Collapse Finance, Part 2: Longevity Capitalism—Life as an Asset Class

The essay explores the emergence of "longevity capitalism," a financial and biopolitical regime where biological duration and life expectancy are treated as assets for capital accumulation. As traditional welfare systems and collective pension schemes collapse, the uncertainty of human lifespan has been transformed into a speculative frontier, with retirement security increasingly tied to volatile private equity and cryptocurrency markets.

Collapse Finance, Part 1: Introduction

The global financial landscape is undergoing a structural shift toward "collapse finance," where institutions designed to manage risk are increasingly profiting from and accelerating systemic instability. Amid geopolitical turmoil and the abandonment of green initiatives, traditional concepts of market security are unravelling, replaced by a system that monetizes uncertainty through instruments like catastrophe bonds and volatile cryptocurrencies.

Experimental Funding Schemes and Militant Analysis: The Experience of CERFI

The Center for Institutional Studies, Research, and Training (CERFI), a research cooperative co-founded by Félix Guattari in the wake of May 1968, sought to merge militant political practice with institutional psychotherapy. By adopting a model of 'analytical self-management,' the group utilized rotational roles and collective research to avoid the hierarchies and alienation typical of traditional academic and political organizations. This experimental structure was heavily influenced by the 'grid' system used at the La Borde psychiatric clinic, aiming to turn administrative labor into a tool for subjective liberation.

Shadows in the Hand: Sayaka Uehara's 'Green Room: Peace Island'

手の中の影――上原沙也加「緑の部屋：平和の島」

Photographer Sayaka Uehara, born in Okinawa in 1993, presented the exhibition "Green Room: Peace Island" at Gallery Athos in Naha in February 2025. The show brings together two series—the monochrome "Green Room" and the color "Green Days"—for the first time, focusing on Heping Island (Heping Dao) off the coast of Keelung, Taiwan. Uehara's black-and-white photographs document the island's layered colonial history, from Spanish and Dutch occupation to Japanese rule and the 1947 February 28 Incident, where local Ryukyuan residents were killed. The exhibition uses a circular layout that encourages viewers to move repeatedly through the images, connecting historical violence to the present through small objects like souvenir cookies and bottle openers.

F.E. McWilliam Gallery & Studio welcome new exhibition by Shore Collective

The F.E. McWilliam Gallery & Studio in Northern Ireland has opened a new exhibition titled "Threads of Time: Industry, Ecology and the River Bann," presented by Shore Collective, an artist-led group based in Lurgan. The show features work from twenty local artists across painting, textiles, photography, and performance, exploring the River Bann's historical role in Irish linen production, its agricultural significance, and its evolving environmental story. The exhibition runs until July 2026 with free admission.

Weekend for the arts: 'Untitled' exhibition, 'Lessons Of Silence' theatre

The article covers three events in Kuala Lumpur as part of the KL Festival and Borneo Native Festival 2026. The 'Untitled' group exhibition at GMBB creative mall features 127 artists and 329 works without labels or artist names, inviting viewers to write personal reflections. Proceeds from admission and 'gift letters' go directly to participating artists, offsetting typical financial burdens for emerging creators. The theatre piece 'Lessons Of Silence' by Indonesian artist Agnes Christina is a wordless performance exploring race, class, and parent-child dynamics during a turbulent period in Indonesian history. Additionally, the Borneo Native Festival 2026 at Central Market showcases Sabah and Sarawak's arts and culture, with a highlight being Pangrok Sulap, a woodcut collective from Ranau, presenting prints, books, and socially engaged art.

Photo of the Week: Amherst Arts Night Plus Returns

Amherst Arts Night Plus returned on April 23 after a six-year hiatus, with 20 venues across downtown opening their doors and over 20 local artists exhibiting their work. Several pieces were sold during the evening, and most venues offered free refreshments and the chance to speak directly with artists. Katie Streater of the Amherst Business Improvement District estimated attendance at about 125 people, and the Amherst Center Cultural District is now exploring a recurring version of the event, possibly quarterly or monthly.

Popular Bradford city centre art gallery to shut next month after eight years

Trapezium Gallery, a volunteer-run art space in Bradford city centre, is closing on June 18 after nearly eight years. Its closure is a direct result of the redevelopment of the Kirkgate Shopping Centre, where it has occupied three different shop units since its founding in 2018.

