A coalition of 182 artists, curators, and art workers participating in the 2026 Venice Biennale, organized under the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA), formally delivered a letter demanding the exclusion of Israel from the exhibition. The signatories, including prominent artists like Yto Barrada, Alfredo Jaar, and Miet Warlop, argue that the Biennale must not normalize Israeli policies towards Palestinians.
Marco Fusinato, the Australian artist who represented his country at the 59th Venice Biennale, returns to Italy with a solo exhibition at the Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea (PAC) in Milan. Titled "The only true anarchy is that of Power," the show brings together installations, performances, and sound recordings from recent years, all centered on the concept of noise. Curated by Diego Sileo, the exhibition features three ongoing projects, including the monumental performance-installation DESASTRES, first presented at the Venice Biennale in 2022 and later staged at festivals such as Berlin Atonal and Unsound Krakow. The work combines randomized sound and images, using electric guitars, mass amplification, and intense feedback to create an immersive, hallucinatory experience where chaos and control coexist.
Designer Alexander Wang and his mother Ying Wang have acquired the historic 58 Bowery building in New York's Chinatown for $9.5 million, marking its first Chinese American ownership. They are transforming the former bank into a cultural venue named Wang Contemporary, which will host exhibitions, performances, and festivals focused on Asian and Asian American creatives, with its inaugural exhibition curated by the art collective MSCHF.
San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) has banned AI-generated art from its 2026 Comic-Con Art Show, reversing a previous policy that allowed AI art if marked not-for-sale and clearly identified. The change came after artists including Karla Ortiz, a plaintiff in a lawsuit against AI companies, condemned the old policy on social media as a disgrace to human artists. The new guidelines state that material created by AI, either partially or wholly, is not allowed, with the Art Show coordinator serving as the sole judge of acceptability.
A group of nearly 80 Mexican cultural workers, including artists, critics, and academics, has signed an open letter denouncing the display of Pedro Reyes's sculpture "Tlali" at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The colossal lava stone head, unveiled earlier this month at LACMA's new building, echoes a controversial 2021 public commission by Reyes that was scrapped by Mexico City's government after protests from feminist and Indigenous advocates. The signatories accuse LACMA of ignoring the previous activism against the artist's work in Mexico, calling the museum's decision to legitimize a new version of the polemic sculpture "deceiving." Reyes has not responded to requests for comment.
COLECCIONAR EN MADRID: 50 FORMAS DE CONSTRUIR LO CONTEMPORÁNEO
The exhibition 'Madrid Colecciona. 50 colecciones de arte contemporáneo' opened at CentroCentro, showcasing a hundred works from fifty private collections in Madrid. It shifts focus from the artwork and artist to the often-opaque figure of the collector, allowing each collector to present two pieces: one of personal significance and one recent acquisition, accompanied by their own explanatory texts.
The Kölnischer Kunstverein in Cologne is hosting a solo exhibition by German artist Monika Baer titled "Defection." Running from February 27 through May 3, 2026, the presentation features new and recent works supported by Greene Naftali and Trautwein Herleth. The exhibition continues Baer’s long-standing exploration of the boundaries of painting, utilizing her signature blend of technical precision and surrealist-inflected imagery.
Dyani White Hawk's eight-channel video installation "LISTEN" (2020–ongoing) is on view at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. The work features Indigenous women speaking in their native languages on their tribal homelands, with no subtitles or explanatory text, encouraging viewers to physically move closer to each screen to hear and engage with the speakers' voices and surrounding environments.
Roksana Pirouzmand’s dual-site exhibition in Los Angeles, hosted at OXY ARTS and JOAN, features performance-based sculptures and installations that utilize literal erosion to explore themes of loss and displacement. The works include anatomical clay casts of the artist and her mother, which are subjected to water, vibration, and physical interaction, causing them to crack and deteriorate over the course of the show. At OXY ARTS, a kinetic metal floor involves the viewer directly, as their footsteps cause clay hands to collide and break, illustrating the physical impact of movement and presence.
Berlin's cultural senator Sarah Wedl-Wilson resigned on Friday after the Berlin Court of Auditors ruled that millions in funding for antisemitism prevention projects were illegal. The resignation has sparked a political debate, with CDU general secretary Ottilie Klein defending governing mayor Kai Wegner against opposition criticism, while Franziska Stoff of the Berlin Culture Conference demands stability and a reversal of budget cuts. Thomas Fehrle, director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, expressed personal regret over Wedl-Wilson's departure, praising her competence and engagement.
The article profiles eight contemporary artists whose work resonates with the legacy of fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli. It highlights creators like Shona McAndrew, whose soft sculptures explore the body's interior, and Kiki Smith, known for visceral, anatomical forms, drawing direct parallels to Schiaparelli's surrealist and corporeal inspirations.
