'Do or die': Flick's journey from jail to artist and First Nations mentor

Flick Chafer-Smith, a First Nations artist, turned her life around after being incarcerated on her 18th birthday and spending six years in and out of prison due to drug addiction. Through the Victorian Indigenous arts program The Torch, she discovered painting as a means of expression and healing. She is now among 424 artists featured in Confined 17, an annual exhibition at Glen Eira Town Hall showcasing works by First Nations artists with lived experience of incarceration in Victoria. The exhibition includes paintings, weavings, ceramics, and carved emu eggs, with sales proceeds going directly to the artists.

20 Years of Art Refuge 2006-2026

An exhibition titled '20 Years of Art Refuge 2006-2026' opens May 13th in London, celebrating two decades of the UK-registered charity Art Refuge. The show features photographs, maps, films, and objects documenting the charity's work with displaced people in Nepal, France, the UK, and elsewhere, including recent projects '24X24 DUNKERQUE' and 'MADE TOGETHER'. Visitors can also participate in pop-up versions of The Community Table, a creative psychosocial support initiative.

Res Publica Verlag Seeks Project Manager or Print Production Editor

Res Publica Verlag sucht Projektmanager:in oder Chef vom Dienst Print

Res Publica Verlag, an independent publisher based in Berlin, is hiring a project manager or print production editor for its magazines Cicero and Monopol, as well as special publications. The role involves managing editorial workflows, asset management systems, ad coordination, and serving as a liaison between the publishing house and editorial teams. The position is for 30 hours per week, starting August 1, 2026, with an optional onboarding from July 1, 2026.

In Venedig findet Lotus L. Kang Schönheit im Vergänglichen

Canadian artist Lotus L. Kang has opened an exhibition titled "The Face of Desire Is Loss" at the new Bvlgari Pavilion in Venice. The show features her fluid, changeable works that explore themes of desire, loss, absence, and impermanence, with the artist describing the experience as a charged, chaotic, yet focused pursuit of something elusive.

Exit Homo?

Hua Wang and Emanuel Heim are presenting their dual exhibition "Natural Inversions" in Berlin, curated by John Silvis. The show features abstract queer painting, sculptural installations, and explores themes of perception, materiality, and transformation. An artist talk moderated by Monopol editor Sebastian Frenzel accompanies the exhibition, where the artists discuss transhumanism, artificial intelligence, spirituality, and how technology is reshaping our understanding of being human.

In Greece, the Thessalonikéon Métropolis Archaeological Museum Opens Its Doors

En Grèce, le musée archéologique Thessalonikéon Métropolis ouvre ses portes

The Thessalonikéon Métropolis archaeological museum opened on May 7 in Thessaloniki, Greece, inside the renovated Pavlos Melas barracks (Building A3). Its collection of over 300,000 objects—including ceramics, jewelry, mosaics, sarcophagi, and architectural fragments—was unearthed during the construction of the city's metro system, which began in 2006 and became the largest rescue excavation in northern Greece. The centerpiece is the Decumanus Maximus, a well-preserved Roman-Byzantine commercial street discovered at the Venizelou station, nicknamed "Byzantine Pompeii." The museum's restoration cost about €14.5 million, partly funded by European Union funds, while the total archaeological interventions cost between €75 and €203 million.

Accusé de viol, le directeur du Frac Bretagne est révoqué

The director of the Frac Bretagne (Regional Contemporary Art Fund of Brittany), Étienne Bernard, has been dismissed following an internal investigation into allegations of sexual violence. The case began in October 2025 when an anonymous testimony on the Instagram account #MeTooArtContemporain accused a former art professor of sexual assault; the post noted the accused had since become a Frac director. After graffiti appeared on the Frac Bretagne building, the institution hired the external consultancy Égaé to conduct an internal inquiry. Two reports submitted in February and April 2026 documented multiple serious allegations against Bernard, including harassment and assault. The board voted unanimously to revoke his position on May 4, 2026, and the public prosecutor's office in Rennes has opened a criminal investigation for moral harassment, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and aggravated rape. Bernard denies the allegations and has filed an appeal with the administrative court.

