Michener Art Museum's retired founding director returns with new exhibition

Bruce Katsiff, the founding director of the Michener Art Museum in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, has returned to the institution with his first-ever exhibition at the museum, titled 'Pieces of a Life.' The retrospective showcases six decades of Katsiff's photography, including series such as 'Face Maps,' 'River Town Portraits,' and 'Nature Morte,' as well as collaborative works never before exhibited. Katsiff, who led the museum from 1989 to 2012, transformed it from an arts center into a full-fledged museum, building a collection focused on regional artists from Bucks County and overseeing the installation of iconic spaces like the Nakashima Room.

On the eve of Mother’s Day, New Orleans art exhibit protests the death of Black sons

On the eve of Mother's Day 2026, an art exhibit titled "The Four Lost Sons" opened at [ART] CONSCIOUS gallery in Arabi, Louisiana. The show features large portraits of four Black men from Louisiana who died in police custody or altercations, created by the pseudonymous artist Walta Focq. The exhibit coincides with the anniversary of Ronald Greene's death, who was beaten and tased by Louisiana State Police in 2019. The mothers of the four men are involved in the project and plan to speak at the opening reception.

Anyflatsurface turns paddles, saws and rocks into art in new Northern Ontario show

Joyce Effinger, a self-taught visual artist based in Corbeil, Ontario, opens her solo exhibition "Anyflatsurface" at the Alex Dufresne Gallery on May 9. The show features paintings on unconventional surfaces such as paddles, saws, rocks, cloth, and found objects, transforming everyday items marked by use and history into vibrant studies of color, form, and place. Effinger, who came to painting later in life, draws inspiration from northern Ontario's landscapes and heritage, as well as poetry and personal reflection.

Auntiescapes at Load Gallery asks: Can the hyperreal impact social reality?

The article covers the exhibition 'Auntiescapes' at Load Gallery in Barcelona, featuring the work of Singaporean artist Wenhui Lim, who works under the moniker niceaunties. The show includes a central AI-powered mirror that transforms viewers into the face of an Asian auntie, offering blunt, loving remarks, alongside surreal digital landscapes like Auntlantis and Auntiecity that reimagine aunties as protagonists in fantastical worlds. Lim, a former architect, uses AI and editing software to create these hyperreal, expansive works.

A Firenze nasce la “nuova” istituzione GAMB che riunisce la Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze e i Musei del Bargello (con nuovo logo d’autore)

A new museum institution called GAMB (Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze e Musei del Bargello) has been established in Florence, unifying seven cultural sites under a single autonomous museum system. The sites include the Galleria dell’Accademia, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Orsanmichele, Casa Martelli, Palazzo Davanzati, Cappelle Medicee, and the former Church of San Procolo. A new visual identity designed by Milanese studio Migliore+Servetto features a pictogram that maps the geographic distribution of the venues, along with a custom typeface and color palette unique to each location. The launch also coincides with the start of a public restoration project for the base of Benvenuto Cellini’s *Perseo* at the Bargello, open to visitors from May 12 to September 5, 2026.

Five-Minute Tours: Helmut Barnett at Wally Workman Gallery, Austin

Glasstire's Five-Minute Tours series features a video walk-through of Helmut Barnett's solo exhibition "Surfaces" at Wally Workman Gallery in Austin, Texas. The show runs from April 11 to May 3, 2026, and presents Barnett's paintings, collages, and drawings that blend geometric and organic forms, created over his 50-year career.

Mennello Museum’s 'Our Orlando' group show returns, featuring three innovative local artists

The Mennello Museum in Loch Haven, Orlando, has launched the fourth edition of its 'Our Orlando' group exhibition, featuring three local artists: Tasanee Durrett, Mado Smith, and Martha Jo Mahoney. The show, curated by museum director Shannon Fitzgerald and co-curator Flynn Dobbs, includes four works each by Durrett and Mahoney and two by Smith, drawn from studio visits. The exhibition runs through late August with an opening reception on Friday.

At Mcube, the movement and memory of jatras come alive

Pradip Kumar Bajracharya's solo exhibition 'Festive Spirit' at Gallery Mcube in Kathmandu marks his return to solo shows after over a decade. The exhibition captures the movement and memory of Nepal's jatras (festivals), focusing on the cultural celebrations of the Newa people. Bajracharya uses abstraction and fluid acrylic techniques to depict events like Bhaktapur's Sindure Jatra and Indra Jatra, often decentering faces to emphasize atmosphere and emotion. The works also reflect on the pandemic's halt of festivities, with paintings referencing locked chariots and temple guardians.

Iran has not withdrawn from 2026 Venice Biennale, pavilion commissioner says

Iran has denied withdrawing from the 2026 Venice Biennale, despite the Biennale's announcement that the country would not participate. Aydin Mahdizadeh Tehrani, director-general of visual arts at Iran's ministry of culture and Islamic guidance and the country's pavilion commissioner, stated that Iran requested more time rather than submitting a withdrawal. He cited the US-Israel war with Iran, political and economic challenges, and a sharp currency devaluation that tripled projected costs as reasons for the delay. Iran proposed a shorter two-to-three-month participation, which was rejected, but has since sent a letter insisting on opening its pavilion even after the opening. The foreign ministry has intervened to support Iran's participation, and a final response from the Biennale is expected soon.

Dealers Face a Choice: Show Solo Artists? Or Groups?