The article is a critical review of Daniel Heller-Roazen's new book, 'Far Calls: On Omens, Slips, & Epiphanies.' It examines the book's central thesis, which explores the historical and philosophical concept of a 'spiritual ear'—the interval between speaking and hearing where language escapes its intended meaning, giving rise to omens, slips of the tongue, and epiphanies. The review traces Heller-Roazen's genealogical investigation from ancient divinatory practices to modern psychoanalysis, highlighting his argument that linguistic accidents hold prophetic potential.
A 16th-century altarpiece by Vittore Carpaccio, *Madonna and Child Enthroned with Six Saints* (1518), has been returned to the Slovenian town of Piran, where it was originally commissioned for the Church of St. Francis of Assisi. The painting was removed in 1940 and placed in Padua for safekeeping during World War II, remaining in the Basilica of Sant’Antonio for decades. Following pressure from Franciscan friars in Padua, the work was quietly transferred back to Piran on September 4, days before Italian President Sergio Mattarella’s state visit to Slovenia. Slovenian Culture Minister Asta Vrečko hailed the return as the result of long-standing efforts.
The article details the enduring legacy of Hazel Westgate, a pioneering children's librarian who served the Iowa City Public Library for nearly 40 years until her death in 1988. Westgate's most visible contribution is a unique collection of original children's book illustrations, acquired through personal correspondence with legendary authors and illustrators like Dr. Seuss and Charles M. Schulz, many inscribed directly to her or the children of Iowa City. Her mission was to ensure the artwork reflected the children themselves, fostering a lifelong love of reading and literature.
The City of Santa Monica is launching its first municipal art gallery, the Santa Monica City Gallery, located within the Bergamot Station Arts Center. The space will debut on April 10 with an inaugural exhibition titled “Case Study: Adapt,” which features architectural models developed by USC Architecture students in collaboration with professional firms. The opening event will include remarks from California for the Arts Executive Director Julie Baker and a commendation for State Senator Ben Allen.
More than 150 US arts organizations and over 320 artists and cultural workers have signed a public statement affirming their commitment to resisting political pressure. Organized by the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) and the Vera List Center for Art and Politics (VLC) at the New School, the statement does not explicitly name President Donald Trump or his administration's actions, but was precipitated by Trump's pressure campaigns against the Smithsonian Institution and the Kennedy Center, as well as deep cuts to the NEA, NEH, and IMLS. Signatories include institutions from both Democratic- and Republican-controlled states, such as the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts in New York and Diverseworks in Houston, Texas.
The Museum of Sex in New York is hosting "The Life Force: Portraits from the Amparo & Manuel Foundation," a new exhibition opening April 23 that brings 45 works from a Mexico City-based collection to the U.S. for the first time. Featuring artists such as Amoako Boafo, Tracey Emin, and Bert Stern, the show explores themes of vulnerability, desire, and the tension between Eros and Thanatos—the life instinct and death drive—through painting, sculpture, drawing, and photography.
The Wang Contemporary has officially opened its doors in a landmarked Beaux Arts building at 58 Bowery in Manhattan’s Chinatown. Founded by fashion designer Alexander Wang and his mother, Ying Wang, the cultural organization debuted with a site-specific installation by the Brooklyn-based conceptual collective MSCHF titled '20,000 Variations On A Paper Plane In Flight.' The performance featured red and gold paper planes launched from the building's central oculus, blending traditional Lunar New Year symbolism with conceptual art in a space that formerly served as a bank.
Artist and author Oliver Jeffers is holding his first exhibition in his hometown of Belfast in over 20 years. The show, titled "Disasters and Interventions," is on view at the Naughton Gallery at Queen's University and features a series of works where Jeffers inserts calamitous scenes—such as an oil tanker spill or an airship crash—into tranquil vintage landscapes, transforming calm into catastrophe. The project began when he found a discarded print in New York's Chinatown and began painting into it, eventually building a collection over 14 years that balances tragedy with a wry, thoughtful humor.
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco presents 'Bay Area Then,' an exhibition running from August 1, 2025, to January 25, 2026, that surveys the Northern California art scene between 1990 and 2005. Guest curated by Eungie Joo, the show features works by nineteen artists or collaborations, including Manuel Ocampo, Margaret Kilgallen, Bill Daniel, Ruby Neri, and Carolyn Castaño, mixing historical pieces with recent productions by artists who emerged during that era.
Anna Schwartz Gallery, a cornerstone of Australia’s contemporary art scene, will close in December after 40 years in Melbourne. It will be replaced by a new venture, Anna Schwartz Projects, which will focus on occasional, project-based exhibitions, conversations, and events across installation, performance, publishing, and music. The gallery’s stable has included artists such as Shaun Gladwell, Angelica Mesiti, and Marco Fusinato, each of whom represented Australia at the Venice Biennale.