Aristophil : Gérard Lhéritier obtient une peine aménagée

Gérard Lhéritier, founder of the investment firm Aristophil, has had his prison sentence reduced to two years under electronic monitoring after pleading guilty in a French plea-bargaining procedure. Originally sentenced in December 2025 to five years in prison for fraud, Lhéritier's scheme involved selling shares in manuscripts and historical documents, causing losses estimated at several hundred million euros to nearly 18,000 investors.

The Museum of the Surrender of Reims Reopens After a Year of Renovations

Le Musée de la Reddition de Reims rouvre ses portes après un an de travaux

The Musée de la Reddition de Reims (Museum of the Surrender of Reims) reopened on May 7, the 81st anniversary of the German surrender signed in its map room, after a year-long closure. The renovation, costing approximately €2 million, focused on conservation: protective glazing, improved ventilation and lighting, and anoxic treatment of collections to halt degradation of original maps, documents, and war room objects. The museum also overhauled its scenography, designed by Belgian agency Kascen, to present a clearer chronological narrative covering the occupation, Allied presence in Reims, liberation, postwar reconstruction, and reconciliation, rather than just the surrender itself. The museum now displays 17 uniforms, 130 objects and weapons, and 65 archival documents, including the act of capitulation and General McAuliffe's jacket.

Mirei Monticelli’s Hand-Woven Banana Leaf Lamps Swell Between Material and Movement

Milan-based Filipina designer Mirei Monticelli creates biomorphic lighting fixtures from hand-woven Banaca fabric, made from Abacá fiber sourced from the Philippines. Her studio collaborates with a community of weavers in the Bicol province, developing the material through a long-term relationship. The lamps, which blend sculpture and utility, were recently featured in an installation titled 'Pleasure Garden' at Milan Design Week. Monticelli’s process incorporates techniques from garment construction, learned from her mother, a fashion designer.

‘Light from the Inner Soul’ exhibition celebrates women’s unheard artistic voices in Cumilla

A three-day art exhibition titled “Light from the Inner Soul” is being held at Cumilla Shilpakala Auditorium in Bangladesh, showcasing paintings and handcrafted works by eight women with no formal art training. Organized by Jannatul Ferdous Twonni, the exhibition features a range of media including calligraphy, metal art, wax art, glass painting, canvas works, and AI-inspired pieces, with participants ranging from a 16-year-old to a 90-year-old woman.

Grind – Charity Skateboard Art Exhibition Ramps Up For Its Third Year In Loganholme

FIRST Disability Support & Training Service in Loganholme, Queensland, is hosting the third annual Grind skate deck art exhibition in July 2026, with over 100 entrants from across Australia. The exhibition features custom-designed skateboard decks by members of the public, school students, and people living with disabilities, under the theme 'Myths, Monsters & Mayhem'. Judges include skateboard deck artist Brett Clifton, Skate Advantage ambassador Matilda Wilson, and metalwork artist Colleen Lavender, with a live skate demonstration by professional skater Jesse Noonan.

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.

Marin resident returns to art after retiring from police department

Donna Loftus, a Marin County resident, retired from a 33-year career with the San Francisco Police Department in 2012 and has since returned to her lifelong passion for art. She took classes at the College of Marin, joined the Marin Society of Artists and the art group Marin 6, and has exhibited her work at venues including Fred's retail store in Mill Valley, Locati Mediterranean restaurant, and Coit Tower in San Francisco. Currently, she is the guest artist in the exhibition "Embracing Art" at the Arts Guild of Sonoma, running through June 1. Loftus, who is pursuing a fine arts degree, paints landscapes, still lifes, and abstracts inspired by nature and her travels.

Mount Wachusett Community College student art exhibit opens in Gardner

Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) has opened its 55th Annual Student Art Exhibition at the East Wing Gallery inside the Raymond LaFontaine Fine Arts Center on its Gardner campus. Running from May 11 through May 26, the show features student work in painting, drawing, sculpture, ceramics, and design, selected collaboratively by faculty and students. Art department chair, professor, and gallery director Joyce Miller is the contact for the event.

