Yu-Chi Lyra Kuo Shares a Vision for the Future of Art, Technology, and Creativity

Yu-Chi Lyra Kuo, an entrepreneur, investor, Harvard-educated lawyer, former Princeton academic, and board member of the Shed, shares her vision for integrating frontier technologies like artificial intelligence and robotics into the art world. She argues that these tools can enhance human creativity rather than replace it, drawing on her early experiences with Asian antiquities and her pioneering work in blockchain, including co-founding OpenSea 2.0. The article, based on an interview with CULTURED, traces her journey from collecting a jade gourd as a child to advising tech companies and joining the board of the Shed, a Bloomberg-backed cultural center in Hudson Yards.

bottega veneta julianne moore tyler the creator

Bottega Veneta has launched a new campaign titled "Craft is Our Language" to celebrate 50 years of its signature Intrecciato weave. The campaign, photographed by Jack Davison and choreographed by Lenio Kaklea, features a diverse group of talents including actor Julianne Moore, writer Zadie Smith, producer Jack Antonoff, tennis star Lorenzo Musetti, actor Lauren Hutton, former design director Edward Buchanan, sculptor Barbara Chase-Riboud, actor Terrance Lau, and performer Thanaerng. It includes short films and a forthcoming book inspired by Bruno Munari's 1963 publication, cataloguing 50 gestures that embody the brand's craftsmanship.

What makes love political, Wynnie Mynerva?

Was macht Liebe politisch, Wynnie Mynerva?

Peruvian artist Wynnie Mynerva discusses her exhibition "Volveré y seré millones" at the Société gallery in Berlin, timed to coincide with Gallery Weekend. The artist explores Andean cosmologies, specifically the concept of 'Ayni' or collective reciprocity, as a counter-narrative to Western, capitalist structures of romantic love and individualism. Her work draws from her personal experience as a migrant in Europe and her observations of Berlin’s queer scene, questioning how care and survival function within modern political frameworks.

jet le parti on founding sibyl a new model of art intelligence and hub for collecting

Self-taught artist Jet Le Parti has launched Sibyl, a Los Angeles-based cultural platform and research-led advisory that operates outside the traditional gallery system. Drawing on his background in neuroscience and philosophy, Le Parti developed Sibyl as an extension of his independent practice and previous ventures like Base 36 and Relaispunkt. The platform functions as a private collection and advisory service, leveraging direct relationships with collectors to bypass traditional intermediaries and formalize a network built on artistic trust.

Minor Keys and Major Silences: Yoshiko Shimada and the Art of Outrage

Yoshiko Shimada, a Japanese feminist and antiwar artist, is featured in a conversation with ArtAsiaPacific ahead of her inclusion in the 2026 Venice Biennale, curated by Koyo Kouoh under the theme "In Minor Keys." The article explores Shimada's decades-long practice of excavating the gendered scars of Japanese imperialism, focusing on her collaborative work with BuBu de la Madeleine, which uses drag and irony to critique imperial frameworks and the erasure of wartime atrocities. It also highlights her revival of the Chū-pi-ren movement, a 1970s feminist group that fought for abortion rights and access to birth control, arguing that their legacy remains urgent in 2026 given Japan's slow progress on women's bodily autonomy.

Art Biennale: artists reject the popular jury

Fifty-two artists and curators, along with sixteen National Participants of the 61st Venice Art Biennale, have withdrawn from the newly introduced 'Lions of the Visitors' (People's Prizes) competition. The boycott follows the resignation of the jury appointed by artistic director Koyo Kouoh, who died in 2025, and is a protest against the inclusion of Russia and Israel in the prize—countries initially excluded by the international jury. The controversy escalated after Italian Minister of Culture Alessandro Giuli publicly opposed the Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco's decision to allow Russia's participation, drawing in the European Commission and even Ursula von der Leyen, who warned of potential sanctions violations. The signatories include artists and curators from France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Turkey, Switzerland, Spain, the Netherlands, and several other nations.

Inside The Met's New 'Costume Art' Exhibition

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute has announced a new exhibition titled 'Costume Art,' opening to the public on May 10 and running through January 10, 2027. The show inaugurates the Met's nearly 12,000-square-foot expansion adjacent to the Great Hall, providing a permanent home for the Costume Institute's annual spring exhibitions. Featuring nearly 400 objects—half garments and half traditional art like sculpture and painting—the exhibition explores how clothing alters and enhances the human body, dividing 'the body' into 13 types such as 'The Classical Body' and 'The Corpulent Body.' The show includes works from designers like Coco Chanel, Jean Paul Gaultier, Thom Browne, and Alexander McQueen, paired with historical artifacts and contemporary art. The exhibition follows this year's Met Gala, co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour, which raised a record $42 million for the Costume Institute.

