New art gallery opens in old Boyle Heights Sears building

A new art gallery, Mark Jude Gallery, has opened in the historic Sears building in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles. The 5,000-square-foot space, plus a repurposed satellite gallery, occupies part of the 1.8-million-square-foot former Sears mail-order plant, which closed in 1992 and shut its store in 2021. The gallery features works by artists Megan Mueller, Antonio Kim, and Caterina Piccardo, and plans to host immersive exhibitions including performance art, experimental film, and interactive storytelling. Owner Mark Jude, a former executive chef at the Smithsonian Institution, moved the gallery from the Arts District to take advantage of lower rent and more space.

月を射る @ KAG

KAG in Tokyo is presenting a group exhibition titled "月を射る" (Shooting the Moon), running from May 19 to August 16, 2026. The show takes its starting point from a prose poem of the same name by Korean poet Yun Dong-ju (1917–1945), who wrote it in 1939 under Japanese colonial rule and later died in a Fukuoka prison. The exhibition spans pre-war and wartime educational films, propaganda, performance, and contemporary fieldwork, featuring works by artists such as Inoue Kan (Lee Byung-woo), Choe Seung-hui, Kamei Fumio, Yoshimi Yasushi, Atsugi Taka, Fujii Hikaru, Yamamoto Seiko, T.T. Takemoto, Morita Reine, Gataro, and Shirakawa Masao. It examines the management models formed by the former empire and the spiritual structure of colonialism that underlies contemporary issues, centering on works that carry the "memory of censorship"—banned, deleted, or denied existence by national, administrative, or social norms.

Stilllive Documents 2019–2025 @ The 5th Floor

The 5th Floor in Tokyo is hosting "Stilllive Documents 2019–2025," a retrospective exhibition running from May 14 to June 7, 2026, that reviews the activities of the performance platform Stilllive. The show features unpublished photographs and video materials from 2019 to 2025, presenting them not as mere traces of events but as records of relationships, tensions, and responses that emerged in each moment. Stilllive was founded in 2016 by Yuki Kobayashi and graduates of the Royal College of Art's Performance program, and has held annual events since 2019 at venues including the Goethe-Institut Tokyo. A new performance, "Stilllive 2026," will take place on May 16–17 at BUoY in Senju Nakamachi, Tokyo, connecting past accumulations to future practice.

Series: Meg Ninja Drawing and Sleeping Part 4

連載 メグ忍者 Drawing and Sleeping 第四回

Artist collective member Meg Ninja reflects on recent travels and performances in the fourth and final installment of their column "Drawing and Sleeping." The piece recounts a performance event at Toyota Municipal Museum of Art, where Meg Ninja organized a participatory piece based on Guy Debord's *The Society of the Spectacle*, and a research trip to South Korea via Tsushima and Busan for the upcoming international art festival "Aichi 2025." The narrative weaves together experiences of sleep, movement, and the boundary between daily life and artistic practice.

Festival of Cats brings cat-inspired art to Thanet

The Festival of Cats, a community arts festival celebrating feline-themed art, is returning to Margate, Kent, from May 1-4. Featuring exhibitions, events, and workshops across fine art, poetry, film, performance, and craft, the festival showcases work from 100 local artists. Originally launched in 2018 as a satellite event for Turner Contemporary's "Journeys with The Waste Land" exhibition, it was inspired by T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats and has since grown into a Thanet-wide event attracting thousands of visitors.

Tongue River Theory. davi de jesus do nascimento by Mateus Nunes

Brazilian artist davi de jesus do nascimento explores the intersection of poetry, memory, and the geography of the São Francisco River. Born in Pirapora, Minas Gerais, the artist’s work is deeply informed by his family's history of displacement due to the Sobradinho dam and the tragic loss of his mother to the river. His practice spans painting, installation, and performance, all rooted in a linguistic and philosophical framework he calls "Tongue River Theory."

‘In Mali, When Animals Dance’ – Inside the Pulse of Sogo Bò

Yoann Cormier curates 'In Mali, When Animals Dance' at the Musée des Confluences, an exhibition dedicated to sogo bò, a Malian performance tradition blending theater, dance, music, and community. Rejecting static displays, Cormier uses immersive scenography—light, sound, film footage from the early 2000s by Sonia and Albert Loeb, and reconstructed masks made with the Lyon Opera costume workshop—to evoke the festive atmosphere of sogo bò, moving visitors through a simulated Malian day from afternoon to night.