C’è un museo di Torino che cerca 100 lampade per realizzare una grande installazione. Ecco come partecipare

The MAO – Museo d’Arte Orientale in Turin has launched an open call titled "We need your light," inviting the public to lend up to three lamps each for a large-scale collective installation. Participants can deliver their lamps on May 17-18, 2026, by booking a time slot via Eventbrite; the museum will collect the objects, rewire them for safety, and incorporate them into a site-specific artwork debuting during Turin's Art Week in October 2026. The museum also encourages lenders to share the story behind their lamp, which will be filmed and included in the exhibition.

A Fiumicino torna la open call per artisti emergenti che trasforma spazi commerciali in culturali

The WOW SIDE shopping centre in Fiumicino, Italy, has launched an open call for emerging artists as part of its PostArt project, now in its second edition. The 2026 theme is "La Voce" (The Voice), inviting artists to create works during a residency inside the shopping centre from June 26 to 28, 2026. The call is open until May 30, 2026, and selected works will be exhibited in the centre's galleries.

The church, the village, the park. FAI's 'Places of the Heart' returns to save ruins

La chiesa, il borgo, il parco. Tornano i Luoghi del Cuore del FAI per salvare i beni in rovina

The Fondo per l’Ambiente Italiano (FAI) has launched the 13th edition of its "Luoghi del Cuore" (Places of the Heart) initiative, a biennial census that invites Italians to vote for cultural heritage sites most in need of restoration. Since 2003, the campaign has collected over 13.5 million votes, with the 2024 edition alone receiving more than 2.3 million votes for over 41,000 sites across 6,508 municipalities. The initiative has funded 180 recovery projects, 40% of which involve churches, followed by environmental, architectural, and archaeological assets. Notable successes include the Church of San Pietro dei Samari in Gallipoli, the Oratorio del Sasso in Orasso, and the Complesso di Sant’Angelo Magno in Ascoli Piceno.

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.

The gardens are beautiful but we have stopped designing them. Analysis by architect Gabriele Mulè

I giardini sono bellissimi ma abbiamo smesso di progettarli. L’analisi dell’architetto Gabriele Mulè

Architect Gabriele Mulè analyzes the garden of Bruce Ginsberg in Hampshire, England, describing it as a masterful blend of Eastern and Western traditions. The garden, cultivated for over thirty years, features fluid curves, geometric hedges, a Tibetan stupa, and a labyrinth, embodying the concept of sharawadgi—planting without apparent order—while integrating elements from ancient Greece, the Renaissance, and Buddhist philosophy.

California Art Club’s “American Road Trip” Opens at the Old Mill

The California Art Club opens its third exhibition, “A Rite of Passage: The American Road Trip,” at the Old Mill in San Marino on May 14. The show features paintings by CAC artists depicting cross-country highway scenes, including desert roads, small-town main streets, and roadside landmarks, as part of the club’s series celebrating California’s 175th anniversary and the United States’ 250th. The exhibition runs through October 4.

Lifework: An Exhibition by KCAT Studio Artists

Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council presents "Lifework," an exhibition of artworks by seven artists from the Kilkenny Collective for Arts Talent (KCAT) Studio. The show runs from May 9 to August 26, 2026 at the Municipal Gallery, dlr LexIcon in Dún Laoghaire, featuring artists Thomas Barron, Declan Byrne, Lorna Corrigan, Sinéad Fahey, Fergus Fitzgerald, Andrew Pike, and Jason Turner. Curated by Dominic Thorpe, the exhibition pairs each artist's earliest work with recent pieces to highlight their long-term artistic development. A concurrent showcase of inclusive artwork from the county will be displayed in Gallery Two, accompanied by workshops programmed by Moran Been-noon and Rayne Booth.