Museum of Arts and Design Presents First Solo Museum Exhibition for Artist Jessica Lichtenstein

The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York will present "Jessica Lichtenstein: Rewilding," the artist's first solo museum exhibition, from May 30, 2026, through April 18, 2027. The immersive installation transforms the third-floor gallery into a lush, overgrown terrain featuring thousands of digitally rendered female nudes that coalesce into forests, ruins, and flowering canopies, exploring themes of femininity, ecological imagination, and bodily autonomy.

MAD, 제시카 리히텐스타인 개인전 'Jessica Lichtenstein: Rewilding'(5/30, 2026-4/18, 2027)

The Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in New York will present "Jessica Lichtenstein: Rewilding," the artist's first solo museum exhibition, from May 30, 2026, to April 18, 2027. The immersive installation transforms the third-floor gallery into a lush, overgrown terrain featuring thousands of digitally rendered female nudes that form forests, ruins, and flowering canopies. The exhibition is divided into four sections—Secret Garden, After the Fall, Leave Your Thoughts Here, and Shadow Play—and includes site-specific works like the 2026 piece "Secret Garden" and a 70-foot-long modular sculpture titled "Leave Your Thoughts Here" (2025).

New exhibition explores how Max Beckmann's hard-edged signature style first emerged in his drawing

An exhibition opening at Frankfurt's Städel Museum focuses on Max Beckmann's drawings, featuring 80 works that trace the emergence of his hard-edged signature style. Curated by Regina Freyberger, Stephan von Wiese, and Hedda Finke, the show spans from before World War I to the artist's final years in the US, including loans from major collections. It highlights how Beckmann's drawing evolved from preparatory studies to autonomous artworks, with key pieces like a 1928 portrait of his wife Quappi and the eerie watercolor 'The Murder' (1933).

Smithsonian leader asserts ‘authority over our programming’ in letters to staff and Trump White House

Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III sent letters to the White House and staff asserting the institution's independence after President Donald Trump ordered a comprehensive review of eight Smithsonian museums. The review, initiated by an August 12 White House letter, targets exhibitions, collections, and programming for alleged bias and divisive content. Bunch stated the Smithsonian is conducting its own internal review to ensure nonpartisan, factual programming, emphasizing that the institution retains authority over its content. The letters follow Trump's social media attack on the Smithsonian and an earlier executive order directing Vice President J.D. Vance to remove what the administration calls 'race-centred ideology.'

Trump accuses Smithsonian of being too focused on ‘how bad slavery was’

US President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social accusing the Smithsonian Institution of focusing excessively on negative aspects of American history, specifically citing exhibits about slavery and the struggles of marginalized groups. He claimed the organization is "out of control" and instructed his attorneys to review its museums, mirroring recent actions against universities. The White House has initiated a four-month review of eight Smithsonian museums, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Portrait Gallery, with a directive to replace "divisive or ideologically driven language" with "unifying, historically accurate" descriptions.

Mexico City’s Muac damaged during anti-gentrification protest

On 20 July, Mexico City’s second anti-gentrification protest caused damage to the Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo (Muac) and the nearby Julio Torri bookstore, including broken glass, graffiti, and burnt books. The protest, part of a growing movement demanding housing access and rent regulation, was marked by anti-foreign sentiment and vandalism likely carried out by infiltrated black bloc groups. Protesters diverted to the University Cultural Centre, where Muac is located, shattering its glass façade and spray-painting slogans such as “Muac welcomes gringos” and “Gringo go home.” The museum was closed for summer break at the time.

Art & the Book* and Spineless Wonders: The Power of Print Unbound**

Two concurrent exhibitions in central London this summer—'Art & the Book' at the Warburg Institute and 'Spineless Wonders: The Power of Print Unbound' at Senate House Library—celebrate the contemporary and historical impact of print and small-press publishing. The shows feature a spectrum of materials from socialist pamphlets and activist flyers to artists' books and ephemera, drawn from special collections to highlight the deep history of paper and print as a medium for autonomous production. The Warburg exhibition, curated by Matthew Harle with guest curators Arnaud Desjardin and Hlib Velyhorskyi, centers on artists' books and includes residencies, talks, and an art bookfair, all open to the public.

