Sharjah Biennial Lines Up 109 Artists for 2027 Edition, Titled ‘What Remains, Sits Restive’

Joe Macken Spent 21 Years Hand-Assembling a Vast Model of New York City

Joe Macken, a Queens resident, spent 21 years hand-assembling a vast 50-by-27-foot scale model of New York City, completing it in 2025. The model, built from cardboard, glue, and balsa wood, comprises 340 individual sections and is now on long-term display at the Museum of the City of New York in an exhibition titled "He Built This City: Joe Macken’s Model." Visitors can walk around the model and use binoculars to spot familiar buildings and neighborhoods.

Digital Art Pioneer Nancy Burson Collapses the Border Between Mysticism and Quantum Physics

Nancy Burson, a pioneering digital artist, presents her latest solo exhibition "Light Matter" at Heft Gallery in New York, featuring "Quantum Entanglement" paintings that appear as white dots on black canvases but reveal jittering forms and depth when viewed through a phone camera. The 78-year-old artist, known for her 1980s composite portraits blending faces of businessmen and movie stars, continues her exploration of perception and technology, claiming a special gift to perceive the universe's emergent energy grid. The exhibition runs through May 2.

Art Crawl with Wine and Cheese, First Friday at FMBAA Gallery

The Fort Myers Beach Art Association (FMBAA) is hosting a First Friday Art Walk event at its gallery on McGregor Blvd in Fort Myers, Florida, on May 1st from 4-6pm. The gallery, operated by local SWFL artists, will offer complimentary wine and cheese to visitors, who can meet member artists including outdoor painters. The event is part of a larger art walk that continues to other venues such as the Alliance for the Arts and DAAS Co-op, culminating in downtown Fort Myers.

Met Gala 2026 – Everything to know about fashion's biggest night

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's 2026 Met Gala will take place on May 4, themed "Costume Art" to highlight fashion as a central artistic discipline. Co-chairs include Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour, with a host committee featuring Anthony Vaccarello, Zoë Kravitz, and other celebrities. The event coincides with the opening of the new Condé M. Nast Galleries and the spring exhibition "Costume Art," which pairs historic garments with artworks spanning 5,000 years. The dress code is "fashion is art," and the red carpet will be livestreamed by Vogue.

Niverville Foundation Returns with Art Exhibit Showcasing Local Talent

The Niverville Foundation is hosting its annual spring art show on May 7, 2026, at the Golden Friendship Centre, combined with the foundation's annual general meeting. The event features four local emerging artists: returning talents Jolene Pauls and Jenn Lundy, along with Joey Dean and international award-winning artist Margaret Switala. Tickets are $25, available at the Niverville Credit Union or at the door, with wine and charcuterie served during the exhibition.

A Long-Running Case Centering on Alleged Robert Indiana Forgeries Is Resolved with a $102 M. Settlement

A New York jury has awarded $102.2 million in damages to the Morgan Art Foundation in a long-running copyright and forgery case against art publisher Michael McKenzie. The jury found that McKenzie created unauthorized and altered versions of works by Pop artist Robert Indiana, including multiple iterations of Indiana's iconic LOVE prints and sculptures, as well as works such as *The Ninth American Dream* (2001), *USA FUN* (1965), and a sculpture titled *BRAT*. The lawsuit, which began in 2018 shortly before Indiana's death at age 89, alleged that McKenzie and others sought to isolate the artist and profit from selling forged works. McKenzie's lawyer indicated he may appeal.

Step Inside Mariem Akmal's 'Visual Diaries' Exhibit at Samak Laban

Cairo-based artist Mariem Akmal opened her second solo exhibition, 'Visual Diaries', at Samak Laban Creative Studio in Downtown Cairo. The show features 16 works in oil, acrylics, pastels, spray paint, and glass, capturing emotional snapshots from the past four years of her life, including her graduation from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Zamalek. The exhibition runs until May 25th, 2026.

Spice up your life: Tate channels 90s glam at The Groucho Club

Tate Britain held a press preview for its upcoming exhibition "The 90s: Art and Fashion" (8 October 2026 – 14 February 2027) at The Groucho Club in London. The show, curated by former British Vogue editor Edward Enninful alongside Tate curators, explores the creative energy of the 1990s, featuring works by artists such as Damien Hirst, Corinne Day, Helen Chadwick, and Jenny Saville. Enninful emphasized that the exhibition is not solely focused on the Young British Artists (YBA) moment but presents a broader cultural narrative.

