10 exhibitions to look out for in May

Warren Feeney's article highlights 10 exhibitions opening in May 2026, primarily in Christchurch, New Zealand. Featured shows include Stone Maka's 'MONO' at Jonathan Smart Gallery, exploring Tongan tapa cloth traditions; Jess Nicholson's 'Ka maumahara te uku (the clay remembers)' at CoCA Toi Moroki, focusing on Ngāi Tahu culture and land connections; and a group exhibition 'Indigo' at Art on the Quay, featuring seven Central Otago artists. Other notable shows include Jane Barry, Sandra Hussey, and Laurie Roodt's 'Three Exhibitions' at Chambers Art Gallery, and Stephanie Postles' 'What These Walls Remember' at City Art Depot's new Up Stairs space.

"Transformations" Art Exhibit at Wilton's browngrotta arts Explores Inventive Uses of Materials in Art

Wilton gallery browngrotta arts will present "Transformations: Dialogues in Art and Material" from May 9-17, 2026, a Spring exhibition exploring how artists transform materials such as clay, silk, steel, bark, seaweed, bamboo, and horsehair. The show features nearly three dozen international artists, including Kiyomi Iwata, John McQueen, Marian Bijlenga, Toshiko Takaezu, and Kay Sekimachi, whose works demonstrate what curator Glenn Adamson calls "material intelligence"—a deep understanding of material properties and possibilities. Co-curator Tom Grotta notes that artists often start with the same material yet arrive at remarkably distinct outcomes, revealing how artistic vision reshapes substance itself.

5 Artists to See at Converge 45

New York curator Lumi Tan has organized the 2026 Converge 45 triennial in Portland, Oregon, titled "Here, To You, Now." Running from August 27 across more than 15 venues, the triennial prioritizes performances and time-based artworks over traditional gallery exhibitions, featuring both local and visiting artists. Tan, whose background includes stints at the Kitchen, Luna Luna, and Frieze New York, selected five standout artists: Lex Brown (presenting an operatic video and installation), Trisha Baga (a 3D video installation about AI and parenting), Rose Salane (archival works involving Princess Diana’s shoes), and Linda K. Johnson (a choreographer mapping Portland’s dance network).

Artists take a satirical look at the financial crisis in a new London show

Three emerging artists—Jenna Bliss, Buck Ellison, and Jasmine Gregory—present a multi-media exhibition titled 'Genuine Fake Premium Economy' at London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA). The show satirically examines the societal and economic fallout of the 2008 financial crisis, using works that critique capitalism, inheritance, and art-world stereotypes. Gregory repaints Patek Philippe ads to expose class structures, Bliss films a fictional art fair that blurs reality and fiction, and Ellison creates lightboxes for a fictional private bank, manipulating corporate language and philosophy.

Hidden Detroit: Art Galleries You May Have Overlooked

This Detroit City Guide article highlights ten overlooked art galleries and cultural spaces across the city, including Wasserman Projects in Eastern Market, the Elaine L. Jacob Gallery at Wayne State University, Center Galleries at the College for Creative Studies, Galerie Camille, the historic Scarab Club, Detroit Artists Market, Ellen Kayrod Gallery, Schinkel Fine Art, and the N'Namdi Center for Contemporary Art. Each venue is described with its unique focus, from diaspora-inspired ceramics and student showcases to artist residencies and senior artist platforms, with several exhibitions closing in April 2025.

This sprawling free NYC art show just opened at MoMA PS1

MoMA PS1 has officially launched "Greater New York 2026," a massive building-wide exhibition featuring over 150 works by 53 artists and collectives. This quinquennial survey, which coincides with the institution’s 50th anniversary, showcases a diverse range of mediums including large-scale installations, painting, animation, and performance art. For the first time, the exhibition was organized by the museum’s entire curatorial team, resulting in a broad cross-section of the city's contemporary creative output.

At the Venice Biennale, the Cuba Pavilion presents "Hombres Libres" by Roberto Diago

The Republic of Cuba has announced its participation in the 61st Venice Biennale with a solo exhibition by artist Roberto Diago titled "Hombres Libres" (Free Man). Curated by Nelson Ramirez de Arellano Conde and located at Il Giardino Bianco, the installation features a series of sculptural heads crafted from salvaged materials like oxidized metal, wood, and plastic. These works, characterized by prominent surface scars, are designed to confront viewers and provoke a dialogue about the enduring nature of memory and dignity.

