Sorcières !

The article previews an upcoming exhibition titled "Sorcières !" at the Château des ducs de Bretagne – Musée d'histoire de Nantes, running from February 7 to June 28, 2026. It traces the historical debate around witchcraft in 16th-century Europe, focusing on key figures such as Heinrich Kramer, author of the *Malleus maleficarum* (1486), who argued that witchcraft was a female-specific evil requiring extermination, and Jean Bodin, who supported this view. In contrast, Johann Weyer and Michel de Montaigne challenged the persecution, suggesting accused women were mentally ill or elderly and deserved humane treatment rather than execution.

Speaking in Signs: Kwame Akoto’s Worlds Across Contexts.

Ghanaian painter Kwame Akoto, known for his vibrant signboard works blending bold imagery with urgent text, is the subject of his first major French exhibition, 'Almighty God Art Works', at the Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac in Paris. In an interview with ART AFRICA, Akoto discusses how his paintings transform when moving from the streets of Kumasi—where they function as everyday spiritual and commercial communication—into a European museum context, addressing themes of translation, shared authorship, and the shifting meanings of images across cultural and institutional boundaries.

M’barek Bouhchichi: Hands That Remember

Moroccan artist M’barek Bouhchichi presents 'Les mains des poètes' at Foundation H in Antananarivo, Madagascar, running until 17 October 2026. The exhibition stems from a residency in Madagascar where Bouhchichi collaborated with local artisans—blacksmiths, weavers, ceramists, and musicians—to create works that resist singular authorship. Central to the show is the revival of sorabe, the Arabico-Malagasy script, treated as an embodied, gestural practice rather than fixed writing.

NAFRICA–MASCHERE: The Mask Strikes Back

Curator Simon Njami discusses his exhibition 'NAFRICA–MASCHERE' at the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, which juxtaposes the fascist anthropological archives of Lidio Cipriani with contemporary artworks. The show utilizes the metaphor of the mask to explore the tension between how individuals are perceived and how they project themselves, specifically addressing the persistence of colonial logic in the modern world. By including artists from Africa, America, and Italy, Njami seeks to move beyond a binary 'colonizer vs. colonized' narrative toward a broader inquiry into human representation and power.

‘Washwasha’ (Whispers Across Water): Sonic Cartographies of the UAE at the Venice Biennale.

The National Pavilion UAE has announced its upcoming exhibition for the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026, titled ‘Washwasha’ (Whispers Across Water). Curated by Bana Kattan with assistant curator Tala Nassar, the presentation features six artists: Mays Albaik, Jawad Al Malhi, Farah Al Qasimi, Alaa Edris, Lamya Gargash, and Taus Makhacheva. The exhibition moves away from traditional visual spectacle to focus on sound, oral traditions, and 'sonic cartographies' that explore memory, migration, and the fluid identity of the UAE through an architectural environment designed by Büro Koray Duman Architects.

A powerful photo project became a love letter to the workers who built L.A. Metro's D Line

Photographer Ken Karagozian, who began documenting L.A. Metro construction workers in 1995, has collaborated with historian India Mandelkern on a photo book titled "Wilshire Subway: The Making of the D Line Subway Extension." The book chronicles the history, conflicts, and the workers behind the D Line extension along Wilshire Boulevard, ahead of its May 8 opening. A related exhibition, "Wilshire Subway: Photographed by Ken Karagozian," is on view at the 1301PE art gallery through May 14.

Bone Insurrection

Artist Rabih Mroué's text "Bone Insurrection" is being published by Film Notes in conjunction with an upcoming screening of his films and videos at the e-flux Screening Room in New York. The text is a poetic, first-person narrative that explores the physical and psychological aftermath of historical violence, framing the self as an excavation site where trauma persists in the body.