Art dealers are weighing the strategic decision of whether to present solo artist booths or group shows at art fairs. Solo booths allow visitors to focus deeply on a single artist's work, avoiding the sensory overload of multiple artists, while group booths offer variety and broader market appeal. The choice often varies depending on the fair and the dealer's goals.

How do art auctions change if everything online seems like a video game?

Come cambiano le aste d’arte se online tutto sembra un video game?

The article examines how digital infrastructure has transformed art auctions from exclusive in-person rituals into real-time competitive interfaces. Online sales, which peaked during the pandemic, now account for about 16% of the global art market in 2025 (down from 18% in 2024), according to the Art Market Report by Art Basel and UBS. Digital tools enable instant bidding, global streaming, and discreet participation, allowing collectors to compete without physical presence. The piece highlights the gamification of auctions, noting that ArtTactic has launched Art Forecaster, a platform where users predict auction prices in tournament-style competitions, blending market engagement with ludic elements.

IDF Soldiers Hide From Our Gaze

An opinion article on Hyperallergic analyzes official portraits of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers released in May 2025, in which the soldiers are depicted with their backs to the camera. The author argues that this pose is a deliberate tactic to avoid identification and potential prosecution for war crimes in the occupied Palestinian territories, weaponizing surveillance technologies against the very people they surveil. The piece frames these images as "counter-portraits" that transform individual soldiers into a faceless, intimidating mass, contrasting them with traditional portraiture that invites intimate moral scrutiny.

"Bloom Beyond Sight" , 2026

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

“Crowned by Resilience” , 2026

Art R us gallery in Naples, Florida, is offering "Crowned by Resilience" (2026), a painting by Nigerian contemporary artist Bonu Deji. The acrylic and oil on canvas work explores themes of strength, endurance, and identity, and is priced at US$1,400. Deji, born in 2003 and based in Lagos, creates figurative works addressing poverty, labor, and human dignity, and has exhibited at Art R us and The Zebra Gallery.

"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.

Face-to-Face: Nalini Sharma Talks MFA Boston’s “Divine Color” Exhibition and the Power of Indian Art

Nalini Sharma, an art patron and honorary member of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston's Board of Advisors, discusses the museum's exhibition "Divine Color: Hindu Prints from Modern Bengal" in an exclusive video interview. The show, supported by Nalini and Raj Sharma, features nearly 40 vibrant lithographs and over 100 objects including prints, paintings, sculptures, and textiles, exploring Hindu devotional prints from 19th-century Calcutta (now Kolkata). It is the first U.S. exhibition devoted to these works, which were mass-produced using lithographic technology and deeply embedded in daily life across India and the diaspora.

The Mykolaiv Regional Art Museum has shown how it operates during the war

The Mykolaiv Regional Art Museum in Ukraine has adapted to wartime conditions by evacuating part of its collection and packing remaining exhibits with available materials. A research tour offered a behind-the-scenes look at these efforts, as reported by NikVesti. The MyART platform is creating a digital collection of Mykolaiv's cultural heritage, involving the art museum, local history museum, naval museum, central library, observatory, and shipyard museum. The museum, founded in 1914 by Prince Mykola Hedroits, now operates from a building on Velyka Morska Street built in 1904, and staff continue to research its founder's history.

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.

These colors will enchant you. An exhibition of Niehliubka weavers opened at the Art Museum

On May 7, the National Art Museum of Belarus opened the exhibition "Harmony of the World of Niehliubka Weavers," showcasing traditional weaving from the village of Niehliubka in the Vetka District. The display features about 50 textile works from the museum's collection, along with tools, rare costume elements, and photographs provided by the Belarusian State Museum of Folk Architecture and Rural Life and the Vetka Museum of Old Believer and Belarusian Traditions named after Shklyarau. This tradition, which originated in the 17th century, includes towels, clothing, and interior items made with original weaving and embroidery techniques.

Art Beyond the Canvas: 'Anyflatsurface' opens in Callander on Saturday

The Alex Dufresne Gallery in Callander, Ontario, is presenting 'Anyflatsurface', a solo exhibition by self-taught Northern Ontario visual artist Joyce Effinger, opening on May 9, 2026. The show features paintings on both traditional canvas and unconventional materials such as paddles, saws, rocks, cloth, and found objects, transforming everyday items into vibrant celebrations of color and place.

Living In Color: Vibrant textile art exhibition coming to Grand Central District

The Werk Gallery in St. Petersburg, Florida, is hosting "Living In Color," a textile and fiber art exhibition organized by the Tampa Bay Surface Design Guild. Featuring over 100 local artists, the show opens with a free reception on May 8, 2026, and runs throughout the month at the gallery, which also houses The Object Lab gift shop.

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.

Downtown Janesville art gallery, maker space Raven's Wish plans to move

Raven's Wish, a downtown Janesville art gallery and maker space, is relocating from its current 4,000-square-foot location at 101 W. Milwaukee St. to a smaller downtown space. Owner Kegane Rynes, who bought the business from former owner Alicia Reed two years ago, says the move is driven by a need for a layout that better suits the shop's evolving focus on art classes and creative workspace. The business, which includes a pottery studio called Pottery By Five run by partner Heather Hansen, has seen growing demand for classes and aims to separate retail, framing, and workshop areas more intentionally.

Eight female artists who met in the digital space exhibited together at KIT FORM

Eight female artists who connected through digital platforms have come together for a group exhibition at KIT FORM, a gallery space. The show highlights their collaborative process and shared experiences of creating art in the online realm before transitioning to a physical exhibition.