HIGH MUSEUM OF ART TO PRESENT FAITH RINGGOLD CHILDREN’S BOOK ART EXHIBITION

The High Museum of Art in Atlanta will present "Faith Ringgold: Seeing Children" from June 27 to October 12, 2025, the most comprehensive exhibition to date of the late artist's original paintings and drawings for her children's books. Featuring more than 100 works from a dozen titles including "Tar Beach" and "We Came to America," the show includes several never-before-exhibited artworks and is the eighth in the museum's series celebrating children's book art, presented in conjunction with a production by the Alliance Theatre.

This Berkeley MFA exhibition probes how museums and institutions exclude disabled bodies

Priyanka D’Souza's Master of Fine Arts thesis installation, "b. Call in sick," opens today at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA) as part of the annual MFA exhibition at UC Berkeley. D’Souza, one of six graduating MFA students, created works that critique how museums and institutions exclude disabled bodies, using angled shelves, rolling stools, and seating to privilege seated viewers over standing ones. Her practice draws on campus protest photos from Berkeley archives, transformed into semi-abstract renderings, and builds on her earlier Instagram project "Resting Museum," developed after a residency at the Delfina Foundation in London.

5 Artists on Our Radar in August 2025

Artsy Editorial's August 2025 edition of 'Artists on Our Radar' highlights five emerging visual artists: Jesse Akele, Ficus Interfaith (the duo of Ryan Bush and Raphael Martinez Cohen), and Shuling Guo. Akele's hazy figurative paintings explore fleeting place and memory, featured in WORKPLACE's group show 'Cold Enough for Snow.' Ficus Interfaith creates playful terrazzo sculptures blending fine art, design, and craft, with a solo exhibition 'Furniture Music' at P.P.O.W in New York. Shuling Guo produces transcendental works in color pencil and oil paint, alluding to her life experiences, with pieces at Hollis Taggart and Mindy Solomon Gallery.

Cultural Institutions Warn Against AfD's Cultural Policy Plans

Kulturinstitutionen warnen vor AfD-Plänen zur Kulturpolitik

Nearly 30 cultural institutions in Saxony-Anhalt, including the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation and the Saxony-Anhalt Museum Association, have issued a joint warning against the AfD party's new government program. The political platform proposes a "patriotic cultural policy" that would prioritize funding for art contributing to "German identity" while criticizing the state's focus on modernism and the Bauhaus as a "sign of identity disorder." The institutions argue these plans threaten artistic freedom, pluralism, and the democratic culture of remembrance regarding Germany's Nazi past.

Meloni takes control of Italian museums

Meloni reprend en main les musées italiens

Italy’s culture ministry under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has appointed 14 new directors for so-called “second-tier” museums, reinforcing a shift away from the international “super-director” model introduced by the 2014 Franceschini reform. All appointees are Italian except for French director Axel Hémery, who was reappointed at the Pinacoteca di Siena due to his strong performance. The move follows the earlier ousting of foreign directors at top-tier museums, with only two foreign-born directors—Eike Schmidt and Gabriel Zuchtriegel—remaining, both of whom hold Italian citizenship.

Seen in Venice, Bought in Venice

"In Venedig gesehen, in Venedig gekauft"

The article reports on multiple developments surrounding the Venice Biennale. Iran has withdrawn from the Biennale, citing political and economic crises, with logistical challenges such as no flights or postal service making participation nearly impossible. Artist Anish Kapoor has called for the exclusion of the United States from the Biennale, criticizing its "abhorrent policy of hate" and "ongoing warmongering." A memorial installation by Derrick Adams for the late curator Koyo Kouoh, who was set to lead the main exhibition, will be displayed near the Arsenale. Additionally, the Biennale faces a funding cut from the EU due to Russia's continued participation despite the Ukraine war, leading to the resignation of the jury and the culture minister's withdrawal.

"We are among those in the crowd who are overjoyed"

"Wir gehören zu denjenigen in der Menge, die überglücklich sind"

The Hungarian art scene is celebrating a major political shift following Péter Magyar’s electoral victory over Viktor Orbán, ending 16 years of restrictive cultural policies. Local figures, including gallerist Margit Valkó and artist János Sugár, express immense relief and hope for a future defined by institutional autonomy and international engagement after years of state-led hostility toward contemporary art.

What is Art Allowed to Do?

Was darf die Kunst?

German Minister of State for Culture Wolfram Weimer has sparked a heated debate over artistic freedom after excluding three bookstores from the German Bookstore Prize due to undisclosed intelligence reports. The controversy has escalated into a broader confrontation with cultural institutions, highlighted by the Berlin Volksbühne's public criticism and Weimer's subsequent refusal to participate in a scheduled panel discussion. This incident follows a string of high-profile disputes regarding political expression in the arts, particularly concerning the Berlinale and documenta fifteen.