Special Private Tour and Luncheon Hosted by the Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum

On April 25, 2026, the Hiram Blauvelt Art Museum in Oradell, New Jersey, hosted a private tour and luncheon led by wildlife artist Dwayne Harty, whose exhibition "Bison Legacy" had recently concluded at the museum. The event welcomed over thirty guests, including friends of the artist and Foundation Board President James Bellis Jr. Harty, trained at the Art Students League of New York under Bob Kuhn, Robert Lougheed, and Clarence Tillenius, is known for his accurate and expressive wildlife depictions. The museum will present its Permanent Collection starting at the end of May 2026.

art brick hamza walker curator

Hamza Walker, the renowned curator and director of the Los Angeles nonprofit art space the Brick, is featured as a 2026 CULT100 honoree. He was a key driver behind the ambitious exhibition “Monuments,” which places decommissioned Confederate monuments alongside contemporary art at a time when American cultural history is increasingly politicized. The article includes a brief Q&A with Walker, touching on his personal tastes, work philosophy, and reflections on his career.

Doosan Yonkang Foundation Backs Venice Korean Pavilion

The Doosan Yonkang Foundation has announced its sponsorship of the Korean Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale, which will take place from May 9 to November 22, 2026, at Giardini Park in Venice, Italy. The Korean Pavilion, titled "Liberation Space: Fortress and Nest," explores political events and historical transitions in Korean society from 1945 to the present, under the artistic direction of Choi Bitna. Participating artists include Noh Hyeri and Choi Goeun, along with fellows such as novelist Han Kang, farmer and activist Kim Huju, writer and singer Lee Lang, photographer Hwang Yeji, and artist Christian Nyampeta. Notably, Noh Hyeri and Choi Bitna are alumni of the foundation's support programs, Doosan Art Lab and Doosan Curator Workshop, respectively.

London artist Irum Rahat’s ‘Yeh Kab Ki Baat Hai’ is a house full of memories

London-based artist Irum Rahat presents her first solo exhibition in India, 'Yeh Kab Ki Baat Hai', at Pristine Contemporary in Delhi. The show features 16 new works that draw from her upbringing in a South Asian household, transforming mundane domestic scenes—making chai, sitting in rooms, family interactions—into a visual archive of memory and intimacy. Rahat's paintings, influenced by cinema and her own photography, use soft, hazy colors to evoke nostalgia and the ambiguity of time.

Art, museum exhibits in Kenosha, Racine counties this week

This article provides a weekly listing of art and museum exhibits in Kenosha and Racine counties in Wisconsin, including details on hours, locations, and current or permanent exhibitions. Featured venues include the Anderson Arts Center, Artists Gallery, Carthage College Art Gallery, Civil War Museum, Dinosaur Discovery Museum, Kenosha History Center, Kenosha Public Museum, Lemon Street Gallery, OS Projects, and Photographic Design Gallery & Framing.

“Conspiracies” Aby Warburg Institute / London by Frank Wasser

The exhibition “Conspiracies” at the Warburg Institute in London, curated by Larne Abse Gogarty, brings together works by Hannah Black, Caspar Heinemann, Sam Keogh, and Shenece Oretha alongside panels from Aby Warburg’s Bilderatlas Mnemosyne. Through sculpture, drawing, collage, installation, and sound, the show resists the idea that conspiracy can be solved by exposure or critique, instead constructing unstable relations between historical images, speculative narratives, and material processes. Key works include Heinemann’s drawings reimagining Ted Kaczynski as “Theodora” and Keogh’s large-scale collage referencing medieval tapestries and surveillance systems.

Gallery openings and exhibits in Central Oregon this week

This article lists numerous gallery openings and ongoing exhibits across Central Oregon, including venues such as Amejko Artistry, Art Adventure Gallery, Artists’ Gallery Sunriver, and the High Desert Museum. Featured shows include nomadic woven artwork by Anna Amejko Peterson, a 40th anniversary exhibition of Jefferson County artists, “A Man Named York” at the Belknap Exhibit Center, and “Drawn West — A History of Promoting Place” at the High Desert Museum, among many others spanning pottery, photography, fiber art, and historical displays.

Auntiescapes at Load Gallery asks: Can the hyperreal impact social reality?

The article covers the exhibition 'Auntiescapes' at Load Gallery in Barcelona, featuring the work of Singaporean artist Wenhui Lim, who works under the moniker niceaunties. The show includes a central AI-powered mirror that transforms viewers into the face of an Asian auntie, offering blunt, loving remarks, alongside surreal digital landscapes like Auntlantis and Auntiecity that reimagine aunties as protagonists in fantastical worlds. Lim, a former architect, uses AI and editing software to create these hyperreal, expansive works.

