Thailand Biennale 2025 Review: Beyond the Tropical Paradise

The fourth Thailand Biennale, titled 'Eternal [Kalpa]', has launched across 19 venues in Phuket, aiming to challenge the island's reputation as a mere tropical leisure destination. Curated by a team including Hera Chan, the exhibition utilizes diverse locations—from municipal gymnasiums to mangrove forests—to explore themes of subjective time and local history. Despite logistical delays that saw some artists still installing works during the press preview, the biennial presents a series of site-specific commissions that engage with Phuket’s ecological and social complexities.

Five Artists on Representing India at the 61st Venice Biennale

India has announced its artist lineup for the 61st Venice Biennale, featuring Alwar Balasubramaniam, Sumakshi Singh, Ranjani Shettar, Asim Waqif, and Skarma Sonam Tashi. The national pavilion, located in the Arsenale, will showcase a diverse range of installations that explore themes of architectural memory, environmental sustainability, and the physical processes of nature. From Tashi’s recreations of Ladakhi homes using recycled materials to Singh’s spectral thread-based architectural fragments, the works collectively examine the fragility of heritage and the shifting relationship between humans and their environments.

Sasaoka Yuriko’s Violent Puppeteering

The Shiga Museum of Art is hosting "Paradise Dungeon," a comprehensive exhibition of Sasaoka Yuriko’s video and sculptural works. The show traces the artist's career from her 2011 response to the Tōhoku earthquake to her latest large-scale installations, characterized by a "grotesque" aesthetic involving marionettes with digitally superimposed human faces. Her work utilizes mediated artifice—including fairground-style soundtracks, repurposed toys, and violent puppetry—to explore themes of consumption, sacrifice, and the dehumanizing nature of digital observation.

‘Paper Gardens’: The Flower and the Serpent Beneath

The Museum of Art and Photography (MAP) in Bengaluru is hosting 'Paper Gardens,' an exhibition that re-examines the history of botanical art through the lens of British colonialism. While the show features visually stunning hand-coloured lithographs of rhododendrons and medicinal plants, it juxtaposes these aesthetics with the harsh realities of the East India Company’s surveys. The exhibition highlights how local Indian artists and knowledge keepers were often marginalized or left anonymous, even as their expertise was essential to the scientific and commercial success of the British Empire.

European Commission Tells Venice Biennale to Ditch Russian Pavilion

The European Commission has formally accused the Venice Biennale of violating EU sanctions against Russia by planning to reopen the Russian Pavilion for the 2026 edition. In a letter to the Biennale's president, the Commission argues that hosting a government-funded national pavilion constitutes accepting indirect support from the Russian state during its ongoing war in Ukraine. The organization has threatened to withhold a $2.3 million grant intended for the 2028 edition unless the Biennale addresses these concerns by May 11.

Inaugural Medina Triennial in Western New York Will Include 39 Artists

The inaugural Medina Triennial has announced its artist lineup for its debut edition running from June to September in Western New York. Featuring 39 participants, the walkable exhibition will showcase site-specific works by international and local figures including Tania Candiani, Lina Lapelytė, and Asad Raza. Installations and performances will be integrated into the town's civic fabric, utilizing non-traditional venues such as a railroad museum, local churches, hospital corridors, and a century-old high school.

With ‘Doonesbury,’ Garry Trudeau Found a Way to Inform and Entertain a Generation of Newspaper Readers, One Panel at a Time

A new biography, "Trudeau & Doonesbury: The Cartoonist Who Turned the News Into Art," chronicles the life and career of reclusive cartoonist Garry Trudeau. Journalist Joshua Kendall's work, based on archives and interviews, traces Trudeau's evolution from a Yale student creating the strip's precursor to the creator of a politically potent daily comic that ran for over four decades.

Nature photography exhibit now open at Mason City art museum

The Charles H. MacNider Art Museum in Mason City has opened a solo exhibition titled "Ray Colby: Nature Photographer" in its Kinney-Lindstrom Gallery. The show features digital photographs printed on canvas, focusing on three specific themes: backyard insects and arachnids of the Midwest, urban birds from Minneapolis, and migrating Sandhill Cranes in Wisconsin. The works on display will be sold via auction to benefit the museum's programming.

Sharjah’s Barjeel Art Foundation Is Building its First Museum

The Barjeel Art Foundation has officially broken ground on its first permanent museum in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, with a scheduled opening for January 2028. Founded by Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, the 38,750-square-foot facility will be designed by Abdelmoneam Essa of Architecture Corner Consultants, featuring a design inspired by the traditional architecture of the Al Rigga neighborhood.

Artist Pietro Roccasalva Without Respite: Genealogy of a Resilient Motif in the Milan Exhibition

L’artista Pietro Roccasalva senza tregua: genealogia di un motivo resiliente nella mostra a Milano

Italian artist Pietro Roccasalva presents a new body of work at MASSIMODECARLO’s Casa Corbellini-Wassermann in Milan, titled "Io ti saluto luce, ma con nervi offesi." The exhibition features a series of paintings characterized by dense stratification, featuring recurring motifs like a disheveled child, a bride with a tennis racket, and metamorphic animals. These works function as visual deposits where cultural references and personal iconography overlap, creating a theatrical dialogue with the gallery’s historic architecture.

