Guide to cultural festivals in Italy at the end of May 2026: Spring Attitude, Aura, Buongiorno Ceramica!, URBAPHONIA, CYFEST

Guida ai festival culturali in Italia di fine maggio 2026: Spring Attitude, Aura, Buongiorno Ceramica!, URBAPHONIA, CYFEST

A guide to cultural festivals in Italy at the end of May 2026 highlights several events across the country, including Spring Attitude in Rome (May 29-30), Aura Festival in Palermo (June 1), Hypermaremma in Maremma (through September 30), Emulsioni in Ferrania (May 22-24), and Caorle Sea Festival in Caorle (May 23-June 7). These festivals cover diverse themes such as electronic music, club culture, analog photography, ceramics, media art, street art, and outdoor practices, often set in historically or culturally significant locations like La Nuvola in Rome, the Palazzina Cinese in Palermo, and an ex-film factory in Ferrania.

The Italian Way of Symbolism in the Exhibition at the Fondazione Magnani-Rocca

La via italiana del Simbolismo nella mostra alla Fondazione Magnani-Rocca

The Fondazione Magnani-Rocca in Mamiani di Traversetolo, Parma, recently made headlines due to a dramatic theft targeting its permanent collection. Despite the incident, the museum's temporary exhibition spaces remain unaffected, and the show "Simbolismo in Italia" (Symbolism in Italy), curated by Francesco Parisi, continues without disruption. The exhibition aims to update critical discourse on Symbolism, a movement that spread across Europe from the 1880s to the early 1900s and arrived in Italy with a distinct, often tradition-rooted character. It features works by artists such as Cesare Saccaggi, Giulio Aristide Sartorio, and Adolfo Wildt, organized into thematic sections exploring literary sources, mythological landscapes, and the dual nature of femininity.

Working in Art: Opportunities from Museo Novecento, Giudicesse 2030, Premio Combat and Fondazione Club Silencio

Lavorare nell’arte: opportunità da Museo Novecento, Giudicesse 2030, Premio Combat e Fondazione Club Silencio

This article from Artribune compiles five current job and grant opportunities in the Italian art world. It highlights a crowdfunding campaign by Museo Novecento for Agnese Galiotto's artwork "Sogni" in Empoli, an open call for the fourth edition of the Giudicesse 2030 residency for filmmakers and video artists in Sant'Antioco, a call for artists using AI from Associazione culturale 360° Creativity Events for PARMA 360 Festival, a paid internship at Blob Art ETS for Premio Combat in Livorno, and a search for a project manager by Fondazione Club Silencio ETS.

Curatori e allestitori ci raccontano la grande mostra dedicata a Franco Vaccari a Bolzano

A major retrospective exhibition titled "Feedback. Gli ambienti di Franco Vaccari" has opened at Museion in Bolzano, Italy, dedicated to the late artist Franco Vaccari (1936–2025). The show features over twenty immersive environments, historical works, and recent video experiments drawn largely from the museum's permanent collection and the Franco Vaccari Archive of Visual Writing. Curated by Frida Carazzato and Luca Panaro in collaboration with Fosbury Architecture, the exhibition explores Vaccari's cross-disciplinary practice spanning photography, writing, and participatory installation art.

Annalee Davis at the 2026 Venice Art Biennale. Landscape as mourning, archive and resistance in the Barbados Pavilion

Annalee Davis alla Biennale Arte di Venezia 2026. Il paesaggio come lutto, archivio e resistenza nel Padiglione Barbados

Annalee Davis, an artist from Barbados, will represent her country at the 2026 Venice Biennale with an installation titled "Let this be my Cathedral" within the exhibition "In Minor Keys." The work addresses ecological grief, colonial memory, and the possibility of care without erasing conflict, using suspended plants and organic materials to create a threshold where loss, vulnerability, and wonder remain in tension. Davis discusses the influence of curator Koyo Kouoh, whose vision shaped the Biennale, and the importance of research as an integral part of her artistic process.

