Artsy Editorial explores the complexities of collecting performance art, explaining that ownership typically involves acquiring documentation, scores, or rights to reactivate a performance rather than the live event itself. The article outlines how artists, dealers, and collectors navigate transactions for this ephemeral medium, addressing the challenges of preservation, display, and market value.
Earlier this month, artist SpY installed "Halos," a large-scale installation of dozens of metallic discs suspended from the ceiling of a former railway factory in Florence. The work was part of the city's Bright Festival, transforming the brutalist industrial interior into a space of ethereal movement and reflection, with the discs interacting with natural breezes and glimmering light.
Ohio-based artist Rachel Mentzer creates collagraph prints using discarded cartons as printing plates, carving them with images of birds, trees, and energy infrastructure. Her process involves carving the cardboard, sealing it with polyurethane, inking it, and transferring the image via an etching press, often incorporating chine collé for color. Her work was recently shown at the Manhattan Graphics Center, and she will participate in the Suzanne Wilson Artist-in-Residence Program at Glen Arbor Arts Center this summer.
The article reviews the group exhibition "Show d’Houdini" at CAC Brétigny in Brétigny-sur-Orge, which explores the figure of the magician as a cultural archetype. Drawing on the legacy of Harry Houdini and the historical context of late 19th- and early 20th-century illusionism and spiritualism, the show presents works that examine the magician's dual nature—oscillating between charlatanism and miracle, deception and wonder.
Marko Tadić presents his solo exhibition "Funga Robo" at Trotoar in Zagreb, showcasing recent works that explore speculative futures of cities through the lens of artistic ecologies. The exhibition title merges references to fungal mycelia and robotics, establishing a dialogue between biological systems and technological development.
Norwich Arts Center will open its May exhibition with a reception on May 1 as part of the town's First Friday activities, featuring works by regional artists. The exhibition culminates in an "Art Heist" fundraiser on May 16, where participants pay $75 for a ticket and, through a drawing, select any available artwork from the gallery wall, guaranteeing each ticket holder a piece valued at over $75, with many worth several hundred dollars.
gallery αM in Tokyo is presenting the fifth edition of its αM Project 2025–2026 series, titled “Stop, Look Back, Face Forward. vol.5 Takehiro Iikawa: Decorator Crab－No Two Alike,” running from April 11 to June 13, 2026. The exhibition features works by artist Takehiro Iikawa, including pieces such as “Decorator Crab – Arrangement, Adjustment, Circulation” (2026) and “Decorator Crab – New Audience” (2026), with guest curator Aki Otsuki, a curator from the Ashiya City Museum of Art and History.
A gallery has corrected the title of a portrait by British artist Tom McGuinness after the artist's daughter identified the subject as an unknown man, not her grandfather as originally thought. The drawing, initially labeled "Cathy's Dad," has been renamed "Portrait of an Unknown Man" and is included in the exhibition "Tom McGuinness: Out of the Darkness," which runs through the rest of the year and features oil paintings, sketches, lithographs, and family portraits.
The Edmond Arts Festival is currently underway in Edmond, Oklahoma, featuring over 160 exhibits and booths that include paintings, handmade crafts, and food. The festival runs through Sunday evening, offering family-friendly entertainment in the heart of the city, with local artist Kris Fairchild highlighting the supportive atmosphere and unique, humorous artwork on display.
On 22 April, Art Corner by Clark and Leo opened its ninth exhibition, 'Art Is Therapy', featuring works by Hungarian artist Judit Horváth Lóczi at the Hotel Clark Budapest and Leo Bistro. The show includes paintings and small-scale sculptures that explore personal experience, emotional memory, and female identity through geometric structures and vivid colors. The exhibition builds on material first presented in Berlin in 2020, now expanded with new works, and was inaugurated with a private vernissage attended by prominent figures from the Hungarian art scene, accompanied by a performance from Zoltán Grecsó and cellist Endre Kertész, plus a specially curated gastronomic program.
The New Hampshire Art Association (NHAA) is presenting the Sue Werner Thoresen Juried Exhibition at its Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery in Portsmouth, opening May 1, 2026. The show features 73 artists whose works explore the experiences of women, girls, and gender-diverse people, inspired by the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation’s Status of Women in New Hampshire report. Themes include education, healthcare, economic opportunity, caregiving, safety, representation, and societal expectations, with attention to intersections of race, class, ability, sexuality, geography, and access to resources. The exhibition is held in memory of Sue Werner Thoresen (1944–2024), a longtime advocate for community well-being and gender equity, and includes awards in her honor.