December Exhibitions

Les Yeux du Monde presents 'GROUNDING,' the final show of 2025 featuring new oil paintings by Annie Harris Massie that explore light, memory, and place through landscapes and botanical studies of her Lynchburg, Virginia surroundings. Other December exhibitions include Randall Stoltzfus's 'To Hold The Light' at Angelo Jewelry, Judith Ely's paintings at Botanical Fare, and 'All That Glitters' by Natalie Darling at C’ville Arts Cooperative Gallery. The Fralin Museum of Art at UVA hosts three shows: 'Haiti’s Time' from the Sullivan collection, 'In Feeling: Empathy and Tension Through Disability,' and 'The World Between: Egypt and Nubia in Africa.' The Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection features works from the Spinifex Arts Project and Robert Fielding, while the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center presents 'Finally Remembered: The Black Patriots of Central Virginia.'

We're transforming an empty Sunderland shop into an art gallery to celebrate city's creativity

A collective of artists in Sunderland, England, is transforming the former Sweet Home Alabama shop on Fawcett Street into a new art gallery called Twenty-Four North East (24NE). Led by Sunderland artist Ken Devine, along with Graham Bowes, Darren Timby, and others, the group has leased the unit and is renovating it with donated paint from Albert's Place. The gallery will operate as a permanent independent retail fine art gallery, funded and run by the artists themselves, selling original artworks with zero commission. It is set to open on November 20 with a winter exhibition and will be open Wednesdays to Saturdays for shows, classes, workshops, and art sales.

Art by Graphic Rewilding Blooms at Brookfield Place in New York City

British artist duo Graphic Rewilding has installed a large-scale, immersive floral artwork titled 'Fleeting Opulence' at Brookfield Place in Lower Manhattan. The work, which transforms the Winter Garden with vibrant, larger-than-life flowers and cherry blossoms, will be on view through October 2026.

5 exhibits to see at Salem’s galleries, museums in May

Salem's galleries and museums are hosting five notable exhibitions in May, including 'Jew&' at the Salem Art Association for Jewish American Heritage Month, featuring 25 local Jewish artists; 'Courage and Compassion' at the Willamette Heritage Center, exploring Japanese-American internment through local stories; the Annual Invitational Photography Show at Elsinore Framing & Fine Art Gallery; 'Confluence – Where forms converge' at the Stefani Art Gallery, pairing geometric abstraction with woodcarving; and the third annual Keizer Riverwalk Art Fair organized by the Keizer Art Association.

Around town: Art Garden reopens in new downtown gallery

Art Garden, a combination art gallery and plant shop in Asheville, North Carolina, reopens on May 7, 2025, at a new downtown location at 98 N. Lexington Ave. The business was displaced after its former home in Riverview Station was flooded by over 25 feet of water during Tropical Storm Helene in September 2024. The reopening includes a preview party for the ReRoot art exhibit, a fundraising gala, a theatre performance, and a Mother's Day plant sale, celebrating community support that helped rebuild the space.

New photo exhibit at Godfrey Dean Art Gallery focuses on storytelling

The Godfrey Dean Art Gallery in Yorkton is hosting a new photography exhibition titled 'Storied Telling: Performative & Narrative in Photography,' organized by the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils (OSAC) through its Arts on the Move program. Running until May 15, the show features six Canadian artists—Catherine Blackburn, Lori Blondeau, Xiao Han, Marium Magsi, Meryl McMaster, and Laura St. Pierre—whose work uses the camera to create layered, story-driven images exploring themes of identity, cultural heritage, diaspora, and history.

Check Out JP First Fridays at Galleries, Studios, Art Spaces (and a Famous Bench) on May 1

Jamaica Plain First Fridays returns on May 1, 2025, from 5:30-8:30 pm, featuring six locations that showcase painting, photography, multi-media works, and a famous bench. Highlights include artist Matthew Hincman celebrating the 20th anniversary of his guerrilla-style bench on Jamaica Pond, plus exhibitions at Eliot School Annex, JP Clay, Green Street Photo Collective, Jameson & Thompson Picture Framers, and Boston Cyberarts Gallery. The event is free and walkable.