Market Gallery, founded by Adam Zhu, has been hosting intimate solo shows from a storage shed on his Chinatown apartment balcony for the past eight months. On July 17, the gallery opened its first group exhibition, "Revolve," in a pop-up space at 51 Mercer Street in Soho, formerly home to Virgil Abloh's Em Pty Gallery. The show, organized by Zhu and his friends Jack Irv and Andrew Kass, features works by emerging and established artists including Lorenzo Amos, Amanda Ba, Maggie Lee, Rene Ricard, and Mike Kelley, and runs until August 10.
Egyptian Member of Parliament Freddy Elbaiady publicly criticized the Grand Egyptian Museum's ticketing system, which imposes separate quotas for foreign tourists and Egyptian nationals. The controversy erupted after overcrowding on a single day saw over 27,000 tickets sold—exceeding the daily limit of 20,000—leading to thousands of frustrated visitors being denied entry. Elbaiady submitted a formal request to remove the quota, calling it discriminatory, and demanded a briefing from the Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism. In response, the museum announced a shift to a pre-booking system with designated entry times, implemented last week, and starting December 1, online booking will be the only method for purchasing tickets.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) has laid off 33 employees, approximately 6.3% of its staff, to address a projected $13 million structural deficit. Among those let go were the museum's only Black, Muslim, and Indigenous curators, leading to accusations that the cuts disproportionately targeted staff of color and undermined diversity initiatives.
Archaeologists have unearthed the Roman Empire's second-largest olive oil processing complex in the Kasserine region of Tunisia, near the Algerian border. Co-directed by Ca' Foscari University of Venice, the excavation at the 33-hectare site called Henchir el Begar revealed a monumental torcularium with twelve beam presses, a second eight-press facility, oil mills, cisterns, and a water collection basin. The team also found artifacts including a copper-and-brass bracelet, a limestone projectile, and architectural elements dating from the modern to Byzantine periods. A Latin inscription confirms senatorial approval for a bimonthly market on the land in 138 AD, indicating the site was a hub for social, political, and religious life.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's 2026 exhibition 'Costume Art' explores how standards of form, modesty, and exposure have evolved across history and cultures. The show is organized into sections examining the classical body, distorted bodies through corsets and bustles, and reclaimed bodies by designers like Rei Kawakubo, Duran Lantink, and Michaela Stark. Another section focuses on the 'Anatomical' and 'Mortal' bodies, highlighting universal experiences such as aging and mortality. Mannequins represent diverse body types—pregnant, plus-size, disabled, and non-conforming—modeled after real people including Sinéad Burke, Aariana Rose Philip, Aimee Mullins, and Yseult, with reflective steel faces designed by artist Samar Hejazi.
The Total Museum of Contemporary Art in Seoul has opened "Somebody Has to Collect It," an exhibition featuring works from the collection of French art collectors Catherine and Renato Casciani. Running from April 30 to May 31, the show marks the couple's first major presentation in Korea and inaugurates the museum's new "Collector/tion" project, which reframes collectors not as buyers but as actors at the intersection of capital, memory, and value-making. The exhibition includes 22 artists and collectives, with a focus on video art addressing themes such as precarious labor, state violence, colonial inheritance, climate crisis, and queer intimacy. It is also an official program of the 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and France.
The Wrightwood 659 museum in Chicago has launched "Martin Wong: Chinatown USA," the first major monographic exhibition of the artist's work since 2017. Featuring over 100 paintings, sculptures, and drawings, the show explores Wong’s complex relationship with his Chinese-American identity, his life in New York’s Lower East Side, and his fascination with urban landscapes, sign language, and queer intimacy. The exhibition includes significant loans such as the triptych "Tai Ping Tien Kuo" and the record-breaking "Portrait of Mikey Piñero at Ridge Street and Stanton."
The French government has adopted a bill that facilitates the restitution of cultural objects plundered from former colonies, eight years after President Emmanuel Macron pledged to return African heritage. Presented by Culture Minister Rachida Dati, the bill maintains that French public collections are inalienable but creates an exemption for items taken by force between 1815 and 1972. Restitution requests must come from foreign states, be for public preservation and display, and involve items allegedly stolen, looted, or sold under duress. A bilateral scientific committee will examine each case, with final approval from the Conseil d'État. The bill aims to replace the current slow, case-by-case legislative process that has resulted in only 30 objects returned since 2017.
La grande fiera dell’antiquariato di Assisi ha mezzo secolo di storia. L’intervista
AMAB – Assisi Mostra Arte Antiquariato Bastia Umbra, the antique fair founded in Assisi in 1973 and moved to the Umbria Fiere exhibition center in 1989, celebrated its 50th edition in 2025 and will reopen from April 24 to May 3, 2026. The 10-day event features 90 exhibitors and includes special exhibitions marking the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi (at Palazzo Collicola in Spoleto and the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria in Perugia) and the centenary of the birth of artist Giorgio Ascani, known as Nuvolo, curated by Bruno Corà, as well as a project on costume designer Tita Tegano with costumes from the Renato Bruson collection. Director Emo Antinori Petrini, son of founder Mario, discusses the fair's evolution, its commitment to quality, and its new focus on contemporary art installations and performances.