You Can Help Create Art at This Free Providence Event

The Providence Chalk Art Festival will take place on Saturday, May 16, 2026, at the Providence Rink in Rhode Island. For one day, the rink's concrete surface becomes an open-air gallery where artists of all ages and skill levels create chalk artworks in designated squares. Visitors can watch professional chalk artists at work, walk among the colorful street art, and even participate by creating their own chalk designs in special areas set aside for kids and amateurs. The event also features live music, food vendors, and family-friendly activities, all free to attend.

John Bellany exhibition in Haddington shines spotlight on his unknown work

A major exhibition of rarely seen works by Scottish painter John Bellany has opened at the John Gray Centre in Haddington, East Lothian. Curated by his widow Helen Bellany and Alexander Moffat RSA, the show features early and lesser-known pieces, many never publicly displayed before. It runs until September 19 as part of the Royal Scottish Academy's RSA200: Celebrating Together project, marking the RSA's 200th anniversary. Loans come from the Bellany estate, Alexander Moffat's private collection, East Lothian Council Museums Service, and the Royal Scottish Academy.

Centenary of Elizabeth II: Two colossal statues of the queen to be erected in London's St James's Park

Centenaire d’Elizabeth II : deux statues colossales de la reine seront érigées à Londres, dans St James’s Park

London has unveiled the final design and models for a colossal memorial to Queen Elizabeth II in St James's Park, to be completed by 2028. The centerpiece is a seven-meter bronze statue of the queen at age 28, inspired by a Pietro Annigoni portrait and created by sculptor Martin Jennings. It will be accompanied by a statue of Prince Philip by Jennings and a second, more intimate statue of the queen in old age by Karen Newman. The project marks the centenary of Elizabeth II's birth (1926–2022) and is designed by Foster + Partners. Models are on display at the British Museum until June 21.

The Vatican brings Hildegard of Bingen to the Biennale. "The ear is the eye of the soul", by Brian Eno and Patti Smith

The Holy See Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale, titled "The Ear is the Eye of the Soul," centers on the 12th-century Benedictine abbess and visionary Hildegard of Bingen. Curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist and Ben Vickers in collaboration with Soundwalk Collective, the pavilion spans two Venetian venues—the Mystical Garden of the Discalced Carmelites and the Complesso di Santa Maria Ausiliatrice—and features new sound works by 24 artists, musicians, and poets including Brian Eno, Patti Smith, FKA Twigs, Meredith Monk, and Jim Jarmusch. The title is borrowed from the final work of German director Alexander Kluge, who died in March 2026, and his monumental film installation forms a core part of the exhibition.

The Art of the Chosen Family

Die Kunst der Wahlfamilie

Mike D, co-founder of the Beastie Boys, has co-curated an exhibition titled "Mishpocha. The Art of Collaboration" at the Jewish Museum Frankfurt. The show explores the concept of family beyond biological ties, featuring works such as Ira Eduardovna's video installation "The Library Room," which depicts a family packing for emigration, and immersive audiovisual spaces evoking techno, hip-hop, punk, and Riot Grrrl subcultures. The exhibition includes contributions from artist Jan Ove Hennig, photographer Jan Zappner, design studio Atelier Markgraph, and hospitality group Ima Clique, with Mike D serving as artistic director and ambassador.

Shelley’s hair to Schindler’s list: the most fascinating objects in the State Library of NSW – in pictures

The State Library of NSW is celebrating its 200th anniversary with a new exhibition featuring 200 objects from its collection of 6 million items. Lead curator Elise Edmonds and her team selected highlights including a lock of Mary Shelley's hair, the smallest book in the library's collection (measuring 6mm by 6mm), bread wrappers from the 1960s, a colonial sketchbook from 1817, a Dharawal Indigenous language wordlist, Australia's oldest surviving political cartoon from 1808, and a contemporary artwork by Wiradjuri artist Karla Dickens. The objects span literature, colonial history, Indigenous culture, sport, and everyday life.