Henderson City Hall is hosting an exhibition titled 'Siapo: Continuing a Siapo Legacy Art Exhibition,' showcasing the traditional Samoan art of siapo across four generations of artists. The exhibit features works by master artist Kuulei Jakubczak, who learned from her grandmother Mary Pritchard, a key figure in preserving this dying art form. The display includes both freehand siapo mamanu and rubbed siapo 'elei, along with pieces created by students from Liberty High School during a workshop led by Jakubczak.
Art for Cure, a charity founded in 2014 by Belinda Gray after her own breast cancer diagnosis, is holding its annual exhibition at Wyken Vineyards near Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, from May 1 to June 28. The show features over 200 sculptures and artworks by 30 sculptors and numerous other artists, displayed across the vineyard grounds and in the Leaping Hare restaurant. Up to 50% of sales commissions go to breast cancer research charities; the charity has raised £1.5 million to date from £3 million in art sales.
Western Wyoming Community College (Western) will host its annual Student Art Exhibition in the Art Gallery from May 8 through August 28, with a public reception and awards ceremony on May 14. The exhibition features works in painting, printmaking, ceramics, photography, drawing, sculpture, and mixed media by Western students, many of whom are exhibiting and selling their art professionally for the first time. Proceeds from sales will be split between the artists and the college's Art Gallery. The show is curated by Assistant Professor of Art Ben Nathan with student gallery interns.
The Fredericksburg Visitor Center is hosting a photo exhibition throughout May in honor of Older Americans Month. Created by Healthy Generations Area Agency on Aging, the exhibit features portraits of local seniors paired with their words of advice and inspiration, with an opening reception on May 1 during First Friday.
Marietta's dk Gallery will debut a new floral-themed exhibit titled "This Is Us: Bloom" on Friday, April 30, 2026. The opening reception runs from 6 to 8 p.m., featuring floral-inspired contemporary fine art from over a dozen artists. Members of the Marietta Educational Garden Center will create corresponding floral arrangements, which will be auctioned to raise funds for the center. The exhibit will be on display through May 20.
Historic Downtown Pocatello will host its May First Friday Art Walk on Friday, May 1, from 5 to 8 p.m., featuring local and regional art, music, food, and fashion. Participating venues include the Pocatello Art Center with its Shared Perspectives Exhibition, White Owl Books & Imports, Knotty Twist inside Elwen Cottage hosting Indiana Morris of Firefly Designs, Walrus & Carpenter Books with an open mic, Enchantments offering aura photos and tarot readings, Salty's True Tattoo, Mitera Made, Purpose Tea, The Martlet Brewery with live music by Cat Daddy, The Hygge Place hosting author Daniel Miller, Old Town Alley Outdoor Gallery, Bluebird Country Boutique, Cottonwood Junction, The Not So Starving Artist gallery owned by Jim Bacigalupi, Main Street Mercantile & Antiques featuring Annie Oakley Design Co., Wysteriasage & The Vintage Menagerie, and Brick 243 Gastropub.
The May First Friday Art Walk in downtown Springfield features student exhibitions from Drury University, Missouri State University, and Ozarks Technical Community College, alongside Route 66-themed shows. Seventeen venues participate in the self-guided tour, with college artists displaying work at four locations, including the Robert & Margaret Carolla Arts Exhibition Center, Brick City Gallery, the Pool Arts Center, and Ozarks Technical Community College's Art and Design Department. The Route 66 Centennial Traveling Exhibit, created by documentary filmmaker Katrina Parks, is on display at the Historic Gillioz Theatre, and photographers Vance Clark and Andrew Mann present their 'Unique Lens' exhibit at the Park Central Branch Library.
A new exhibition titled "Daylight Chaser" opens May 1 at Phillips Gallery in Kalispell, featuring oil paintings by self-taught artist Brian Braunberger. The works depict Flathead Valley landscapes, drawing on Braunberger's background in graphic design and marketing to create what he describes as an interpretation of nature's "emotional fingerprint of lighted rhythm." A reception with an artist's talk will be held on opening night, and the show runs through May 30.
ArtWorks Gallery in Chocorua, New Hampshire, is presenting TINY ART again this May, featuring works created by students from K.A. Brett School. The opening reception will be held on Friday from 5-7 p.m. at the gallery, located at 132 White Mountain Highway (Route 16), with refreshments, games, and giveaways. Attendees can meet the young artists and view their interpretations alongside works by gallery artist members.