Week in art: Boulder County art exhibits and gallery displays

The Boulder County arts scene is currently hosting a wide array of exhibitions across its galleries and museums, ranging from contemporary lithographs and multimedia installations to community-focused craft displays. Key highlights include the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art’s eclectic group show "Yes &…" and the Dairy Arts Center’s exploration of Indigenous ecological identity in "Native Niches." Other notable presentations include Albert Chong’s Jamaican portraits at East Window and Jessica Rohrer’s solo exhibition at Nick Ryan Gallery.

Chicago's New Design Hub | MoCP's Tonika Lewis Johnson Show | Inside Bar Tutto

Volume Gallery is relocating to a larger space at 1700 West Hubbard Street in Chicago, opening in February with a group exhibition titled 'The Heresy of Legacy.' The Museum of Contemporary Photography announced a solo exhibition by MacArthur Fellow Tonika Lewis Johnson for fall 2027. Elise Seigenthaler Gallery will open in West Town on January 9, while Christina Vassallo is leaving Cincinnati's Contemporary Arts Center to join the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. Additionally, Novak Construction is set to buy the southern portion of Lincoln Yards, and a River North office building will be converted into apartments.

Conduit Gallery Announces Move to New Dallas Design District Location

Conduit Gallery, a contemporary art gallery in Dallas, announced it will move to a new location at 1845 East Levee Street in the Dallas Design District in January 2026, after 25 years at its current space on Hi Line Drive. The gallery will share a building with Cris Worley Fine Art, in the former home of Holly Johnson Gallery, which closed earlier this year. The move comes as the gallery celebrates its 40th anniversary, having been founded in 1984 with a focus on emerging and nationally recognized artists, particularly those working in Texas.

At London's Barbican, Lucy Raven chronicles the destruction of a California dam

Lucy Raven's video installation "Murderers Bar" (2025) has its European premiere at the Barbican's Curve gallery in London. The work documents the 2023-2024 demolition of four dams on the Klamath River in Oregon and California, focusing on the destruction of the Copco No. 1 dam built in 1918. The film is the final part of Raven's trilogy "The Drumfire," exploring themes of pressure, release, and material transformation. It uses aerial photography, drones, lidar, and sonar animations to capture the river's reclamation of its course after the dam's removal, following decades of activism by Indigenous communities including the Yurok, Karuk, Klamath, Hoopa, and Shasta Indian Nation. The exhibition also includes a new kinetic sculpture, "Hardpan" (2025), that physically manifests ideas of force and pressure.

At Frieze London, a new section explores the flow of cultural influence between Africa and Brazil

Frieze London 2025 introduces a new curated section titled "Echoes in the Present," organized by Nigerian art historian Jareh Das. The section features eight galleries and ten artists, exploring the bidirectional cultural influences between Africa and Brazil, rooted in the history of the transatlantic slave trade. Artists such as Bunmi Agusto present works that delve into personal and collective histories, including Agusto's paintings about her great-great-grandfather, a Nigerian man sold into slavery who later returned home. The section builds on recent exhibitions like "Afro-Atlantic Histories" and "Brazil and Africa: a shared history," which have similarly examined the African diaspora's impact on Brazilian culture.

During Guadalajara Art Week, exhibitions and fairs raise city’s profile

During the fourth annual Guadalajara Art Week, held in late September 2025, Mexico's art world converged on the city for five days of fairs, exhibitions, public programs, and studio tours. Key events included Estación Material, a boutique fair launched by Material Fair director Brett Schultz, where galleries presented single-artist installations; a performance art showcase by Salón Acme's Estudio Acme program; and a new edgy fair called Temporal, held in a dilapidated downtown building. Standout artists included Sebastián Hidalgo (showing with Saenger Galería) and Othiana Roffiel (with Galería Karen Huber). The week also featured exhibitions in distinctive venues such as a 1940s garment factory, a 19th-century cemetery, and Casa Cristo, an early work by architect Luis Barragán.

