New Currents: Zhang Mingxuan’s Politics of Skin

Chinese artist Zhang Mingxuan, 27, debuted her first mature body of work in a 2023 solo exhibition at Hive Center for Contemporary Art in Shanghai, featuring paintings and prints of distorted human forms wrapped in torn nylon hosiery. Her process involves stretching, tearing, and pressing nylon-clad boards onto canvas to create uncanny impressions of compressed, fetal-like bodies. The works, created after she completed her MA in printmaking at the Royal College of Art in London, explore themes of violence, embodiment, and the limits of the body through a labor-intensive method blending painting and printmaking.

AKKA Venice Project: Beyond the Exhibition

Lidija Khachatourian, founder of AKKA Project, discusses her gallery's evolution from Dubai to Venice, where it remains the only gallery dedicated to African and diasporic artists. In an interview with ART AFRICA, she explains her shift from a market-driven model toward a research-led, custodial approach that prioritizes long-term relationships and slowness over high-volume programming. The gallery, established in Venice in 2019, operates with a deliberate resistance to market pressures, focusing on care, continuity, and direct material support for its artists.

‘Out of Place’ : The Afterlives of Landscape.

The major retrospective ‘Out of Place’ at ART AFRICA showcases over 200 images by South African photographer Jo Ractliff, spanning four decades of her career. The exhibition traces Ractliff’s evolution from her early 1980s street photography to her mature, atmospheric landscapes that examine the scars of colonialism, apartheid, and regional conflicts in Southern Africa. By focusing on the 'afterlife' of violence rather than the events themselves, the collection highlights her unique ability to capture how history sediments within the physical terrain.

In Dim Light, New Histories Emerge

Museo Afro Casa Silvana in Humacao, Puerto Rico, is hosting 'Dim Light: Afro-Puerto Rican Photography,' the first collective exhibition dedicated exclusively to Afro-Puerto Rican photographers. Featuring ten artists from the island and its diaspora, the show explores themes of spirituality, family, and resistance through a lens of self-representation. The works were previously debuted at the 3rd Black Brazil Art Biennial before returning to Puerto Rico for this landmark presentation.

NICOLÁS GÓMEZ ECHEVERRI: “LA TRASCENDENCIA DEL MUSEO ES VULNERABLE A LA IMPOSICIÓN DE MODAS POR PARTE DEL ALGORITMO”

Nicolás Gómez Echeverri, director of the Unidad de Artes y Otras Colecciones at the Banco de la República de Colombia, reflects on the challenges facing museums in Iberoamérica in an interview published for International Museum Day. He oversees institutions including the Museo de Arte Miguel Urrutia (MAMU), the Museo Botero, and the Casa de Moneda. Gómez Echeverri describes the museum as a "radar" that captures decentralized artistic practices and integrates them into collective narratives, while emphasizing the need for mediation, public debate, and long-term cultural projects amid economic constraints and the pressures of digital immediacy.

art panteha abareshi young artist

Panteha Abareshi, a 26-year-old Canadian-born artist based in Tucson, creates performances, videos, sculptures, and installations that explore their experience as a disabled and chronically ill person. Their work often tackles taboo subjects, such as a recent solo exhibition at Human Resources in Los Angeles that screened pornography and sparked discussion about the representation of disabled bodies in fetish materials. A key piece, "CAREGIVING," features a silicone hand with a finger pulled back by a string nailed into its own wrist, symbolizing the violent balance in medical care and caregiving.

The Body Is Art

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has published an article titled "The Body Is Art." The content appears to focus on the human body as a subject within art, likely exploring representations and interpretations of the body in the museum's collection.

The 81st May Show fills Mansfield Art Center with Ohio creativity

The 81st May Show has opened at the Mansfield Art Center in Ohio, featuring over 100 works selected from nearly 600 submissions by guest juror Wendy Earle, curator of the Akron Art Museum. The exhibition, which runs through the end of May, showcases a diverse range of mediums from Ohio artists aged 16 to their late 80s. Awards include the Fred "Fritz" Culler Award for Best of Show to Bradley Wallace for "Venus 1K Views," the Mechanics Bank Award of Excellence to Barbara Morejon and Luanne Bole-Becker, and the Jeff McBride & Maura Teynor Emerging Artist Award to high school senior Katerina Prykodko.

You told us want you want to see in our arts coverage. We heard you

During the Milwaukee Art Museum’s annual Art in Bloom event, the Journal Sentinel gathered feedback from hundreds of attendees and digital survey respondents about what they want from arts coverage. The new arts and culture reporter, who wrote the article, outlines the key requests: more advance event coverage (especially free, family-friendly, and hands-on activities), support for smaller and underground art scenes, profiles of local artists including youth, coverage of overlooked art forms like graffiti and fabric arts, and diverse representation of Latino, women, LGBTQ+, and immigrant artists.

Local artist to feature at one-day-only Calgary art gallery

Local Strathmore artist Emmeline Keeling will participate in the one-day Obsidian Art Show at the Calgary Chinese Cultural Center. She is among over 50 artists selected for the event, which is organized by the Public Display Agency to connect artists with gallery owners from Webster Galleries, The New Gallery, and Gallery Underground.

