the exhibition is divided into two chapters: 'The Lure' and 'The Twist', with a central runway stage, ambient lighting, and a mini cinema screening a video by Wong Ping.

Night and Day — Thai and Norwegian street art collide in Bangkok

Thai street artist MUEBON (Danaiphat Lertputtarakarn) and Norwegian stencil artist Martin Whatson have opened a joint exhibition titled "Night and Day" at Sphere Gallery in Bangkok. The show, running from April 28 to May 12, 2026, features a collision of their distinct styles—MUEBON's playful, socially charged cartoon characters and Whatson's layered stencil work with a signature "decay" aesthetic—presented through graffiti, sculpture, and immersive installations. The project took two years to prepare, with the artists exchanging works across time zones in a process akin to sending letters.

The Earth, the Fire, the Water, and the Winds: For a Museum of Errantry with Édouard Glissant

The Center for Art, Research and Alliances in New York presents "The Earth, the Fire, the Water, and the Winds: For a Museum of Errantry with Édouard Glissant," running from February 28 to May 10, 2026. The exhibition focuses on the Martinican poet and philosopher Édouard Glissant's personal art collection, tracing how his key concepts—opacity, relation, and creolization—emerged through his engagement with artworks and artists. It features works by artists such as Agustín Cárdenas, Victor Anicet, Eduardo Zamora, Gerardo Chávez, José Gamarra, and M. Emile, and travels from Instituto Tomie Ohtake in São Paulo.

Scottsdale Public Art exhibition marks city’s 75th anniversary

Scottsdale Public Art has opened "Desert Diamonds: Scottsdale’s 75th Anniversary" at the Civic Center Public Gallery inside Scottsdale Civic Center Library, running from April 10 through June 30, 2026. The exhibition features works selected from the city’s Fine Art Collection, including photography, painting, and sculpture that trace Scottsdale’s relationship with the arts from its earliest years, such as Mario Martinez’s "Yaqui Deer Dancer: Homage to the Ancestors" and George-Ann Tognoni’s "Helen Scott on Old Maude." The show marks the city’s diamond anniversary, with Scottsdale having been incorporated in 1951.

Can we practice for crises in art?

"Können wir in der Kunst für die Krisen üben?"

Belgian theater director Miet Warlop is presenting her work "It never SSST" at the Belgian Pavilion during the Venice Biennale. The installation combines performance, sculpture, a radio show, and objects, featuring six performers, musicians, dancers, and a sculptor who periodically calls "Freeze" to capture movements in plaster reliefs. Warlop, known for her physically exhausting ritualistic performances like "One Song," discusses the piece's themes of ceaseless activity and the body as a resource, as well as the challenge of engaging visitors who often rush through the pavilion.

The Porn Effect

Der Porno-Effekt

Maja Malou Lyse received a bizarre phone call nearly three years ago from the CEO of the world's largest sperm bank, who offered her 20 liters of discarded sperm for artistic purposes. She accepted and created an installation for the Danish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, working with porn stars to explore how images shape bodies and desire.

The Raphaels, the Italian Gang and the Olive Oil Maker: The Spectacular Theft of 7 Paintings in Budapest During the Cold War

Les Raphaël, le gang italien et le fabricant d’huile d’olive : le spectaculaire vol de 7 tableaux à Budapest en pleine guerre froide

On November 5, 1983, thieves stole seven Renaissance masterpieces from the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest, including two works by Raphael, two by Tiepolo, two by Tintoretto, and one by Giorgione, valued at $28 million. The heist was carried out by a small Italian gang from Reggio Emilia, who entered through a window using a scaffolding left by construction workers, leaving behind a screwdriver from the Italian brand USAG that the mastermind mistakenly thought would implicate American thieves. The operation was led by Ivano Scianti, with accomplices including Giordano Incerti, Graziano Iori, Giacomo Morini, and Carmine Palmese.

La loi sur les restitutions des biens culturels pillés pendant la colonisation définitivement adoptée

The French Parliament has definitively adopted a permanent law on the restitution of cultural property looted during colonization, replacing the previous case-by-case legislative approach. The Senate unanimously approved the final text on May 7, 2026, following agreement in a joint committee on April 30, and the National Assembly had approved it the day before. The law creates a general derogation from the principle of inalienability of public collections, establishing a bilateral scientific committee to examine provenance, with final decisions made by decree of the Council of State. Key amendments from the National Assembly—including binding parliamentary votes on restitution and conditions on conservation and public access—were removed by the joint committee to avoid perceptions of neocolonial tutelage.

Ella Maillart, intrepid photographer of the 1930s, highlighted in an exhibition in Lausanne

Ella Maillart, photographe baroudeuse des années 30 mise en lumière dans une exposition à Lausanne

Ella Maillart, a Swiss photographer and adventurer from the 1930s, is the subject of a new exhibition in Lausanne. Born in Geneva in 1903, Maillart was an Olympic sailor and champion skier before turning to travel and photography. She journeyed across the Soviet Union, Central Asia, and China, often by train, ski, or camel, documenting remote cultures and political landscapes. Her travels included a 6,000-kilometer trek from Beijing to Kashmir with British writer Peter Fleming, and a road trip from Geneva to Kabul with friend Annemarie Schwarzenbach. The exhibition highlights her photographs and writings, which blend geographical exploration, political chronicle, and personal meditation.

Explore the projects of the 2024 and 2025 graduating classes of Ésad

Explorez les projets des promotions 2024 et 2025 de l’Ésad

The Ésad Saint-Étienne is presenting "recto verso," an exhibition running from April 29 to October 4, 2026, featuring projects by 84 young artists and designers who earned their DNSEP in June 2024 and June 2025. The show is designed as a non-linear, interactive space where objects, performances, and activations encourage visitors to explore both finished works and the preparatory stages behind them, including sketches, models, and archival materials. The exhibition is curated by the collective ppdesigner and Éric Jourdan, with production by the Cité du design.