KÜTRAL VARGAS HUAIQUIMILLA: PERFORMING BLOOD, INHABITING ITS FLOW, DIMENSIONING THE WOUND

KÜTRAL VARGAS HUAIQUIMILLA: PERFORMAR LA SANGRE, HABITAR SU FLUJO, DIMENSIONAR LA HERIDA

Mapuche visual artist and performer Kütral Vargas Huaiquimilla presents "Performance de la sangre" (Performance of Blood) at Galería Gabriela Mistral in Santiago, Chile. Based on the artist's 2024 novel of the same name, the exhibition utilizes video-performance, sculpture, and clinical materials like medication vials to explore the intimate and collective experience of living with HIV. The project marks a significant interdisciplinary intersection of Mapuche identity, pharmacology, and contemporary medicalization.

art panteha abareshi young artist

Panteha Abareshi, a 26-year-old Canadian-born artist based in Tucson, creates performances, videos, sculptures, and installations that explore their experience as a disabled and chronically ill person. Their work often tackles taboo subjects, such as a recent solo exhibition at Human Resources in Los Angeles that screened pornography and sparked discussion about the representation of disabled bodies in fetish materials. A key piece, "CAREGIVING," features a silicone hand with a finger pulled back by a string nailed into its own wrist, symbolizing the violent balance in medical care and caregiving.

parties jncquoi club comporta portugal

Cultured magazine hosted a dinner at Coco's private club in Manhattan to celebrate JNĉQuoi's forthcoming destination in Comporta, Portugal. The 164-hectare campus, designed by Vincent Van Duysen, will combine a beach club, residential community, and hotel, located an hour outside Lisbon. Founders Paula Amorim and Miguel Guedes de Sousa welcomed a crowd of collectors, gallerists, and art advisors, including Chad Leat, Ida Liu, Alexandra Stanton, Jason and Michelle Rubell, Seth Stolbun, Ellie Rines, Rob Teeters, and Sarah Ivory, with a performance by Portuguese soprano Leonor Vasconcelos.

Friend of X. A Conversation with Raque Ford by Qingyuan Deng

Artist Raque Ford discusses her recent exhibitions, "The Barkeeper’s Friend" at Greene Naftali and "Cry Baby" at Kunstverein Gartenhaus, highlighting her unique approach to language and materiality. Ford utilizes industrial materials like reflective acrylic, Mylar, and thermal printers to transform pop lyrics, overheard speech, and diaristic fragments into physical installations. Her work explores the tension between public performance and private interiority, often using scale to manipulate the viewer's emotional response to text.

In the Studio with Harley Burns

Asheville-based artist Harley Burns discusses their transition from a career in public health to a full-time painting practice centered on trans and gender-nonconforming identity in the American South. The interview focuses on Burns's triptych "Buttoning Back Up" (2025), which translates a vulnerable public performance of chest-binding into a series of oil paintings that explore the hypervisibility and invisibility of non-binary bodies.

McNay Family Day: Elements in Action

The McNay Art Museum in San Antonio is hosting a free Family Day event on June 7, 2026, titled "Elements in Action." The afternoon features hands-on art activities, live performances, and family-friendly fun across the museum's grounds and galleries, coinciding with the spring banner exhibition "untitled: 20 Years of Collecting Contemporary Art." Admission to the museum and the exhibition is free for all attendees.

Monthlong celebration dedicated to museums, raising awareness of culture and the arts to kick off in May

South Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced a monthlong celebration called "2026 Museum Week," running from late April to May 31, 2026, to coincide with International Museum Day on May 18. A total of 310 museums will participate under the theme "Museums uniting a divided world," with programs divided into three sections: Museum X Encounter (highlighting stories behind artifacts), Museum X Enjoy (special exhibitions and performances), and Museum X Stroll (expanding cultural access beyond Seoul). The event is hosted by the ministry and ICOM Korea, organized by the Korean Museum Association.