The Austrian Pavilion at the Biennale brings performances and installations around the Venice Lagoon

Il Padiglione Austria in Biennale porta performance e installazioni in giro per la Laguna di Venezia

Austrian artist and choreographer Florentina Holzinger (Vienna, 1986) will represent Austria at the 61st International Art Exhibition of the Venice Biennale with a project titled "SeaWorld Venice." Curated by Nora-Swantje Almes, the interdisciplinary initiative combines a permanent installation at the Austrian Pavilion with a series of site-specific performances and actions spread across Venice and its lagoon. The project explores the body, water, and the tensions between nature and technology, drawing on mythological and classical imagery populated by aquatic creatures. It includes "Études," performative formats developed by Holzinger since 2020, which activate urban spaces through participatory and immersive experiences, engaging both spectators and citizens.

Working in Art and Culture: Opportunities from Premio di Pittura Casciaro, Fondazione MUS.E, Comune di Roma, Fondazione Officine Saffi

Lavorare nell’arte e nella cultura: opportunità da Premio di Pittura Casciaro, Fondazione MUS.E, Comune di Roma, Fondazione Officine Saffi

This article from Artribune compiles five current job and grant opportunities in the Italian visual arts and culture sector. It lists open calls for the Premio di Pittura Giuseppe Casciaro (a painting prize with a career award and a solo exhibition prize), a residency program for artists and curators under 36 at Fondazione MUS.E's MAD Murate Art District, an open call for artists on the theme of play by Associazione Circuiti Dinamici, a search by the Comune di Roma for a three-year artistic director for the La Vaccheria cultural space, and a stage (internship) position at Fondazione Culturale Officine Saffi for exhibition programming and project coordination.

Venice Biennale Scraps “Golden Lion” Awards as Turmoil Continues

The 61st Venice Biennale has scrapped its traditional Golden Lion awards, replacing them with public-voted “Visitor Lions” after the entire award jury resigned on April 30. The jury had previously announced its intention to exclude countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, effectively targeting Russia and Israel. The Biennale Foundation, however, stated that all official national pavilions—including Russia and Israel—will be eligible for the new Visitor Lions, citing principles of inclusion and equal treatment. The awards ceremony has been moved from May 9 to November 22, the final day of the Biennale, to allow ticket holders to vote throughout the event.

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.

“Yellow Letters”: arte e politica, libertà e censura nel nuovo film di İlker Çatak

Ilker Çatak's fifth film, "Yellow Letters," premieres on April 30, 2026, distributed by Lucky Red. The story follows Derya and Aziz, a Turkish artist couple whose lives unravel after Aziz, a professor at Ankara University, receives a "yellow letter" terminating his employment. The film, inspired by post-2016 coup purges in Turkey, shifts to Berlin and Hamburg, where the director deliberately avoids mimicking Turkish locations, instead using explicit captions like "Berlin as Ankara" to create a Brechtian alienation effect. Çatak explores how arbitrary state repression fractures personal relationships and moral boundaries, drawing on interviews with artists who faced unjust dismissals.

Apre a Venezia una nuova fondazione per l’arte. Il progetto dell’artista curdo Ahmet Güneştekin a Palazzo Gradenigo

Kurdish artist Ahmet Güneştekin has opened a new foundation in Venice at Palazzo Gradenigo, a 16th-century building in the Castello district. The foundation's inaugural exhibition, titled "Sessizlik/Silenzio/Silence," will open on May 6 during the Venice Biennale. The show features 11 new bronze sculptures and 11 oil paintings. The palace, closed to the public for 17 years, was purchased by the artist and is undergoing a conservative restoration led by architects Alberto Torsello and Elisa Santoro, set to complete by late 2026. The foundation, entirely self-funded through sales of Güneştekin's works and royalties, aims to provide exhibition and training opportunities for young artists, especially from Turkey, in an international context.

‘Good for the soul’: Local art show opens at Oshawa art gallery tonight

The Oshawa Art Association (OAA) is hosting the opening reception and awards night for its 58th annual juried art exhibition tonight at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery in Oshawa, Ontario. The free event runs from 6 to 9 p.m., featuring live music by local singer David Saliba, attendance from local politicians, and a cash bar. The exhibition, which includes over 100 artworks selected from nearly 300 submissions, will remain on display until May 10. Categories include wildlife, people, abstracts, sculptures, and a youth category for artists aged 12 to 18, with $3,000 in total prize money awarded by jurors Hi-Sook Barker and Lucy Manley.