Artists in Action: Supporting Salem-area artists for a quarter-century

Artists in Action (AiA), a nonprofit organization supporting Salem-area artists, is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a public reception on May 3, 2026, at Elsinore Framing & Fine Art Gallery in Salem, Oregon. Founded by Diane Trevett and about five other artists, the group began as a small support network for struggling artists and has grown into an established arts organization with around 65 active members. AiA hosts monthly openings, critique sessions, open-call shows, and special events like Paint and Write the Town, providing opportunities for artists to exhibit and sell their work across various mediums.

Fort Smith museum unveils two new art exhibitions on May 15

The Fort Smith Museum of History will open two new exhibitions on May 15. 'The Art of the Brick' features large-scale sculptures by contemporary artist Nathan Sawaya, built entirely from LEGO bricks, while 'The Art of Native American Basketry' showcases a collection of woven baskets from regional tribes.

A Firenze nasce la “nuova” istituzione GAMB che riunisce la Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze e i Musei del Bargello (con nuovo logo d’autore)

A new museum institution called GAMB (Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze e Musei del Bargello) has been established in Florence, unifying seven cultural sites under a single autonomous museum system. The sites include the Galleria dell’Accademia, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Orsanmichele, Casa Martelli, Palazzo Davanzati, Cappelle Medicee, and the former Church of San Procolo. A new visual identity designed by Milanese studio Migliore+Servetto features a pictogram that maps the geographic distribution of the venues, along with a custom typeface and color palette unique to each location. The launch also coincides with the start of a public restoration project for the base of Benvenuto Cellini’s *Perseo* at the Bargello, open to visitors from May 12 to September 5, 2026.

The great antique fair of Assisi has half a century of history. The interview

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.

KU students, teachers to show off form-defying ceramics at Off-Site Art Gallery exhibition

University of Kansas students and teachers are showcasing ceramics that defy gravity and traditional form at Off-Site Art Space in Lawrence. The exhibition, titled “Almost a Body: Not Quite a Thing,” features works by artists-in-residence Seuil Chung and SunYoung Park alongside their students, including pieces like Natalie Slutsky’s “Vital Exchange,” an anatomical heart with arteries forming a Möbius strip. The show highlights innovative techniques such as using sand-filled brick boxes for firing, French cleat mounting systems, and beeswax finishes inspired by natural forms from the McGregor Herbarium.

Artist explores shifting perspective on family story

Artist Avi Amesbury has opened her new exhibition, 'Shifting Perspectives: The Self Reconciliation Project', at Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery in Australia. The show combines ceramics, mixed media, and sound to explore her personal family history as a descendant of white settler colonists in Western Australia. Over three years, Amesbury traveled across the country for residencies at Fremantle Arts Centre and Central Craft in Alice Springs, collecting wild clays and collaborating with composer MJ from Those Who Ride With Giants to incorporate poems, writings, and landscape sounds into the installation.

South Coast Artists exhibition brings 112 works to Gallery X

The 2026 Members’ Invitational Exhibition organized by South Coast Artists Inc. is now on view at Gallery X in New Bedford, Massachusetts, through May 16. The show features 112 works by 61 artists selected from nearly 200 active members, spanning media such as photography, fiber, encaustic, porcelain, cyanotype, pastel, acrylic, oil, watercolor, mixed media, printmaking, digital art on metal, and found-object assemblages. Awards were presented at the opening reception on April 25, with first place going to Dot Bergen, second to Serena Parente Charlebois, and third to Robert Abele; juror’s choice awards were given to Diana Azevedo-Carns, Lindsey Epstein, and Heather Stivison, selected by independent juror Catherine Carter.

Clark Art Invites People With Dementia, Caregivers for Gallery Talk

The Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, is launching a free gallery talk program called Meet Me at the Clark on May 18, designed specifically for people living with dementia and their care partners. The tours take place on select Mondays from 1–4 pm when the museum is closed to the public, offering private access to the galleries with specially trained educators leading guided, open-ended conversations about art.