Cultural institutions tap power of art to heal national fractures

More than 300 museums and art institutions across South Korea will participate in the 2026 Museum and Gallery Week, a nationwide cultural festival organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, running from May 1 to May 31. The event adopts the theme "Museums Uniting a Divided World" from the International Council of Museums, and features three main programs: "Museum × Meet" highlighting 50 signature objects, "Museum × Enjoy" with exhibitions and performances at 18 institutions, and "Museum × Wander" offering guided tours connecting galleries with historic sites.

Artist Zareh in the Spotlight

Litavie Art Gallery in Glendale presented a solo exhibition titled 'Where Motion Becomes Memory' by artist Zareh from April 2 to 11. The opening night featured remarks from artist Seta Injeyan, who analyzed Zareh's work, and the event was documented with photos of Zareh alongside Injeyan and art critic Peter Frank.

Weekender: Music, Live Sound Installation, Art

The UC Davis College of Letters and Science is hosting a weekend event titled "Weekender: Music, Live Sound Installation, Art" at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art. The event features a live sound installation by artist and composer Pamela Z, alongside a performance by the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra conducted by Christian Baldini, which will include a piece by composer Gabriela Ortiz.

Black-owned art gallery slams Austin with poetry open mic night

RichesArt Gallery, the only Black-owned art gallery in Austin, hosted its Rhythms and Poetry open mic night on February 3, featuring slam poetry, rappers, and spoken word performances. The event, organized by poetry director Jonathan Ezemba in collaboration with gallery founder Richard Samuel, operated on a pay-what-you-can basis to keep it accessible. Performers like Maya Edwin shared personal poems about identity, queerness, and Blackness, emphasizing the gallery's role as a safe space for Black artists.

UC Davis Graduate Exhibition Showcases Next Generation of Artists, Thinkers

The University of California, Davis, will host the Arts & Humanities 2025 Graduate Exhibition from June 5–22 at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art. The multidisciplinary showcase features 31 graduate students from art studio, art history, design, comparative literature, English, environmental science and policy, music, and performance studies. Works include photography, painting, sculpture, video, performance, and textiles, with live performances and awards on opening night. Participants explore themes such as human-technology relationships, environmental resilience, African diaspora, and emotional healing.

‘Arte Latinoamericano’ Opens at The Walters with a Full Day of Programming Saturday

The Walters Art Museum in Baltimore opens its first permanent exhibition of Latin American art, titled 'Latin American Art/Arte Latinoamericano,' on May 17. Curators Ellen Hoobler and Patricia Lagarde designed the galleries with accessibility in mind, featuring bilingual children's books, comfortable benches, and sensory elements like incense and musical instruments. The exhibition spans 200 objects representing 40 cultures from North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean, informed by a 12-member community advisory group of local Latino immigrants. The opening day includes a free festival with tours, performances, artist talks, and children's activities, plus a special appearance by Paco the Llama, an ancient effigy vessel turned mascot.

3rd Annual Envisioning A Just Pittsburgh Call for Art

The 3rd Annual Envisioning A Just Pittsburgh Call for Art has closed its 2025 submissions as of November 2. The theme asks artists to explore how libraries, archives, and storytelling can serve as conduits for education, activism, and a more equitable Pittsburgh. Categories include writing, visual art, performance, video/interdisciplinary work, and youth arts. Juried winners will be announced in December 2025, with exhibitions and performances held at venues such as Carnegie Museums, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, the University of Pittsburgh, 1Hood Media, and the August Wilson African American Cultural Center in February 2026. Monetary awards range from $50 to $2,000.

We were at the Turin concert where Marlene Kuntz celebrated the 30th anniversary of their unforgettable album "Il vile"

Siamo stati al concerto di Torino dove i Marlene Kuntz festeggiavano i 30 anni del loro indimenticabile disco “Il vile”

Italian alternative rock band Marlene Kuntz recently performed two sold-out shows at the Hiroshima Mon Amour venue in Turin to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their seminal album, *Il vile*. The concert featured a near-complete performance of the 1996 record, which is widely regarded as a cornerstone of Italian noise rock. The anniversary celebration also includes a nationwide tour and a special vinyl reissue featuring new artwork by renowned illustrator Alessandro Baronciani.