Printed Matter’s LA Art Book Fair Returns May 7–10

Printed Matter's LA Art Book Fair (LAABF) returns to ArtCenter South Campus in Pasadena, California, from May 7 to 10, 2026. The fair will feature 250 exhibitors, including international artists, publishers, and booksellers, alongside programs such as talks and panels in The Classroom, music and performances on The Stage, and special Project Spaces presentations by groups like Archivos Desviados, Bread & Puppet Press, and Getty. An Opening Night celebration on May 7, co-organized with Orange Radio & Homebody, will include live music by sonrisita and Mia Carucci, a limited edition ticket by Amia Yokoyama for the first 500 guests, and a new collaborative artist edition by Deanna Templeton and Ed Templeton.

Il duo di artisti internazionali Gawęda/Kulbokaitė sono a Roma per la prima volta con una mostra su identità e percezione

The international artist duo Dorota Gawęda and Eglė Kulbokaitė present their debut exhibition in Rome, titled "Spit and Image," at the Basement gallery. The show, on view until July 10, 2026, features sculptures, installations, and videos that explore identity construction in the digital age, using mirrors, fragmented bodies, and olfactory elements. Works like "Yield (twinning)" (2025) and "Spit and Image 1 and 2" (2025) evoke surveillance, metamorphosis, and duplication, while the Slavic vampire figure of the upiór serves as a metaphor for fluid, non-binary identities.

Edgar Calel at Kunsthalle Bern

Edgar Calel, a Guatemalan artist born in 1987, is the subject of an exhibition at Kunsthalle Bern. His work draws on the rituals and traditions of his native Guatemala, focusing on the working conditions and environmental impact of export-oriented agricultural industries, particularly palm oil and coffee plantations that dominate the country's economy.

‘I was super horny when I made my early work’: Loie Hollowell’s abstract paintings of breasts and vaginas

Loie Hollowell discusses her latest painting series 'Overview Effect,' currently on view at Pace Gallery in London. The series features large-scale canvases with twin concave and convex sculpted circles, inspired by the out-of-body experience she had during the home birth of her daughter. The works continue her abstract exploration of pregnancy, birth, and the female body, following earlier series like 'Split Orb' and 'Dilation Stage' that responded to the difficult birth of her son. Hollowell cites influences including Georgia O'Keeffe, Louise Bourgeois, and Luchita Hurtado, as well as Instagram home-birth photographs and the Ina May Gaskin childbirth book.

SCULPTURE IN THE GARDEN: THE STORYTELLERS

The article titled 'SCULPTURE IN THE GARDEN: THE STORYTELLERS' appears to be about a sculpture exhibition or installation set in a garden context, focusing on narrative-driven works. The text is heavily corrupted and unreadable due to encoding issues, but the title and fragmentary content suggest it covers a group of sculptors or a specific show where artworks function as storytellers within a natural setting.

6 Black-owned Galleries Placing Artists in Major Museum Collections

Six Black-owned galleries—Mariane Ibrahim Gallery, Gallery Guichard, Galerie Myrtis, Richard Beavers Gallery, and Jenkins Johnson Gallery—are profiled for their success in placing artists into major museum collections. Each gallery has built institutional relationships that lead to acquisitions by museums such as the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Bronx Museum, often retaining artists through the placement stage to capture long-term market value.

Exhibitions set to open in Paris in May 2026: what's new to discover this month

A roundup of new art and cultural exhibitions opening in Paris and the Île-de-France region in May 2026 is announced. Highlights include the annual Rambolitrain toy train fair at Rambolitrain museum on May 1, free evening hours at the Bourse de Commerce on May 2, free entry to castles and museums in Yvelines and Seine-et-Marne on May 3, the Tour Auto classic car display under the Grand Palais glass roof on May 3-4, the Circle of Parisian Artists' 24th annual exhibition at Parc Floral from May 4-31, a new garden art exhibition "Jardin des Lumières" at the Grand Trianon in Versailles from May 5 to September 27, and a major Hilma af Klint exhibition at the Grand Palais.

World’s first museum of AI arts, Dataland, to open in June

Dataland, the world's first museum dedicated to AI arts, will open to the public on June 20 at The Grand LA complex in Los Angeles. Designed by Gensler, the museum's inaugural exhibition, 'Machine Dreams: Rainforest' by Refik Anadol Studio, runs through January 31, 2027, and uses a Large Nature Model (LNM) processing ecological and biofeedback data in real time to create an immersive, evolving sensory experience.