Public Tour | Graduation Weekend Tour: Looking Back Toward the Future

The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis is hosting a public tour on May 14, 2026, as part of its Graduation Weekend programming. The tour will explore the exhibition "Looking Back Toward the Future: Contemporary Photography from China," which features over forty large-scale photographs by fourteen Chinese artists created between 1993 and 2006. The exhibition is organized into three thematic sections—The Presence of the Past, East and West, and Performance and the Body—examining how artists used photography and performance to critique China's post-1989 sociopolitical and cultural shifts. This is the first time these works are on view at the museum, and they represent a significant recent addition to its contemporary Chinese art collection.

Doosan Yonkang Foundation Joins as Sponsor of Korean Pavilion at Venice International Art Exhibition

The Doosan Yonkang Foundation has joined as a sponsor of the Korean Pavilion at the 61st Venice International Art Exhibition, held at Giardini Park in Italy until November 22. The pavilion, themed "Haebang Space," explores political and social changes in Korean society since liberation in 1945. Artistic Director Choi Bitna oversees the exhibition, featuring artists Noh Hyeri and Choi Goeun, along with fellows Han Kang, Kim Hoojoo, Lee Rang, Hwang Yeji, and Christian Nyampeta. This marks the foundation's first sponsorship of the Korean Pavilion as part of its visual arts support program.

Doosan Yonkang Foundation Becomes First-Time Sponsor of Korean Pavilion at Venice Biennale

The Doosan Yonkang Foundation, the philanthropic arm of South Korean conglomerate Doosan, is sponsoring the Korean Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale for the first time. The pavilion, titled "Liberated Space: Fortress and Nest," runs from May 9 to November 22 at the Giardini park in Venice, and explores political events and historical transitions in Korean society from 1945 to the present. Participating artist Noh Hye-ri is an alumna of the foundation's Doosan Art LAB program, and artistic director Choi Binna serves as a supervisor of the Doosan Curator Workshop, highlighting the foundation's direct investment in nurturing artistic talent.

Explore art’s future at Hong Kong’s Affordable Art Fair this May

Hong Kong's Affordable Art Fair (AAF) returns in May with the theme “See Art. Love Art. Own Art.”, featuring 106 local and international exhibitors—up from 98 last year—and artworks priced from HK$1,000 (US$128). The fair, held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, aims to make art accessible to new and seasoned collectors alike, with a focus on transactions under US$50,000. Founder Will Ramsay highlights growing confidence in this market tier, citing a report by Affordable Art Fair × ArtTactic that shows 69% of galleries expect sales growth and that art fairs generate 44% of gallery revenues.

Stella’s Art Gallery selects ‘Size Matters’ winners | Gallery Glances

Stella's Art Gallery in Willoughby, Ohio, held its awards reception for the annual 'Size Matters' exhibition on May 8, with this year's theme requiring all works to be exactly 10 inches. Best of Show went to Breda Fallon for 'One Woman Show,' a 3D diorama. Winners in 3D included John Carreon (first and second place) and Daniel Fishwick (third); in 2D, Tatiana Strelnikova, Tracy Parsons, and Sheri Lawrence took top honors. The article also covers upcoming calls for art at the gallery, including 'The Landscape Show: Real or Fantasy' in June and 'The H2O Show' in July.

At Mcube, the movement and memory of jatras come alive

Pradip Kumar Bajracharya's solo exhibition 'Festive Spirit' at Gallery Mcube in Kathmandu marks his return to solo shows after over a decade. The exhibition captures the movement and memory of Nepal's jatras (festivals), focusing on the cultural celebrations of the Newa people. Bajracharya uses abstraction and fluid acrylic techniques to depict events like Bhaktapur's Sindure Jatra and Indra Jatra, often decentering faces to emphasize atmosphere and emotion. The works also reflect on the pandemic's halt of festivities, with paintings referencing locked chariots and temple guardians.

AMP art walk: making art more accessible

Western Washington University's Arts & Music Productions (AMP) launched a monthly art walk on the first Friday of October, continuing the tradition each month after the closure of the Viking Union Gallery. The event, conceived by AMP supervisor Casey Hayden, aims to introduce students to Bellingham's art scene in a guided, social setting. Skylar Cooney, AMP's visual arts coordinator, leads tours to smaller venues like Bay Street Studios, and the walks have drawn a diverse academic crowd. Participating galleries, such as Voxel Gallery, report increased foot traffic and community engagement, while local artists and professors like Garth Amundson emphasize the importance of free, accessible events for fostering inclusion.