All the Poetry of the Sky on Show in a Rome Grand Hotel, Reminding Us of Our Own Complexity

Tutta la poesia del cielo in mostra nel grand hotel di Roma per ricordarci la nostra stessa complessità

Artist Giovanni Ozzola has opened a solo exhibition titled 'Il Cielo Dentro' (The Sky Within) at the Galleria Continua's space within The St. Regis hotel in Rome. The show features works centered on the sky as a metaphor for the vastness both outside and within the human experience, exploring the tension between internal and external horizons through light and abandoned architectural spaces like bunkers.

Anyone can say something against injustice. This group uses artwork to do that.

The exhibition "Instructions for Unrest: Art Against Complacency" has opened at Art Produce Gallery in San Diego, featuring a group of artists who utilize their work as a tool for political and social disruption. Curated by Alessandra Moctezuma in collaboration with the nonprofit Space 4 Art, the show presents a diverse range of media aimed at addressing issues such as immigrant rights, LGBTQ+ protections, and environmental policy.

In the Studio With Rama Duwaji

Syrian-American artist Rama Duwaji discusses her evolving art practice and her new role as the First Lady of New York City following her husband Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral victory. Known for her distinct illustrations and animations for major institutions like the Tate Modern and the New Yorker, Duwaji is now transitioning into a more public-facing life while maintaining a studio practice at Gracie Mansion. Her work, which spans hand-drawn animation, ceramics, and paintings on found materials like cardboard, continues to blur the lines between commercial illustration and fine art.

43rd Ellarsie Open Announces Juror Adam Welch: Accepting Submissions Until May 6th

The Trenton City Museum has launched the call for entries for the 43rd Ellarslie Open, appointing Adam Welch as the juror for the 2026 edition. Welch, the Executive Director of the Arts Council of Princeton and a former lecturer at Princeton University, will oversee the selection process for the prestigious regional showcase. Artists from the New Jersey and Pennsylvania areas are invited to submit digital entries through May 6, with the final exhibition scheduled to open on June 6 at the historic Ellarslie Mansion.

Art Dealer Larry Gagosian Recalls Rare Misstep With San Francisco Gallery: ‘Nobody Showed Up’

Larry Gagosian, the mega-dealer, has candidly discussed the failure of his San Francisco gallery, which operated from 2016 to 2021. He stated the gallery simply failed because "nobody showed up" to openings, describing the experience as depressing. The closure was part of a broader reflection on his career, prompted by the opening of a new Gagosian gallery on New York's Upper East Side.

Long threatened, the Palais de la découverte will finally reopen in 2027 after a seven-year closure

Longtemps menacé, le Palais de la découverte va finalement rouvrir en 2027 après sept ans de fermeture

The Palais de la découverte in Paris will officially reopen in March 2027 following a seven-year closure for extensive renovations. Located in the Palais d’Antin wing of the Grand Palais, the institution faced the threat of permanent closure or relocation to the Cité des sciences due to economic constraints. However, a joint decision by the French Ministries of Research and Culture has secured its future at its historic site, where it will feature a shared entrance with the Grand Palais to foster a unique dialogue between art and science.

This Exhibition Explores How Faith Ringgold Changed the Art World

The Mandeville Art Gallery at the University of California San Diego is hosting "Faith Ringgold: Full Circle—The Teachings and Her Legacy," a comprehensive exhibition honoring the late artist and former faculty member. Curated by Mashonda Tifrere, the show features works spanning from 1976 to 2023, including Ringgold’s iconic story quilts, soft sculptures, masks, and political posters. The collection highlights her multidisciplinary approach and her commitment to centering Black American life and feminist narratives through her unique fusion of fine art and traditional craft.

Highlights from New Orleans Auction Galleries' Spring Fine Art and Design Sale

New Orleans Auction Galleries has announced its Spring Fine Art and Design sale, scheduled for April 23, 2026. The auction will feature 279 lots spanning over a century of artistic production, highlighted by significant works from Mexican modernist José Clemente Orozco, Abstract Expressionist Grace Hartigan, and Southern Regionalist John McCrady. The collection explores diverse themes ranging from the metaphysical to social and political commentary through painting, sculpture, and mixed media.

Ocean Line, 2026 by Carrie Mae Weems

Carrie Mae Weems has introduced a new photographic work titled 'Ocean Line' (2026). The piece is being presented in multiple dimensions, ranging from 11 x 14 inches to 20 x 24 inches, through a platform that partners with elite, vetted galleries to showcase contemporary artists to a global network of collectors and advisors.

Artists take us down the rabbit hole in this group exhibition

The group exhibition 'Down the Rabbit Hole' at The Crypt Gallery features over 30 artists reflecting on the psychological and social impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Presented by the social enterprise Katya’s Space, the show honors the legacy of the late artist Katya Kan, who passed away in 2023. The works explore themes of digital addiction, isolation, and the 'dystopian' shift in reality experienced during global lockdowns, using Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland as a metaphor for this profound transformation.