Israel Addresses Venice Biennale Jury’s ‘Boycott’ of Pavilion: ‘A Contamination of the Art World’

Israel’s foreign ministry has condemned a statement by the Venice Biennale jury, in which the five curators declared they would not consider pavilions from countries charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. The jury’s decision effectively boycotts Israel and Russia, whose leaders face ICC arrest warrants. Israel called the move a “contamination of the art world,” while the artist representing Israel, Belu-Simion Fainaru, also denounced the jury for creating a hostile environment. The Biennale’s organizers have distanced themselves from the jury, stating they cannot exclude any recognized state from the exhibition.

‘The extremely happy part of the crowd’: Hungarian arts figures hope for change after 16 years of Orbán rule

The 16-year tenure of Viktor Orbán has come to an end following a landslide victory for Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party in the 2026 Hungarian parliamentary election. The shift in power has sparked widespread celebration among Hungary’s progressive art community, which has long felt stifled by Orbán’s nationalist and socially conservative agenda. Figures from major Budapest galleries and the contemporary art scene report a profound sense of relief, signaling a potential departure from the "illiberal democracy" that dominated the country for nearly two decades.

From men on dog leads to public breast-fondling, Valie Export’s art demanded a total feminist revolution

Valie Export, the pioneering Austrian feminist artist known for her provocative and confrontational performances from the 1960s onward, is the subject of a reflective essay by writer and academic Hettie Judah. The article revisits Export's radical works such as *Hyperbulia* (1973), where she crawled naked through electrified wires; *From the Portfolio of Doggedness* (1968), in which she led a man on a dog lead through Vienna; and *Action Pants: Genital Panic* (1969), where she walked through a cinema with exposed genitals. Judah draws on her own interviews with Export, who died in 2023, and discusses the artist's manifesto demanding that women use art to reshape consciousness and achieve liberation.

‘The Bed Trick’ by Izabella Scott, Reviewed

Izabella Scott's book *The Bed Trick* examines a British rape case in which Gayle Newland was convicted for pretending to be a man named Kai during a two-year relationship with a woman identified as Miss X. Drawing on court transcripts, Scott explores the legal concept of 'fraud vitiates consent' and traces the historical bed-trick trope from medieval folktales to *The Rocky Horror Picture Show*, questioning how much deception invalidates sexual consent.

Director of Poland Jewish Museum Reinstated

director of poland jewish museum reinstated

Dariusz Stola has been reinstated as the director of the Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, seven years after being forced out by Poland’s former nationalist government. Stola, a respected historian who led the museum from its 2014 opening, was blocked from reappointment in 2019 by the Law and Justice party despite winning a competitive selection process. His return follows the 2023 election of a centrist coalition led by Donald Tusk and a subsequent move by Culture Minister Marta Cienkowska to reverse the previous administration's ideological purges.

national portrait gallery director report work trump firing

Kim Sajet, the director of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., continued coming to work despite Donald Trump claiming on Truth Social that he had fired her for being a 'strong supporter of DEI.' The White House provided the Washington Post with a 17-point list of grievances against Sajet, including her exhibition of a Trump portrait caption referencing his impeachments and January 6 insurrection, her donations to Democratic causes, and her comments about diversifying the museum. The Smithsonian Institution has not yet responded, and legal experts note Trump lacks authority to fire Sajet, as he does not sit on the Smithsonian board, though Vice President J.D. Vance and the Chief Justice hold ex officio positions.

top us universities form private collective against trump

Leaders from roughly 10 Ivy League and top private research universities have formed a private collective to coordinate their response to the Trump administration's attacks on academic independence and research funding. The administration has paused billions in funding at Cornell and Northwestern, cut $400 million from Columbia, and blocked $2 million from Harvard, which is now suing the government. The collective, operating behind the scenes, is concerned about federal overreach into admissions, hiring, curricula, and international student and faculty policies.

Must-see Milwaukee exhibits on view in May 2026 | The Shortlist

The article highlights several art exhibitions on view in Milwaukee in May 2026, curated around themes of graduation and motherhood. Featured shows include Ahmari Benton's solo exhibition 'No Place for Self-Pity, No Room for Fear' at Mitchell Street Arts, Cameron Clayborn's solo show 'That's When Love Swallows You Whole, Right. Now' at Experimental Sculpture Room, the group exhibition 'Mom & Art' at Milwaukee Makers Market, and a youth art exhibition at the Milwaukee Art Museum. Many of the shows honor resilience, identity, memory, and the complexities of motherhood, with some featuring works by artists who have passed away.