At Frieze London, a new section explores the flow of cultural influence between Africa and Brazil

Frieze London 2025 introduces a new curated section titled "Echoes in the Present," organized by Nigerian art historian Jareh Das. The section features eight galleries and ten artists, exploring the bidirectional cultural influences between Africa and Brazil, rooted in the history of the transatlantic slave trade. Artists such as Bunmi Agusto present works that delve into personal and collective histories, including Agusto's paintings about her great-great-grandfather, a Nigerian man sold into slavery who later returned home. The section builds on recent exhibitions like "Afro-Atlantic Histories" and "Brazil and Africa: a shared history," which have similarly examined the African diaspora's impact on Brazilian culture.

Flesh and Bones: The Exhibition Turning the Art of Anatomy Into a Cultural Conversation

The exhibition "Flesh and Bones: The Art of Anatomy" at Singapore's ArtScience Museum explores the history of anatomical representation as a cultural construct rather than a universal scientific truth. It juxtaposes Western anatomical atlases from the Renaissance with Chinese meridian (jingluo) systems, featuring works by artist Chiharu Shiota and other historical pieces that reveal how different cultures have visualized the human body through both scientific and spiritual lenses.

Beyond the Eiffel Tower: Photo Exhibition Reveals Paris Unseen

The Sungkok Art Museum in Seoul is hosting a photography exhibition titled 'Paris Unseen' or 'Paris, Invisible Paris'. The show features works by 51 artists, including three Koreans, and was co-curated with Alain Sayag, former head of photography at the Centre Pompidou. It aims to move beyond the city's iconic tourist imagery to present lesser-known perspectives of Paris, coinciding with the 140th anniversary of Korea-France diplomatic relations.

The Met Appoints Oluremi C. Onabanjo as Curator of Photographs

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has appointed Oluremi C. Onabanjo as Curator in its Department of Photographs following an international search. Onabanjo, who joins from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), will oversee exhibitions, acquisitions, and research for 20th-century and contemporary photography, with a specific emphasis on international practices in Africa and Asia. Her role includes the stewardship of the Walther Collection, a massive gift of over 6,500 works, and the preparation of a major exhibition scheduled for 2028.

The Asian Art Museum's jaw-dropping new exhibition weaves together the contradictions of the human condition.

The Asian Art Museum of San Francisco has opened "Chiharu Shiota: Two Home Countries," a major exhibition featuring the Japanese-German artist’s signature large-scale yarn installations. The show centers on immersive works like "Diary," which utilizes 20 miles of red thread to suspend historical documents and personal ephemera, and the title installation which explores the artist's dual identity between Japan and Germany. Through sculptures and performance videos, the exhibition navigates themes of memory, trauma, and the biological realities of the human body, including Shiota’s personal battles with cancer.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Appoints Oluremi C. Onabanjo as Curator in the Department of Photographs

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has appointed Oluremi C. Onabanjo as a Curator in the Department of Photographs. Joining from the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Onabanjo will focus on 20th-century and contemporary photography with a specific emphasis on international practices from Africa and Asia. Her responsibilities include overseeing the stewardship of the recently acquired Walther Collection and developing a major exhibition for 2028.

Fairfield University Explores 250 Years of the American Experiment

Fairfield University has launched America250: The Promise and Paradox, a suite of programming marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The spring 2026 lineup includes the exhibition "For Which It Stands…" at the Fairfield University Art Museum, featuring over 70 works that trace depictions of the American flag from World War I to the present. Additional events include a conversation with filmmaker Ken Burns, lectures by CNN's Kaitlan Collins and Whitney Museum Director Scott Rothkopf, performances such as "Big River" and "Jazz at Lincoln Center's Great American Crooners," and a screening of the short film "Reclaim the Flag."

‘I’ve always been interested in the invisible’: Woody De Othello on his new solo show at Pérez Art Museum Miami

Miami-born artist Woody De Othello presents his first solo museum exhibition in his hometown, titled "coming forth by day," at the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM). The show, named after the Egyptian Book of the Dead, explores ritual objects and spirituality across the African diaspora, connecting Othello's ceramic works to ancestral beliefs. In an interview with The Art Newspaper, Othello discusses how his Haitian Catholic upbringing and Miami's multiculturalism shape his practice, and he acknowledges the vulnerability of delving into African religious traditions that may be taboo within his family.