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.

Jockey Club unveils global horse art exhibition in Tsim Sha Tsui to celebrate 140th anniversary

The Hong Kong Jockey Club launched the Harmonious Horse International Exhibition Tour in Tsim Sha Tsui on Friday, featuring large-scale horse sculptures by artist Simon Ma. The opening ceremony at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza was attended by Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han and Jockey Club CEO Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges. The exhibition runs until May 21 at Tsim Sha Tsui before moving to Tamar Park in Admiralty, then traveling to Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. A nighttime light show accompanies the display, and winners of a youth art competition inspired by Xu Beihong's equine paintings were announced.

The Contemporary Lore: Sojourn of Styles and Generations Unfurled

The exhibition "The Contemporary Lore: Sojourn of Styles and Generations Unfurled" brings together 23 artists at various career stages, from senior practitioners to emerging voices, in a non-chronological display of paintings, sculptures, and mixed media. Curated by Kiran K. Mohan with a critical essay by art historian Johny ML, the show rejects linear art historical narratives in favor of a living conversation across generations, materials, and conceptual concerns. Featured artists include Anil Gaekwad, Ashok Bhowmick, Asit Patnaik, Bharti Prajapati, Bipin Kumar, Charudatt, Dilip Sharma, Haren Thakur, Harshwardhan Devtale, Hemraj, Jaikrishna Agarwal, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, Milan Das, Meenakshi Jha Banerjee, Mukesh Bijole, Nilisha Phad, Pandurang Thate, Prem Singh, Rakhi Kumar, Sanjay K. Srivastava, Sekhar Kar, Shaji Apukuttan, and Yusuf.

International Friendship Park, at the western end of the U.S.-Mexico border, is focus of new art exhibition

A new art exhibition titled “Occupy Thirdspace III: The Park” opens at San Diego’s Central Library, focusing on International Friendship Park, a state park at the western end of the U.S.-Mexico border. Co-curated by Sara Solaimani and Natalia Ventura, the show features three artist collectives—Las Comadres, Art Made Between Opposite Sides (AMBOS), and Friends of International Friendship Park—to visually tell the park’s story. The park opened in 1971 as a meeting place for families divided by the border but has been closed on the U.S. side since 2020, while remaining open on the Mexico side. The exhibition is the third installment in Solaimani’s series exploring Henri Lefebvre’s concept of “third spaces” as symbolic sites that challenge systems of power.

Five-Minute Tours: Dario Robleto at Art League Houston

Glasstire's Five-Minute Tours series features a video walk-through of Dario Robleto's exhibition "If You Remember, I’ll Remember" at Art League Houston, on view from September 26 to December 21, 2025. The show presents works by Robleto, named 2025 Texas Artist of the Year, blending sculpture and print with themes of science, history, and poetics, including pieces inspired by the Voyager Golden Record and 19th-century heartbeat visualization experiments.

Die Welt als Sound – mit Peter Licht

Peter Licht, a German musician, author, and playwright, appears as a guest on the 82nd episode of the "Fantasiemuskel" podcast, where he discusses his view of the world as a sound phenomenon. He reflects on his 2006 song "Lied vom Ende des Kapitalismus," which preceded the 2008 financial crisis, and explores how language, fear, and utopian moments manifest through sound in his work—whether in pop songs, theater pieces, or novels. Licht also describes a recent "problem-solving show" at Schauspiel Köln, where audience members submit problems that are collectively sung, turning singing into an act of resistance and community-building.

Venice Biennale chief under pressure

Venedig-Biennale-Chef unter Druck

Just before the opening of the Venice Art Biennale, its president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco is facing mounting criticism after the entire jury resigned. Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli accused Buttafuoco of pursuing a form of "parallel foreign policy" by readmitting Russia to the six-month exhibition, calling him a "victim of a pacifist fantasy." The opening ceremony and the traditional Golden Lion awards have been canceled; prizes will now be decided by visitor vote at the end of the Biennale in November.