TROPICAL HYPERSTITION A SPACE OF MEMORY AND RESISTANCE AT THE BIENNALE DI VENEZIA 2026

Panama will present its second National Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, featuring a large-scale installation and performance titled 'Tropical Hyperstition' by the artistic duo Antonio José Guzmán and Iva Jankovic (Mensajeros del Sol). The project, curated by Ana Elizabeth González and Mónica Kupfer, is organized by Panama's Ministry of Culture and several cultural foundations.

Renowned Victoria artist hosts exhibition with proceeds going to 10 local charities

Renowned Victoria artist and philanthropist Tanya Bub is presenting a new exhibition titled "Wild Art for the Big of Heart" at the Gage Gallery in Victoria’s Bastion Square from May 12th to 31st. The show features dozens of sculptural works made from driftwood, wire, and paper, with prices ranging from $30 to $8,000. Twenty-five percent of all sales will go to the charity of the buyer’s choice, with 10 local charities benefiting, including Broken Promises Rescue, Elder Carl Olsen — Goldstream / SELE₭TEȽ Watershed, CNIB Victoria, Georgia Strait Alliance, Mustard Seed, Rainbow Haven, Soap for Hope, The Thinking Garden, Victoria Therapeutic Riding Association, and Voices in Motion. The exhibition also includes three weeks of talks, performances, and interactive events in partnership with the charities.

Cocoa’s picks: Gallery openings, mural celebrations and music competitions

The article highlights several arts events in Bellingham, Washington, including a community mural celebration led by Coast Salish artist Jason LaClair, an opening reception for Charles Villiers' solo exhibition "Untethered" at Cordata Gallery, an improvised musical called "You: The Musical" at The Upfront Theatre, and a Youth Chamber Music Competition hosted by the Harmony Chamber Music Festival. These events span visual art, theater, and classical music, with the mural project involving over 500 children and families in selecting the design.

Tillies art gallery opens in Provincetown May 1

Tillies Art & Provisions is set to open on May 1 at 512 Commercial Street in Provincetown’s East End. Located in a historic 19th-century grocery store building, the new gallery and community space will debut with a group exhibition curated by Barbara Cohen featuring 17 established local artists. The venue plans to host a diverse seasonal program including art exhibitions, readings, and musical performances.

‘The Beginning’ Group Exhibition Features Live Painting at Art Bridge Gallery

The Art Bridge Gallery in Yangon is hosting a group exhibition titled 'The Beginning,' which showcases the work of multiple contemporary artists. A standout feature of the event is the inclusion of live painting sessions, allowing visitors to witness the creative process firsthand as artists develop new works within the gallery space.

Gallery 121 celebrates Indigenous artists in new exhibition

Gallery 121 in Belleville, Ontario, opened a new Indigenous art exhibition on January 19, 2026, featuring nine Haudenosaunee artists including David R. Maracle, Rebecca Maracle, Janice Brant, and others. The month-long show, running until February 7, opened with a smudging ceremony and musical performance by Maracle, and includes works by Gallery 121 member artists. The exhibition continues the gallery's annual tradition of showcasing Indigenous artists from the Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory since 2014.

National Art Museum presents vibrant exhibition within World Urban Forum [PHOTOS]

The Azerbaijan National Art Museum has opened an exhibition titled 'Chronicle of the City of Winds: Baku in the Works of Artists from the 19th to 21st Centuries,' organized jointly by the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry and the museum. Featuring over 80 works of painting, graphic art, and sculpture, the show traces Baku's historical, architectural, and cultural evolution from the 19th century to the present day. It includes pieces from the museum's collection alongside contemporary works, and is part of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13), held within the Year of Urban Planning and Architecture in Azerbaijan. The opening ceremony featured speeches by Deputy Culture Minister Saadat Yusifova, museum director Shirin Malikova, and People's Artist Salhab Mammadov, as well as a musical performance by Honored Artist Nargiz Karimova and Zumrud Alizade.

Group creates hidden gem 'haven for art' in seaside town centre

A collective of local residents founded Clacton Arts Centre (CAC) in late 2023 in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, to address the town's lack of free creative activities. A pop-up gallery, the Clacton Art Gallery, opened in a vacant retail unit in September 2024 and became a permanent hub after strong public support, now showcasing work from 39 local artists. The centre runs monthly acoustic music showcases, open mic nights, theatrical performances, and outdoor events, with ambitions to secure a permanent venue.