'It's about world-making': Tavares Strachan on his expansive new Lacma exhibition

Tavares Strachan's new solo exhibition, *The Day Tomorrow Began*, has opened at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Lacma), running until 29 March 2026. Co-organized with the Columbus Museum of Art, the show features 20 new works across neon, ceramics, bronze, painting, text, and performance, exploring invisible histories and challenging white-centric narratives. The exhibition includes a spotlight on his *Encyclopedia of Invisibility* (2018), bronze sculptures referencing the Haitian Revolution, and a neon piece contrasting James Baldwin and Mark Twain. Strachan, who trained as a cosmonaut and collaborates with MIT scientists, also unveils a permanent participatory speakeasy called *Bar Room* in Columbus.

Elizabeth Catlett, a Master Artist With a Message, Gets Her Due at the Art Institute of Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago has opened a major solo exhibition titled "Elizabeth Catlett: A Black Revolutionary Artist and All That It Implies," surveying 75 years of the artist's work. Catlett, who died in 2012, was a Black American artist who spent six decades in Mexico, creating prints and sculptures that depicted Black women and addressed social injustice. The show includes iconic works like "Target Practice" and "Sharecropper," and runs through January 4, 2026.

Curator’s Corner: What Goes into Making an Exhibition?

Janet McLean, curator of Modern Art at the National Gallery of Ireland, discusses the process of curating the upcoming exhibition "Picasso: From the Studio," the first major Picasso show in Ireland since a student-led exhibition in 1969. That earlier exhibition, held by Trinity students in a library storage room, attracted 42,000 visitors and featured 97 works by Picasso. McLean explains that curation is about creating connections and a "conversation" between pieces, balancing narrative with practical constraints like light levels, copyright, and lender approvals. The new exhibition, with a sole lender—the Musée National Picasso-Paris—traces Picasso's life in France from 1913 to 1973, showcasing his evolution as an artist.

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART TO PRESENT FAITH RINGGOLD CHILDREN’S BOOK ART EXHIBITION

The High Museum of Art in Atlanta will present "Faith Ringgold: Seeing Children" from June 27 to October 12, 2025, the most comprehensive exhibition to date of the late artist's original paintings and drawings for her children's books. Featuring more than 100 works from a dozen titles including "Tar Beach" and "We Came to America," the show includes several never-before-exhibited artworks and is the eighth in the museum's series celebrating children's book art, presented in conjunction with a production by the Alliance Theatre.

‘I feel at home here’: Michael Rakowitz’s Acropolis Museum exhibition locates the lines between stories of lost heritage

The Acropolis Museum in Athens has opened "Allspice: Michael Rakowitz and Ancient Cultures," the first exhibition in a trilogy organized with the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and the nonprofit Neon. It is also the first time the museum has presented work by a living artist. The show pairs ancient objects from the University of Chicago’s Institute for the Study of Ancient Culture and the Thanos N. Zintilis Collection of Cypriot Antiquities with 14 works by Iraqi-American artist Michael Rakowitz, including pieces from his ongoing series "The invisible enemy should not exist," which recreates artifacts looted or destroyed from the National Museum of Iraq. Rakowitz’s lamassu reliefs, reimagined from the Palace of Nimrud, and a new commission featuring his mother’s recipes explore themes of lost heritage, memory, and diaspora.

Review: “Toshiko Takaezu: Worlds Within” at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

The article reviews "Toshiko Takaezu: Worlds Within" at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, the artist's first nationally touring retrospective in 20 years. Organized by the Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum, the exhibition features some 100 artworks from the 1950s until her death in 2011, including large-scale ceramics, weavings, and paintings. It traces Takaezu's journey from her childhood on a Maui watercress plantation to her transformative studies at Cranbrook Academy of Art and a pivotal trip to Japan, where she studied Zen Buddhism and worked under various ceramicists.

The Ukrainian Pavilion’s Deer Seen Around the World

Zhanna Kadyrova's concrete sculpture "The Origami Deer" (2019) is prominently displayed at the entrance to the Giardini during the 61st Venice Biennale, part of her project "Security Guarantees" in the Ukrainian Pavilion. Originally installed in Pokrovsk, eastern Ukraine, the work was removed in 2024 as Russian forces advanced, then traveled through Vienna, Warsaw, Prague, Berlin, and Paris before reaching Venice—a journey mirroring the displacement of millions of Ukrainians. The sculpture, shaped like a deer and evoking folded paper, references the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in which Russia, the UK, and US guaranteed Ukraine's security in exchange for its nuclear disarmament—guarantees that proved worthless after Russia's invasions.