Jury of the Venice Biennale Resigns

Jury der Venedig-Biennale tritt zurück

The entire jury of the Venice Biennale, appointed by artistic director Koyo Kouoh, has resigned with immediate effect. In a statement released on Thursday, the jury members—including chair Solange Oliveira Farkas, Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi—cited a prior declaration from April 22 in which they announced they would not award Golden or Silver Lions to artists from countries whose political leadership is currently indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity. Although no specific countries were named, the move implicitly targets Russia (President Vladimir Putin) and Israel (Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu), both subject to ICC arrest warrants. The resignation comes amid escalating tensions over Russia's participation in the Biennale despite EU sanctions, which had already led to a freeze of EU funding and widespread protests.

Berlin Museum to Return Almost 600 Skulls

Berliner Museum will fast 600 Schädel zurückgeben

The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation in Berlin has announced plans to repatriate hundreds of human skulls to West African nations following a multi-year provenance investigation. The research identified the origins of 574 skulls, with 336 linked to present-day Cameroon, 151 to Togo, 23 to Ghana, and one to Nigeria, while 63 could not be precisely located. The skulls were part of a historical anthropological collection transferred from Berlin's Charité university hospital in 2011.

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.

Lié au musée Guimet, l’hôtel d’Heidelbach rouvre pour la Nuit des musées, sublimé par Constance Guisset

The Hôtel d'Heidelbach, now renamed 'Maison Guimet,' has reopened after months of renovation led by designer Constance Guisset. Located at 19 Avenue d'Iéna, just steps from the Musée Guimet in Paris, the early 20th-century mansion will welcome visitors for the Nuit des musées on May 23. The guided tour includes reception rooms, an impressive collection of Chinese ceremonial furniture, and a Japanese garden with a tea pavilion, ending with a tea tasting. The renovation was intentionally sober, reversible, and modular, aiming to enhance rather than overhaul the space.

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 tour Perret, premier gratte-ciel en béton armé d’Europe, renaît à Grenoble après 60 ans de fermeture

The Tour Perret in Grenoble, Europe's first reinforced concrete skyscraper, will reopen to the public on July 11, 2026, after being closed since the 1960s. Designed by Auguste Perret in 1925 for the International Exhibition of White Coal and Tourism, the 95-meter tower has undergone a complex restoration led by heritage architect François Botton, addressing water infiltration and corrosion while preserving its original character.

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.

Under pressure, the Venice Biennale jury resigns and is replaced by a public vote

Sous pression, le jury de la Biennale de Venise démissionne et est remplacé par un vote du public

On April 30, just days before the Venice Biennale's public opening on May 9, the entire international jury responsible for awarding the Golden and Silver Lions resigned. The jury—comprising Solange Farkas, Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi—had been caught in a escalating controversy after Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco reinstated Russia, which had been excluded since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The European Union threatened to suspend or cancel its €2 million subsidy if Russia remained included. The jury attempted to exclude countries whose leaders face International Criminal Court arrest warrants, effectively targeting Russia and Israel, but ultimately resigned under pressure from both external diplomatic turmoil and internal institutional opposition to any discrimination between pavilions.

İrem Günaydın at thepill

İrem Günaydın is presenting a solo exhibition at thepill gallery in Istanbul, running from March 7 to May 23, 2026. The show features 46 images documenting the exhibition, with press releases available in both English and Turkish.

Irina Werning Chronicles 18 Years of Photographing ‘Las Pelilargas’ in a New Book

Photographer Irina Werning has spent 18 years traveling across Latin America to document Indigenous women with exceptionally long hair for her series "Las Pelilargas." Her new book, published by GOST Books, features nearly 90 portraits taken between 2006 and 2024, starting with the Kolla community in Argentina. Werning sought subjects by posting signs in remote mountain towns and organizing hair competitions, capturing a tradition rooted in ancestral beliefs that hair connects to life, thoughts, and the land.

Even More Drawings for Versailles

Encore d'autres dessins pour Versailles

The Palace of Versailles has acquired several drawings during the Paris Drawing Week sales in March 2026, including a rare study by Charles de La Fosse for the royal chapel's dome decoration. The drawing, depicting a reclining nude man for "The Resurrection of Christ," was purchased at the Rossini auction of Paul and Florence Vercier's collection for €3,800. This acquisition adds to Versailles' growing collection of La Fosse works, following earlier purchases of an angel study in 2016 and a ceiling project in 2023.