Why Yoko Ono's First LA Museum Show Matters

Yoko Ono's first solo museum exhibition in Southern California, titled "Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind," opens at The Broad in Los Angeles from May 23 to October 11, 2026. The show traces the evolution of her practice from early Fluxus experiments in the 1950s to her participatory installations of the 2000s, highlighting how her instruction-based works transformed spectators into collaborators.

Rafał Zajko Is Hatching a Plan

Rafał Zajko's exhibition 'The Egg Egg' at Arsenal Gallery in Białystok, Poland, brings together 50 works from the past decade across two floors of a former power station, organized into nine 'acts'. The show features modular installations like 'Funny Games' (2025), a set of pastel-colored platforms on wheels with ceramic reliefs, and monumental sculptures such as 'Sisyphus' (2025), a suspended ceramic bobbin evoking textile factory tools. Performances by Agnieszka Szczotka, including 'Song to the Siren' (2026), activate works like 'Amber Chamber III Echo' (2025), blending archaism, futurism, and themes of labor and technology.

Back to the 90s: Tate exhibition to explore decade’s art and fashion

Tate Britain will stage a major exhibition titled "The 90s: Art and Fashion" this autumn, curated by former British Vogue editor Edward Enninful. The show will feature nearly 70 artists, photographers, and designers, including Steve McQueen, Chris Ofili, Damien Hirst, Alexander McQueen, and Tracey Emin, alongside works by Juergen Teller, Mark Leckey, and others. It will explore the decade's art, fashion, and club culture, with pieces such as McQueen's film "Bear" (1993), Ofili's Turner Prize-winning "No Woman, No Cry" (1998), and images from Manchester's Haçienda and London's Bagley's nightclubs.

David Hockney décroche la lune dans une lumineuse exposition gratuite à Paris

David Hockney presents "The Moon Room," a series of fifteen iPad drawings of full moons created during the 2020 lockdown, at Galerie Lelong in Paris until May 7, 2026. The exhibition, free and open to the public, features nocturnal landscapes Hockney painted from his farm in Normandy, inspired by Maupassant's "Clair de lune" and his own nightly observations. The works were first shown at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen in 2024 and later at the Fondation Louis Vuitton.

New Chihuly exhibit to open Saturday at Frederik Meijer Gardens

A new exhibition of glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly opens Saturday at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan. This is the third time the venue has hosted Chihuly's work, with pieces installed across 12 outdoor locations on the 158-acre campus, plus an indoor gallery show titled "CHIHULY: Radiant Forms" requiring a separate ticket. The outdoor exhibit is included with general admission and runs from May 2 to November 1, 2026.

SWANSEA: British Art Show 10 confirmed for Glynn Vivian next year — the only Welsh stop on a national tour featuring artists from Tracey Emin to Grayson Perry

Swansea has been confirmed as the only Welsh stop on the British Art Show 10 national tour, with the exhibition taking place at the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery from February 12 to May 16, 2027. Titled 'A Chorus of Strangers,' the show will also feature venues including the new home for Elysium Gallery and potentially Y Storfa, and will explore themes of Moments of Being, Ways of Living, and States of Nature across various media. Curated by Ekow Eshun, the tour launches in Coventry in October 2026 before visiting Swansea, Bristol, Sheffield, and Newcastle-Gateshead.

South Carolina Artist Aldwyth Dies, The Box Closes in LA, and More: Morning Links for April 27, 2026

A New York federal jury has awarded the Morgan Art Foundation $102.2 million in damages after finding that art publisher Michael McKenzie isolated artist Robert Indiana near the end of his life and created unauthorized versions of his iconic "LOVE" works. Separately, South Carolina collage artist Aldwyth (Mary Aldwyth Dickman) has died at age 90, known for intricate assemblages made in a treehouse studio. In Los Angeles, influential gallery The Box, founded by Mara McCarthy with her father Paul McCarthy, announced it will close after 19 years. Other news includes the dismantling of the Armand Vaillancourt fountain in San Francisco, preservationist concerns over Trump's Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool project, and a new JR installation in Venice inspired by Veronese's "The Wedding at Cana."