Al Padiglione del Giappone della Biennale di Venezia vi affidano una bambola da accudire

The Japan Pavilion at the Venice Art Biennale 2026 features an immersive, interactive exhibition titled "Grass Babies, Moon Babies" by Japanese-American artist Ei Arakawa-Nash. Visitors are invited to care for one of 200 dolls, each with a QR code that provides a "diaper poem" linked to the doll's symbolic birth date—reflecting the artist's personal experience of becoming a father in 2024 and broader social dynamics in Japan. The pavilion, curated by Lisa Horikawa and Mizuki Takahashi, evolves over the seven months of the Biennale as a platform for shared care and participation.

12 new art shows in India we’re excited about this November

Vogue India highlights 12 new art shows opening across India in November 2025, including the expanded Art Mumbai fair featuring 82 galleries at Mahalaxmi Racecourse, and exhibitions at venues like NGMA Delhi, MAP Bengaluru, Tao Art Gallery Mumbai, and Experimenter Kolkata. Notable shows include a centenary tribute to Krishen Khanna, a display of 200 Taj Mahal images, and curations exploring celestial escorts and feminist works.

‘Maintenance Artist’ Highlights Mierle Laderman Ukeles’ Radical, Caring Approach to Public Art

A new documentary titled 'Maintenance Artist,' premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival, profiles New York City artist Mierle Laderman Ukeles, who has served as artist-in-residence at the city's Department of Sanitation since 1977. The film traces her radical practice, which began with her 1969 'Manifesto for Maintenance Art' and includes performances like 'Touch Sanitation Performance' (1980), where she shook hands with all 8,500 sanitation workers, thanking each for keeping the city alive. Ukeles' work elevates overlooked labor—trash collection, street-cleaning—as a form of public art.

Engineering a bold new chapter for the historic Buffalo AKG Art Museum

The article details the transformation of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum through its AK360 expansion project, led by engineering firm Buro Happold in partnership with OMA and Cooper Robertson. The centerpiece is the new Jeffrey E. Gundlach Building, a 29,000-square-foot structure adding three levels of gallery space, along with flexible event spaces, educational classrooms, and public areas like the Town Square and sculpture gardens. Buro Happold provided MEPFP engineering, IT/AV systems, security, and sustainability consulting to integrate modern infrastructure while preserving the historic campus.

art nicole saikalis bay london milan beirut patron

Nicole Saikalis Bay, an architect and patron, divides her time between Milan, London, Beirut, and Paris, where she has built a triple-pronged artist support network: the Saikalis Bay Foundation, a Milan exhibition space called Circolo, and the nonprofit WeAre Projects. Her collection began as a private impulse to live with art, focusing on modern Italian masters like Enrico Castellani and Fausto Melotti, and has expanded to contemporary artists such as William Kentridge, Nari Ward, and Tacita Dean. This month, Circolo presents work by ten rising artists of Lebanese heritage, reflecting her commitment to supporting artists from regions in need.

Aux Catacombes, une visite réinventée

After five months of closure, the Catacombs of Paris have reopened with a major modernization project. The site now features a new immersive audio guide narrated by the voice of its historical founder, Louis Étienne Héricart de Thury, along with improved lighting that highlights previously invisible details and a revamped climate-control system to better preserve the bones. The €5.5 million renovation, led by Paris Musées and funded by the City of Paris, also included structural repairs to the bone stacks using dry-stone techniques instead of cement.

"Uber Life": The powerful photographic narrative of Tassiana Aït-Tahar, the delivery driver turned artist

« Uber Life » : le récit photographique percutant de Tassiana Aït-Tahar, livreuse devenue artiste

Tassiana Aït-Tahar, a student at the Beaux-Arts de Paris and former delivery rider, has released "Uber Life," a hybrid photobook and sociological inquiry published by Fisheye Éditions. The project documents her five years working for Uber Eats, combining raw photography, screenshots of delivery apps, and personal journals to chronicle the grueling reality of the gig economy. Encouraged by mentors like the artist JR, Aït-Tahar transitioned from documenting her daily survival to presenting a formal artistic narrative that was previously showcased at the Centquatre in 2022.

Chicana Painter Criselda Vasquez Says ICE Detained Her Father

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained the father of Chicana painter Criselda Vasquez, who served as the primary subject for her acclaimed 2017 painting "The New American Gothic." The artist reported that her father, a resident of the United States for over 40 years, was racially profiled and arrested while returning from work in California. In response, the family launched a successful crowdfunding campaign that raised nearly $68,000 in ten days to cover legal fees and lost wages.