Art in Focus: New Public Exhibit by Julia Chiang Presented by Art Production Fund

Julia Chiang has unveiled a new public art exhibition titled "This Way That Way, Here" at Rockefeller Center in New York City, presented by Art Production Fund as part of the Art in Focus series. The show features a trio of glass cases with 18 glazed ceramic vessels at 45 Rockefeller Plaza, a diorama-like window display at 10 Rockefeller Plaza created through a children's workshop called Art Sundae, murals throughout the campus reproducing excerpts from Chiang's 2021–2025 works, and a 125-foot mural on the Rink Level. The exhibition runs through the end of October and includes paintings and ceramics that explore themes of the human body and natural phenomena.

New Orleans artists mark 20 years since Hurricane Katrina

An ongoing group exhibition titled "This City Holds Us" at Ferrara Showman Gallery in New Orleans marks the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The show, which opened on White Linen Night, features work by ten artists affected by the storm and focuses on the city's recovery and artistic reinvestment rather than the destruction. Gallery founder Jonathan Ferrara and director Matthew Weldon Showman curated the exhibition to honor the past while celebrating progress, with artists submitting written testimonies about how the storm shaped their lives and practices.

7 Independent Phoenix Art Galleries to Explore This Summer

This article highlights seven independent art galleries in Phoenix, Arizona, that offer a cool respite from the desert summer heat. It profiles spaces like Alwun House, a historic 1912 home turned multimedia arts venue; Modified Arts and Eye Lounge, a 25-year-old artist collective; Bentley Gallery, a contemporary art space closing permanently in September; and The Sagrado Galleria, which focuses on South Phoenix community arts. Each gallery is described as a vital part of the local creative scene, showcasing everything from Indigenous-centered exhibitions to contemporary painting and sculpture.

Amazonia Açu

Americas Society in New York will present 'Amazonia Açu,' an exhibition opening September 3, 2025, that offers a kaleidoscopic view of Amazonian aesthetic, cultural, and material diversity. Curated by Keyna Eleison and a committee of representatives from all nine Amazonian states—Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela—the show features over 50 works by 34 local artists and collectives, addressing themes such as artistic production, land rights, cultural heritage, and spirituality.

What to See in “Spectrosynthesis Seoul 2026”

The 'Spectrosynthesis Seoul 2026' exhibition, opening March 20 at the Art Sonje Center, is the fourth installment of the Sunpride Foundation's series showcasing LGBTQ+ art across Asia. It features over 70 artists, including new commissions, and focuses on the experiences of marginalized communities during Korea's modernization and the queer histories of specific Seoul neighborhoods.

The non-renewal of Sébastien Allard confirms the Louvre's metamorphosis

Le non renouvellement de Sébastien Allard confirme la métamorphose du Louvre

Christophe Leribault, the new president of the Louvre, has decided not to renew the contract of Sébastien Allard as director of the painting department, a position Allard held since 2014. This move is part of a broader shift in leadership style and institutional direction under Leribault, who is described as fostering genuine social dialogue and actively participating in meetings, in contrast to his predecessor.

Artibus et Historiae - An Art Anthology - No. 92, 2025

Artibus et Historiae - An art anthologie - n°92, 2025

The latest issue of the academic journal 'Artibus et Historiae' has been published, featuring a collection of scholarly articles focused on European art from the Renaissance to the early 19th century. The volume includes research on topics such as the translation of classical imagery in colonial Peru, investigations into women artists in Bologna, new attributions and provenance studies for works by artists like Ludovico Carracci and Caravaggio, and analyses of drawings and artistic education.

A Degas for London

Un Degas pour Londres

The National Gallery in London has acquired a pastel by Edgar Degas through the UK's 'acceptance in lieu' scheme, which allows heirs to settle inheritance taxes by transferring important works of art to public collections. The artwork depicts ballet dancers not in performance, but in a state of exhaustion and idleness backstage, capturing a raw, unglamorous moment.

Where Thoughts Provoke and Truths Take Form.

Henry Taylor's major exhibition 'Where Thoughts Provoke' has opened at the Musée national Picasso-Paris. The show is a survey of nearly four decades of his work, featuring paintings, sculpture, and installation that focus on portraiture, observation, and the politics of looking.