The 20th arrondissement of Paris will host the Open Studios at Père-Lachaise from May 8 to 11, 2026, organized by the association Ateliers du Père-Lachaise Associés (APLA). Approximately 30 local painters, sculptors, engravers, photographers, and other artists will open 15 studios to the public, offering free tours through the streets, courtyards, and passageways between Père-Lachaise Cemetery and Place de la Réunion. Visitors can meet artists, see works in progress, and purchase original pieces.
Art in the Berkshires, an online hub for visual arts in Berkshire County, is opening its first physical gallery and creative studio at 8 Castle Street in downtown Great Barrington, Massachusetts this spring. The space will showcase regional artists, artisans, and makers, featuring fine art, functional art, and curated artisanal goods, while also hosting workshops, artist talks, demonstrations, readings, and performances. The inaugural exhibition, "The Berkshires Now," includes work from over thirty Berkshire-based and regional artists across disciplines such as painting, sculpture, ceramics, glass, and functional objects. A grand opening reception is scheduled for Saturday, May 2, from 4–6 PM, preceded by a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 3:45 PM.
Cal Poly Humboldt's Reese Bullen Gallery will host the 2026 Art Graduates Exhibition from April 22 to May 16, 2026, showcasing work by graduating art majors and minors. The exhibition features ceramics, painting, photography, printmaking, small metals, sculpture, and digital arts, with an Awards Presentation on April 30. The gallery, established in 1970 and named after a founding art professor, is located on the university campus.
CHAT (Centre for Heritage, Arts & Textile) in Hong Kong will present 'Threading Inwards,' an exhibition running from March 21 to June 28, 2026, featuring 14 artists from across Asia. The show explores textiles as spiritual and emotional conduits, examining how weaving, dyeing, and stitching connect inner worlds with daily life, rituals, and collective memory. Curated by Wang Weiwei, Eugene Hannah Park, Kurosawa Seiha, and Wang Huan, the exhibition invites visitors to slow down and reflect on care, healing, and interconnectedness.
The Armstrong Spallumcheen Museum and Art Gallery in British Columbia is hosting "School Crossing," an exhibition featuring artwork from students of all ages across the Armstrong and Spallumcheen area. The show runs from April 30 to May 23, 2026, and includes works from Highland Park Elementary, Armstrong Elementary, Len Wood Middle School, Pleasant Valley Secondary, the North Okanagan Junior Academy, and local home-school families. A special reception for students, families, and teachers will be held on May 2.
The Hôtel de la Marine in Paris will host "Animalia," an exhibition drawn from the Al Thani Collection, from July 1, 2026 to January 10, 2027. Featuring over 120 sculptures, paintings, and decorative works, the show explores how animals have inspired artists across centuries and cultures, from ancient Greece to modern times and from China to the Ivory Coast.
Feather River College's Studio Arts Department is holding its annual Student Art Exhibition in May across two Quincy galleries: Main Street Artists Gallery and Plumas Arts Gallery. The exhibition features student work in drawing, painting, photography, and sculpture, with an opening reception on May 1. Additionally, Main Street Artists Gallery is showcasing three resident fine jewelry creators—Robert Rose, Judy Dailey, and Michael Borofka—alongside other gallery members' work.
The Old Town Arts & Crafts Guild, a nonprofit organization, is hosting an Artist's Showcase at Dart's Barn in Southold, New York, on May 2nd and 3rd from 9 AM to 4 PM. The event will feature fine art, photography, handcrafted items, and works by Carolyn M. Bell and the Peconic Impressionists, with free admission and light refreshments.
The Franco Fossati Foundation's Museo del Fumetto (Comics Museum), which was evicted from Milan due to a €180,000 debt to the city, has found a new permanent home in Monza. The Monza city council approved the foundation's proposal on April 30, paving the way for the renovation of a former library in the Cederna district, which has been abandoned for years. The archive of 500,000 pieces will be temporarily stored in Desio while the Monza building is refurbished with €850,000 from the municipality and additional funds from the foundation.
Urban Sketchers Milano, a local chapter of the international Urban Sketchers community, recently held an event at Casa Galimberti, a notable Liberty-style building in Milan. The group, founded in 2007 by journalist and illustrator Gabriel Campanario in Seattle, brings together illustrators who draw urban scenes directly from life, on location. The Milan chapter, active since March 2008, is currently managed by Valentín Di Salvo, Stefano Ziffarelli, and Daniela Paglia, and organizes events such as a recent gathering at the garden of Via San Martino, which drew over 90 artists.