Torbay’s art scene swipes right on creativity in bold new exhibition

A new exhibition titled SwipeRight4Art has opened at Artizan Gallery in Torquay, running until 4 May. Inspired by dating apps, the show invites visitors to engage with artworks as if swiping through profiles, using “matchmaker cards” to indicate which pieces they would “pass” or “match” with. The exhibition is the first project from Sienna Editions, a publishing and art venture co-founded by charcoal artist Hannah Leadbetter and landscape photographer Kevin Cowell, with backing from local studio Print2Wall and funding from Innovate UK. It features works by local artists including Szabotage, David Norman, Francesca Lawrence, Rosie Rowell, Peter Blakesley, and Sally Loxton, alongside pieces by the founders.

In Venice you can adopt a magazine to support the periodicals library of the Querini Stampalia Foundation

A Venezia puoi adottare una rivista per sostenere l’emeroteca della Fondazione Querini Stampalia

The Fondazione Querini Stampalia in Venice has launched an initiative called 'Adotta una rivista' (Adopt a Magazine) to support its periodicals library (emeroteca). The campaign invites individuals to sponsor subscriptions to the approximately 200 Italian and international magazines the library receives annually, covering topics from art and architecture to politics and society. The goal is to double the number of donors and ensure the continuity of this dynamic resource for students, scholars, and readers.

Pavlina Vagioni Oikeiōsis: A Greek Artist Asks Venice to Remember How to Belong

Pavlina Vagioni's exhibition *Oikeiōsis*, presented by the Hellenic Diaspora Foundation at the Venice Biennale, takes its name from a Stoic concept about recognizing belonging and expanding care outward. The show is structured in two rooms: the first, named Neikos (strife), features a fragmented plexiglass cube that reflects visitors in multiplied form, evoking separation. The second, Philotes (harmony), contains warm rock-salt seats and a layered vocal soundscape that activates the Tartini effect—a psychoacoustic phenomenon where two frequencies produce a phantom third tone, symbolizing collective kinship. The salt seats will physically change over the Biennale's six-month run, accumulating the memory of each visitor.

Ullger reflects on ‘quite special’ Berlin exhibition with Cane-Yo collective

Artist Karl Ullger recently participated in the group exhibition "Running with Scissors" at Anders Galerie in Berlin, organized by the global artist collective Cane-Yo. The show featured over 40 artists, including five invited Berlin artists, and displayed some 200 artworks. Ullger described the experience as "quite special," highlighting the energy of the packed opening and the direct engagement with visitors. He noted standout works by Austrian artist Theo Ritzinger, Chilean artist Diego Palacios, and Italian artist Yasmine Elgamal, as well as the opportunity to reconnect with fellow artists Alf Sims, Alex May, Shanice Farrugia, and Nicole Debono.

Fresh voices of Pakistani art

The Islamabad Art Gallery has launched 'Souch Say Saqafat Tak,' a landmark exhibition showcasing the debut works of recent art school graduates from across Pakistan. Curated by Raheel Arshad in collaboration with Khyal Art Space, the show features a diverse array of mediums including digital glitches, traditional calligraphy, and abstract portraiture. The opening event drew significant cultural figures, including writer Irfan Ahmed Urfi and photographer Mobeen Ansari, highlighting a collective effort to bridge the gap between academic training and professional practice.

Cooperation and Collaboration: The Front Gallery Brings Art and Artists Together

The Front, an artist-run cooperative gallery in Montpelier, Vermont, operates on an equal-ownership model with 23 member artists. Founded by Glen Coburn Hutcheson after a pop-up studio gallery evolved into a collective space, the gallery is cooperatively managed, with members sharing rent and responsibilities while hosting solo and bi-monthly group shows, critiques, and community events.

Paris Internationale in Milan

Paris Internationale à Milan

Paris Internationale has announced its first-ever edition outside of France, scheduled to take place in Milan from April 18 to 21, 2026. Hosted at the Palazzo Galbani during Milano Art Week, the satellite fair will feature 34 galleries, including notable participants such as Jocelyn Wolff, Kaufmann Repetto, Luisa Delle Piane, and Sylvia Kouvali.