What We Throw Away Does Not Disappear

Was wir wegwerfen, verschwindet nicht

The Museum Ostwall at the Dortmunder U in Dortmund has opened a new exhibition titled "Müll – die globalen Wege des Abfalls" ("Waste – The Global Paths of Garbage"), curated by Christina Danick and Michael Griff. Featuring around 50 international artworks from the 20th and 21st centuries, including two newly commissioned pieces, the show uses art to explore waste as material, motif, and aesthetic strategy. Key works include Kader Attia's "Los de Arriba y Los de Abajo," which addresses power imbalances through the lens of garbage in Hebron, and historical pieces by César Baldaccini, Arman, and HA Schult. The exhibition also highlights contemporary issues such as e-waste, global waste trafficking, and the environmental impact of industrial nations on the Global South.

Rachel Valdés: Light and Matter at Gary Nader Art Centre

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Cuban artist Rachel Valdés has opened a solo exhibition titled "Light and Matter" at the Gary Nader Art Centre in Miami. The show features a new body of work that explores the phenomenon of diffraction and the concept of afterimages—the optical illusions that persist after a light source is removed. Valdés uses these sensory echoes to bridge the gap between physical light and psychological experience, creating abstract compositions that mimic cellular or internal visions.

artists market 2721213

Artnet News reports on how the recent art market downturn has severely impacted working artists, particularly those reliant on mid-tier galleries. Following a three-year contraction driven by higher interest rates and reduced spending, many galleries have closed or cut costs, leading to fewer exhibitions, delayed payments, and precarious incomes for artists. Some have been dropped by their galleries, while others have taken on second jobs or shifted toward corporate-sponsored public commissions. The article includes data showing low median earnings for artists in the U.S., Germany, and the U.K., and quotes gallerist Facundo Argañaraz on the stigma artists face when pivoting careers.

How Gretchen Andrew’s AI art is revealing the societal scars of ‘facetuning’

Gretchen Andrew, a former Silicon Valley software engineer turned artist, has created a series titled "Facetune Portraits: Universal Beauty" that critiques unattainable beauty standards perpetuated by social media and AI. Using images of Miss World contestants, she employs the apps Facetune and Body Tune to digitally alter the photos, then works with creative robotics company Matr Labs to produce oil paintings. An oil paint printer creates the original image, and an XY-axis drawing robot adds brushstrokes based on discrepancies between the original and AI-modified versions, resulting in unsettling portraits that highlight the 'scars' of digital manipulation. The series won the Acquisition Award at Untitled Art Miami Beach and has been shown at Hope 93 gallery in London and Heft Gallery in New York, with a major institutional acquisition pending.

Currents of the 61st Biennale: Inside Venice’s Flow of Art and Power

The 61st Venice Biennale jury, composed of five curators—Solange Oliveira Farkas, Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi—resigned on April 30th amid internal tensions over decisions that conflicted with the late Koyo Kouoh's curatorial vision. The jury had previously stated it would refrain from considering countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. Meanwhile, Filipino artist Jon Cuyson prepares to present his installation at the Philippine Pavilion, featuring works shipped 60 days before geopolitical conflict escalated, navigating unstable maritime routes. His project includes the film series "Sea of Love (Dagat ng Pag-ibig)" and a new fourth film, "Sea of Echoes," exploring themes of migration, queer experience, and ecological resilience through mussels as non-human protagonists.

Media Artist Transforms Climate, AI Data into Immersive Art

Media artist Kang Lee-Yeon delivered an immersive lecture at the TED 2026 main stage in Vancouver, using a 30-meter screen to visualize climate change and AI data. She then opened her solo exhibition 'Illumination' at Fondation Fiminco in Paris for the 140th anniversary of Korea-France relations, while also debuting works at Milan Design Week and the Loop Plus media art fair in Busan. Her projects include 'Passage of Water', created with Google and NASA, which translates satellite data into an immersive experience about Earth's freshwater crisis.

Nat Faulkner’s New Exhibition Revels in the Alchemy of Photography

British artist Nat Faulkner has opened a new solo exhibition titled 'Strong Water' at Camden Art Centre, exploring themes of transformation, alchemy, and photographic processes. The show features works that incorporate light-sensitive chemicals like iodine, sculptures, and photographic prints, including a large-scale photograph of scrap metal printed on collaged paper. Faulkner, who won the Emerging Artist Award at Frieze in 2024, describes his studio-darkroom as a collaborative 'machine' that produces works through indirect interventions.