New Exhibit Gives You the Chance to Support SA Artists and Own Original Prints!

Johannesburg’s Artist Proof Studio (APS) is celebrating its 35th anniversary with a benefit exhibition and online auction hosted in partnership with Strauss & Co. Running through April 17, 2026, the event features original prints from a diverse roster of talent, ranging from world-renowned figures like William Kentridge to emerging students currently enrolled in the studio’s programs. The initiative includes a physical showcase at Strauss & Co’s Houghton gallery and a digital sale designed to engage both seasoned and first-time collectors.

Exhibition | Matthias Esch, 'Slice Through Reality' at Kutlesa, Goldau, Switzerland

Berlin-based artist Matthias Esch presents a survey of his painterly practice in the solo exhibition 'Slice Through Reality' at Kutlesa in Goldau, Switzerland. The show features works from several years that explore the tension between rigid visual systems and deliberate disruptions, utilizing patterns and schematic forms that are systematically 'sliced' or broken open.

Chiharu Shiota’s New Exhibition Invites Visitors Into a Cocoon of Red Thread

Japanese artist Chiharu Shiota has debuted her first Bay Area solo exhibition, "Two Home Countries," at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. The show features Shiota’s signature immersive installations of red thread, most notably the 88-foot-long work "Diary," which suspends handwritten journal pages from World War II soldiers and postwar civilians within a dense crimson web. The exhibition also includes sculptures, video, and performance-based works that explore themes of memory, displacement, and the psychological state of living between cultures.

'Two of Us' at Simchowitz, Hill House, Los Angeles, United States on 15 Feb–11 Apr 2026

Simchowitz Gallery is presenting "Two of Us," a dual exhibition featuring Ukrainian artists Andrey Samarin and Lera Derkach at Hill House in Pasadena. The show explores the creative dialogue between the two artists, who have lived and worked together in France for the past three years while maintaining distinct individual practices. Samarin’s work focuses on the physical gesture of painting, blending abstraction and figuration influenced by German Expressionism and medieval art, while Derkach’s canvases lean into dreamlike narratives, metamorphosis, and psychological tension.

Trans Art Fest Brings Over 120 Trans Artists To NYC

Trans Art Fest has launched as a major citywide celebration in New York City, featuring over 120 transgender artists across more than a dozen exhibitions and 20 public events. Running through late May, the festival includes gallery shows at venues like Eleventh Hour Art and Puffin Brooklyn, alongside outdoor installations, glassblowing workshops, and community-driven projects. Founded by textile artist and curator Carter Shocket, the initiative seeks to move beyond fleeting visibility by establishing a sustained, multi-week presence across Brooklyn and beyond.

World-class exhibition showcases the complete Rugby Collection of contemporary art

Rugby Art Gallery and Museum has launched "UNVEILED - The Rugby Art Collection in Full," a landmark exhibition featuring all 257 artworks from its permanent collection. This marks the first time in decades that the entire body of work has been displayed together, celebrating the 80th anniversary of the collection's founding in 1946. The show includes a prestigious roster of British masters such as L.S. Lowry, Lucian Freud, Barbara Hepworth, and Paula Rego, alongside Turner Prize winners Lubaina Himid and Gillian Wearing.

Otobong Nkanga: ‘I Dreamt of You in Colours’

Artist Otobong Nkanga has unveiled a major new installation titled 'I Dreamt of You in Colours' at the Kunsthalle Basel. The immersive, site-specific work explores themes of memory, landscape, and the extraction of natural resources through a complex tapestry of textiles, drawings, and sculptural elements.

‘House of Galleries (Volume 11)’: Niquu Eyeta and Ghizlane Sahli in a Shared Field of Care, Memory, and Material Becoming.

Artists Niquu Eyeta and Ghizlane Sahli are featured in a dual presentation titled ‘House of Galleries (Volume 11),’ showcased by the gallery Sakhile&Me. The exhibition creates a dialogue between Eyeta’s organic compositions, which utilize plant pigments and clay, and Sahli’s intricate 'alveoli' structures made from silk and repurposed plastic. Both artists emphasize the concept of material as a living archive, focusing on themes of ecological consciousness, ritualistic repetition, and the reanimation of discarded matter.

Sunkissed and the Poetics of Repetition.

Jeddah-based artist Ahaad Alamoudi presents 'Sunkissed' at the Sharjah Art Foundation, a solo exhibition curated by Amal Al Ali that explores the rapidly shifting cultural landscape of the Gulf. Through a series of newly commissioned and recent works, including looping videos and mechanical installations, Alamoudi utilizes repetition and pop-culture symbols like falcons and fly traps to examine how collective identity is negotiated amidst accelerated urban development and technological change.

‘We Are Here’: Queer Presence and Memory in African Art

The Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art has opened 'Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art,' an exhibition curated by Kevin D. Dumouchelle and Serubiri Moses. Developed through years of direct dialogue with LGBTQ+ artists across Africa and its diaspora, the show foregrounds self-representation and community, ensuring artists defined the terms of their inclusion. It features contemporary works alongside historical precedents, creating a continuum of queer presence in African art history.