Artist’s fiery outburst at National Gallery opening

The article appears to be inaccessible due to a security verification wall and technical errors on the CityNews website. The headline indicates a significant disruption occurred during an opening event at the National Gallery of Australia, involving an artist's 'fiery outburst' that likely targeted institutional policies or specific exhibition themes.

Hammer Museum's 'Several Eternities' Exhibit Features 100+ 'Living' Pieces By Brown & Indigenous Artists

The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles has opened a major exhibition titled 'Several Eternities,' showcasing over 100 works by contemporary Brown and Indigenous artists. The exhibition is described as featuring 'living' pieces, suggesting works that are dynamic, process-based, or engage with ongoing cultural practices.

Exhibit Opening: Retrospectives~The Art of Dennis Sirrine & Tom Frohnapfel at the La Grua Center in Stonington

An exhibit opening at the La Grua Center in Stonington, Connecticut, celebrates the work of local artists Dennis Sirrine and Tom Frohnapfel. The show, which runs through the end of February, features their representational and abstract paintings, mixed media, glass works, and furniture, reflecting over four decades of creative exploration. Both artists moved from the Midwest to New York City in the 1980s before settling in Stonington in the 2000s. Sirrine, who manages the Velvet Mill Gallery, presents works ranging from early cityscapes to recent abstractions, while Frohnapfel, a Pratt Institute graduate, showcases his design-and-build furniture, glass blowing, and paintings.

Manchester Open exhibition to return in 2026 with ‘biggest celebration’ of local creative talent

The Manchester Open exhibition will return in 2026 for its fourth iteration, taking place at HOME Manchester from June 20 to September 6. The open-call show invites submissions from artists of all experience levels across eight categories including ceramics, painting, photography, and textiles. A new award honoring philanthropist Kate Voke will be introduced, and three artists will receive development packages managed by HOME and Castlefield Gallery. The application process is now open, with the selection panel to be announced in spring 2026.

D'art Gallery Announces A Unique Colorado Women’s Self-portraits Exhibition in Denver for the Holidays

D'art Gallery in Denver will host "She Makes an Impression: Colorado Women Take a Look at Themselves," an invitational exhibition of self-portraits by over sixty Colorado women-identifying artists, from December 18, 2025, to January 11, 2026. Organized by the Colorado Women's Art Museum (CWAM), the show features works in diverse media including painting, printmaking, ceramics, fiber, mosaic, and photography, ranging from realistic depictions to abstract and non-representational pieces that explore personal experiences and emotions.

Native-owned gallery and retail store to open in Downtown Las Vegas Arts District

The nonprofit IndigenousAF, founded by artist Fawn Douglas and UNLV professor A.B. Wilkinson, announced plans to open a Native-owned retail store and gallery in Downtown Las Vegas Arts District. The venue will feature 700 square feet of retail space, 1,600 square feet of gallery space, and 1,500 square feet of mixed-use space, located near Charleston Boulevard and 3rd Street. The organization has already met one-third of its three-year fundraising goal, and the store, also named IndigenousAF, is expected to open in the first quarter of 2026. A pop-up sale previewing items will take place on Black Friday, November 28, at Nuwu Art Gallery.

Detroit Evening Report: DIA announces first Native American exhibit in 30 years

The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) announced its first major Native American exhibition in 30 years, titled "The Contemporary Anishinaabe Art: A Continuation," opening September 28, 2025. The show will feature 60 U.S.-based Anishinaabe artists and include jewelry, basketry, painting, pottery, and woodworking, with gallery text in Anishnaabemowin. The exhibition was curated with an advisory council of Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi artists.

Chicano Humanities and Art Council Community Spotlight Opening Reception

The Denver Art Museum (DAM) and the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council (CHAC Gallery & Cultural Center) are hosting an opening reception on May 13, 2025, for the Community Spotlight exhibition titled "Chicano Humanities and Arts Council: The Legacy and Power of Chicano/a/x Artists in Denver." The presentation features artwork by CHAC Gallery member artists, exploring themes of self-identity, family, cultural heritage, and spirituality, and will be on view in the Creative Hub of the Martin Building.

RWA calls for artist submissions to the 172 Open exhibition

The Royal West of England Academy (RWA) in Bristol has issued a call for artist submissions to its 172nd Open exhibition, a long-running annual open-call show that invites artists from across the UK to submit works for consideration. The exhibition provides a platform for both established and emerging artists to display their work in a historic institutional setting.

The Challenges of Opening Gleaming New Museums in a Fraught Art Landscape

The New York Times reports on the difficulties faced by new museums opening in the current art landscape, highlighting financial pressures, shifting audience expectations, and geopolitical tensions. The article examines several recently opened or planned institutions, including the Grand Palais in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, and the National Museum of Qatar, detailing how each has navigated issues such as rising construction costs, sustainability concerns, and debates over cultural representation.