Call for artists open for 17th annual juried exhibition

The City of St. Catharines has opened the call for artists to submit work for its 17th Annual Juried Art Exhibition, titled "Current." Emerging, student, and established artists living in the Niagara Region are invited to explore the theme of currents—literal waterways like the Welland Canal and Niagara River, as well as cultural, social, and technological forces. Submissions in all mediums created within the past three years are eligible, with a deadline of June 29, 2026. The exhibition will run from September 18, 2026, to January 22, 2027, in the City Hall gallery, and selected artists receive an exhibition fee and possible acquisition into the city's Municipal Art Collection.

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.

Former Farmers building 'leading candidate' for art gallery

A feasibility study commissioned by the Invercargill City Council has identified the former Farmers department store building on Dee Street as the leading candidate for a new public art gallery in Invercargill, New Zealand. The study, prepared by Rebecca McElrea of McElrea Consulting, assessed multiple location options—including the H&J Smith building, an extension of the Te Unua Museum site, and incorporation into the new Te Unua museum—but concluded that the Farmers building offers the best alignment with investment objectives due to its size, configuration, central city location, and preliminary cost certainty. The council will consider proceeding with a detailed business case for this option at a committee meeting on Tuesday.

“长征前夜·抚州烽火”纪念红军长征胜利90周年美术采风创作活动在抚州举办

From April 30 to May 4, 2026, the "Long March Eve·Fuzhou Beacon" art sketching and creation event was held in Fuzhou to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Red Army's Long March. Organized by the Jiangxi Artists Association and the Fuzhou Municipal Propaganda Department under the guidance of the China Artists Association, 15 artists including China Artists Association Chairman Fan Di'an and Secretary-General Wang Ping visited revolutionary heritage sites such as the Red Ninth Army Luojiapu Command Post, the Dengxian Bridge Victory Site in Le'an County, and the Long March National Cultural Park (Guangchang Section). They also explored the intangible cultural heritage Nuo Dance in Shiyou Village, Nanfeng County, to absorb local cultural roots for their creations.

黑龙江省美协召开2026年度工作会议暨七届九次主席团（扩大）会议

The Heilongjiang Provincial Artists Association held its 2026 annual work meeting and the 7th 9th Presidium (Expanded) Meeting on April 29, 2026, via a hybrid online-offline format. Over 100 participants attended, including presidium members, council members, heads of municipal and industry artists associations, and committee members. The meeting conveyed directives from the China Artists Association's study and implementation of the Fourth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, as well as the provincial文联's work arrangements. It summarized 2025 work and outlined key tasks for 2026, emphasizing ideological guidance through Xi Jinping's cultural thought, people-centered creative direction focusing on local themes like black soil culture and borderland heritage, and strengthening of traditional art forms such as Heilongjiang printmaking and watercolor. The meeting also approved new council member additions, first-batch 2026 membership applications, and committee adjustments.

Albany Center Gallery seeks artists, vendors for Summer Art Fest

Albany Center Gallery is seeking artists and vendors for its third annual Summer Art Fest, a free outdoor art festival taking place July 18 at Quackenbush Square and Clinton Market Collective in downtown Albany. The event features a curated pop-up gallery, a new vendor market, a kids' art corner, interactive activities, and live artmaking. Submissions are free, with a deadline of June 10, and guidelines are available on the gallery's website. Last year's festival drew over 1,000 attendees from the Capital Region.

Mugs of May art show brewing in Vernon

Vernon's Community Arts Centre (VCAC) is hosting its sixth annual Mugs of May: Art Show and Sale through May 26. The exhibition features hundreds of handmade ceramic mugs by artists from across the Okanagan, ranging from emerging to established ceramicists, alongside wall and fine art inspired by coffee and daily rituals. Visitors can also participate in a coloring contest for a chance to win a gift card.

China Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia: Dream Stream

The China Pavilion at the 61st International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia has been announced under the title "Dream Stream." The pavilion will be part of the prestigious Venice Biennale, one of the world's most important contemporary art exhibitions, and is organized by the Chinese government or cultural authorities. The announcement was made via a press release distributed by PR Newswire, highlighting China's continued participation in this global art event.