Derrick Adams: Glimpses of Black Leisure

The Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, is hosting 'Derrick Adams: View Master,' the first mid-career survey dedicated to the multidisciplinary artist. Featuring over 100 works spanning two decades, the exhibition includes painting, collage, sculpture, video, and performance that highlight Adams's unique visual language of pattern and color.

The Sky Lives in Us Still, Resistance and Imagination Take Flight.

Vanessa German has unveiled a major new installation at the Speed Art Museum titled '…do you remember when you were the sky?', marking the inaugural project of the Sam Gilliam Visiting Artist Program. The exhibition features German’s signature assemblage sculptures, which utilize diverse materials like cowrie shells, quilts, and skateboards to create hybrid figures representing young girls in states of transformation. The body of work is the result of months of community engagement and research into local histories, specifically focusing on the narratives of the Colored Girls Dormitory in Louisville.

NEW ZEALAND PHOTOGRAPHER FIONA PARDINGTON REPRESENTS AOTEAROA AT THE VENICE BIENNALE

New Zealand photographer Fiona Pardington (born 1961, Auckland) is representing Aotearoa at the 61st Venice Biennale with her exhibition *Taharaki Skyside*, on view from May 9 to November 22, 2026, at the Aotearoa New Zealand Pavilion. The show features large-scale portraits of taxidermied birds from museum collections across New Zealand and Australia, focusing on endemic species including the extinct huia and whēkau. Curated by Felicity Milburn and Chloe Cull, the exhibition is presented by the Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) and Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū.

The Best Booths at NADA New York, From Quietly Ominous Ceramics to Ecstatic Jazz Paintings

The New Art Dealers Alliance opened the 12th edition of NADA New York on May 14, 2026, at Chelsea’s Starrett-Lehigh building, coinciding with Frieze and 1-54 fairs nearby. The fair featured 110 exhibitors, including 51 first-time galleries from New York to Shanghai, with standout presentations by Andrae Green and Cyle Warner at Forgotten Lands, Ruth Owens at Voltz Clarke, and Keiko Narahashi at Tappeto Volante Gallery. This year’s edition emphasized ceramics and fiber art, marking a shift from recent years’ focus on figurative painting.

Sophie Rivera's first survey focuses on experimentation

El Museo del Barrio in New York has opened "Sophie Rivera: Double Exposures," the first career survey of the Puerto Rican American photographer (1938-2021). The exhibition reassesses Rivera's practice, highlighting her experimental work beyond her well-known 1978 series "Nuyorican Portraits," which depicted Puerto Rican sitters in Manhattan's Morningside Heights. Curated by Susanna V. Temkin, the show features works across portraiture, photojournalism, and experimental image-making, including the color photograph "Alternators" (1975, printed 1986), which Rivera donated to the museum in the late 1980s.

Tale of a Riderless Horse

The National Gallery in London is hosting an exhibition titled "Stubbs: Portrait of a Horse," focusing on the 18th-century artist George Stubbs and his masterful equine paintings. The show features studies, drawings, and key works like "Whistlejacket" (c. 1762) and "Scrub" (c. 1762), highlighting Stubbs's unique anatomical knowledge gained from dissecting horses.

Hans Holbein Painted the Human

A new book, 'Holbein: Renaissance Master' by Elizabeth Goldring, published by Yale University Press and the Paul Mellon Centre, offers a comprehensive scholarly examination of the 16th-century German painter Hans Holbein the Younger. The review focuses on Holbein's masterful portraiture, particularly his depictions of opposing Tudor-era figures like Sir Thomas More and Thomas Cromwell, which are highlighted as embodying the era's complex political and religious tensions through their visual presentation at the Frick Collection in New York.

MoMA PS1’s “Greater New York” Is Gritty, Stunning, and Gutting

MoMA PS1 has launched the sixth edition of "Greater New York," a quinquennial survey featuring over 50 artists living and working in the city. Coinciding with the museum’s 50th anniversary, the 2026 iteration focuses on artists in the formative stages of their careers, emphasizing a gritty, raw aesthetic over the polished, market-driven surfaces often found in major biennials. The exhibition highlights photography and installation work that reflects the city's complex immigrant narratives and evolving urban identity.