DENMARK S PAVILION AT VENICE BIENNALE EXAMINES PORNOGRAPHY SCIENCE AND HUMAN REPRODUCTION

The Danish Arts Foundation has opened 'Things To Come', an exhibition by Danish artist Maja Malou Lyse at the Danish Pavilion in the Giardini, Venice, as part of the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. Curated by Chus Martínez, the show runs until November 22, 2026, and features a film developed with the collective DIS, shot in a real sperm bank and special effects studio, alongside an installation titled 'Stars in My Pocket' that incorporates cryogenic fertility bank boxes and online 'sperm races' clips. The exhibition title references H.G. Wells' 'The Shape of Things to Come' and draws on scientific studies linking virtual sexual stimuli to increased sperm motility.

A Milano c’è la prima mostra omaggio all’artista Giovanni Campus dopo la morte

BUILDING Gallery in Milan has opened "Tempo e passione," the first posthumous exhibition dedicated to Giovanni Campus (1929–2025), who died less than five months ago at nearly 100 years old. Curated by Marco Meneguzzo, the two-floor show spans Campus’s career from his Sardinian roots to his Milanese performances, featuring works that measure space using materials like springs and cords, alongside vintage video documentation of his actions in Piazza Palazzo Reale and Sardinia.

Agitate, Educate, Organize. A Conversation with the Indonesian Collective That Is in Venice with Two Projects

Agitare, educare, organizzare. Una conversazione con il collettivo indonesiano che è a Venezia con due progetti

Sale Docks, an activist art space born from a 2007 occupation in Venice, has invited the Indonesian collective Taring Padi to collaborate on two projects. The first is the exhibition "Taring Padi: People's Liberation," which reactivates banners as tools for propaganda, mobilization, and resistance. The second is a public intervention in Venice, where the collective and local community will repaint the walls of the historic social center Laboratorio Occupato Morion. The article includes an interview with Taring Padi, which was founded in 1998 in Yogyakarta by students and activists, and discusses their use of wayang shadow-puppet imagery and collaborative processes to agitate, educate, and organize communities.

Force History To Sweat An In Depth Interview On Su Hui Yus Performance Movie In Bogota

Taiwanese artist Su Hui-Yu premiered his performance film "A Total Story" at the Museum of Modern Art in Bogotá (MAMBO) in January. The film, shot inside the museum, intertwines the histories of Colombia and Taiwan through a narrative enacted by queer and trans performers. The exhibition "La Saga Total," his first in Latin America, also featured several of his video and installation series. The project is now set to travel to Taipei for a premiere at MOCA Taipei in April.

Unesco grants enhanced protection to 39 Lebanese heritage sites as war escalates

UNESCO has granted enhanced protection to 39 cultural heritage sites in Lebanon during an extraordinary session of its Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property. This designation, which prohibits targeting or military use of the sites, also unlocks over $100,000 in emergency funding for on-the-ground operations. The protected sites include the ancient Bekka Temple, the Lebanese National Library, and Barsbay Tower.

Australia’s best photos of the month – March 2026

The article presents a collection of notable Australian cultural events and announcements from March 2026. It highlights the addition of the viral 'Succulent Chinese Meal' speech to the National Film and Sound Archive, a profile of 'Squid Game' composer Jung Jae-il, pianist Jayson Gillham's announced tour with a Palestinian-Jordanian musician ahead of a court case, and Kylie Minogue's scheduled performance at the AFL Grand Final.

New £5m cultural centre in Northampton, UK to pursue model that ‘embeds artists in social and economic fabric of a place’

A new £5.2 million cultural centre called Arts Collective is opening in Northampton, UK, on May 1st. The centre, housed in a refurbished 1930s former municipal building, features a gallery, 17 artist studios, workshop spaces, and community facilities. Its opening exhibition, "House Rules," presents a retrospective of British conceptual artist Rose Finn-Kelcey.

Comment | Climate change is forcing tough choices—how much heritage can we save before it is too late?

Climate change is accelerating the degradation of archaeological sites worldwide, forcing archaeologists to make urgent, difficult choices about what to save. From thawing permafrost in the Canadian Arctic threatening Inuit heritage to landslides endangering ancient Buddhist temples in Nepal, researchers are now deploying innovative technologies like ground-penetrating radar, 3D scanning, and even cosmic-ray muon detectors to digitally document and monitor at-risk sites before they are lost.