The boundary between inner world and reality in Gak Yamada's photography on show in Friuli

Il confine tra mondo interiore e realtà nella fotografia di Gak Yamada in mostra in Friuli

Japanese artist Gak Yamada's exhibition 'Cosmic Prayer' is on view until June 14 at Die Gelbe Wand, a new exhibition space in Pordenone, Italy, which will be the Italian Capital of Culture in 2027. The show traces Yamada's shift from photography as representation to an experiential medium, featuring series such as 'HIGAN' (where urban landscapes dissolve), 'Red' (where chemical decomposition reveals dominant red tones), and the latest 'Flower of the Universe,' inspired by cosmic connectivity. Yamada, who once abandoned photography entirely to paint, immerses prints in water to alter their chemical stability, with Fujifilm papers dissolving quickly and Kodak papers slowly, producing varied chromatic and material effects.

New gallery opens with nod to North Bay’s artistic past

Bloch Bauers Gallery of Fine Art has officially opened in downtown North Bay, Ontario, at 222 McIntyre St. W. The new space features regional, Indigenous, and Inuit art, along with works from private estates and consignments. The opening event included speeches, a ribbon cutting, and the unveiling of the "Lawrence Nickle Collection." A self-portrait by longtime local art teacher Ernest "Ernie" Taylor drew particular attention from attendees, including Nipissing MPP Vic Fedeli and Mayor Peter Chirico, who praised the gallery's connection to the city's artistic heritage. Co-owner and curator Joey Nadeau noted the months of preparation behind the opening and emphasized the importance of showcasing Indigenous art, including works by painter Stephen Snake.

A Shift in Void – Exhibition of Abstracts

Sameksha Gallery in New Delhi presents 'A Shift in Void', a group exhibition curated by Yamini Telkar featuring six contemporary artists—Rashmi Khurana, Savya Jain, Prateek Gupta, Megha Madan, Aman Kumar Bavaria, and Sweeta Rai—who explore abstraction through diverse materials and visual languages. The show runs until 31 May 2026 at the gallery's space within the Sanatan IILM Centre for Arts and Ideas.

“Tales from Fractured Minds” at The Address, Brescia

The Address gallery in Brescia is presenting the group exhibition "Tales from Fractured Minds," which explores the psychological concept of dissociation through the work of contemporary artists. The show examines how artists translate this complex mental state, characterized by a separation from reality across memory, identity, and perception, into visual form.

stella alliance women art collectors global connection

Chimere Cissé and Greta Scarpa founded STELLA Alliance in November 2024, a global community dedicated to uplifting and connecting women art collectors. The platform offers invitation-only workshops, curated Art Drops featuring works vetted by curators and gallerists, and international gatherings from Milan to Abu Dhabi. In an interview with CULTURED ahead of Frieze London, the founders discuss their mission to close the gender gap in art collecting and build a network that prioritizes long-term cultural stewardship over short-term market trends.

San Miguel Art Show Turns Color Into Social Debate

An art show in San Miguel de Allende has sparked public debate after featuring works that use color as a vehicle for social commentary. The exhibition, which includes pieces by local and national artists, explores themes of identity, inequality, and cultural heritage through bold chromatic choices, drawing both praise and criticism from viewers and cultural commentators.

New exhibition created by three talented artists comes to Waterford amid major success

A joint painting exhibition titled 'Creations of a Colourful Mind' by three artists—Marja van Kampen, Olivia O’Keeffe, and Martina Furlong—has opened at The Old Market House Arts Centre in Dungarvan, Waterford. The national touring exhibition, which previously appeared in counties Cork, Clare, Tipperary, Wicklow, Wexford, and Laois, marks the trio's tenth collaborative show, following their success at the Tramore Coastguard Cultural Centre last spring.

Art in the Multicultural Center Opening Reception: "I Am My Ancestors" by Jean Bernard Thomas

Orange County Arts & Cultural Affairs and the Haitian American Art Network, Inc. will present an exhibition titled "I Am My Ancestors" by Haitian-born painter Jean Bernard Thomas at the Orange County Multicultural Center Art Gallery in Orlando, Florida. An opening reception is scheduled for May 13, 2026, with the display running through June 16, 2026. Thomas, a co-artistic director of HAAN, creates works blending still life, abstract, and surrealist styles that explore humanity's relationship with nature and Haiti's cultural heritage.

Inauguration of Moroccan Pavilion at 61st Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition

Morocco inaugurated its national pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition on Friday, with Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch presiding over the ceremony. The pavilion features the project “Asǝṭṭa,” led by artist Amina Agueznay and curator Meryem Berrada, and will be on view at the Doges through November. The presentation aligns with the Biennale’s overarching theme, “In Minor Keys,” and showcases Moroccan heritage through contemporary artistic expression.

French artist Camille Vivier in the spotlight at the European House of Photography

The European House of Photography (MEP) in Paris is presenting the first major retrospective of French photographer Camille Vivier, running from June 10 to September 13, 2026. The exhibition features nearly a hundred photographs spanning two decades, including works created specifically for the show, exploring themes of female identity, sensuality, and cultural references from fine art to pop culture.