China-Bulgaria art exhibition opens in Sofia

A joint China-Bulgaria art exhibition opened in Sofia, Bulgaria on August 18, 2025, featuring over 60 works by Chinese and Bulgarian artists. The six-day event showcases Chinese ink paintings, woodcarvings, embroidery, lacquer painting, tie-dye, batik, and digital art alongside Bulgarian works inspired by traditional textiles, felt, and contemporary interpretations of local heritage. Participants include 15-year-old Gabriela Georgieva, who presented two watercolor paintings.

The Southwest City That Turned Itself Into an Essential Art Outpost

The New York Times reports on a city in the southwestern United States that has transformed itself into a significant art destination. Through strategic investments in museums, galleries, and public art initiatives, the city has attracted major exhibitions, international collectors, and a growing creative community, positioning itself as an essential outpost for contemporary art beyond traditional coastal hubs.

‘Re-scoped’ Alice Springs art gallery on public exhibition

The Northern Territory government has unveiled revised plans for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Gallery of Australia (ATSIAGA) in Alice Springs/Mparntwe. The redesigned project, led by BVN, Susan Dugdale and Associates, and Clouston Associates, has been reduced from five storeys to three, with 1,300 square metres of exhibition space. A development consent application was submitted earlier this month and is now on public exhibition until 22 August, following cost blowouts that prompted a "re-scoping" of the original scheme. Construction is expected to take 18–24 months, with an opening targeted for late 2027.

US states step up to fund the arts in the wake of federal cuts

State legislatures across the US have continued to fund their arts and humanities agencies for fiscal year 2026, with aggregate spending totaling $649.2 million across 50 states and four territories—a 7.4% decrease from 2025 levels. While 29 states increased their arts funding, others saw significant cuts, including New Hampshire (90% reduction), Hawaii (74.9% drop), and Missouri (59.7% decline). The data comes from the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies (NASAA), which notes an uncertain fiscal environment but highlights that overall state investment in the arts is being sustained despite federal pressures.

London urban oasis hosts artist’s multimedia investigation into plants’ resilience in the face of climate crisis

London-based artist Vivienne Schadinsky presents "Into the Seeds of Time" at the newly expanded OmVed Gardens in Highgate, a private urban garden and the UK's first centre for food, ecology and creativity. The exhibition, running until 3 August, features ink paintings, films, sculptures and prints created during Schadinsky's year-long residency, focusing on the life cycles of three bean varieties—puy lentil, Essex pea bean and gaia soybean—as a metaphor for climate resilience.

South Jersey artists — including a celebrity favorite — are showcased in West Deptford

Four South Jersey artists—Sydnei Smith Jordan, Gloria Gammage Davis, Quinton Greene, and Robyn Huber—are featured in a collective exhibition at the RiverWinds Community Center in West Deptford, running through August 30. Award-winning artist Sydnei Smith Jordan, a Cape May resident, will attend an artists' reception on July 10; her work is owned by celebrities including Whoopi Goldberg, Sylvester Stallone, and Denzel Washington.

“What Can A.I. Not Take from Us?”: An Interview With the Curators of Local Exhibition 'Against the Machine'

An exhibition titled 'Against the Machine: art in the age of A.I., fascism, and climate disaster' is on view at the People's Solidarity Hub campus in Durham, North Carolina, curated by local artists Cassandra Rowe and charla rios. The show features works by ten multi-disciplinary artists, including Hiva Kadivar's piece incorporating ink and natural fibers, Derrick Beasley's sculpture 'Conduit,' and Rowe's painting 'the wayback machine / you can't take my memories.' The exhibition opened in May and runs through August 22, with an artist talk scheduled for July 16. The curators were inspired by connections between A.I., fascism, and climate disaster, particularly after Hurricane Helene and the Los Angeles wildfires.

Norman Teague: Love Reigns Supreme

Norman Teague is the subject of a documentary film produced by Firelight Media in association with The WNET Group for the PBS series 'American Masters.' The film, directed by Adewole A. Abioye and produced by Aderemi Abioye, explores Teague's life and creative journey as a visual artist. The program is part of the 'In the Making' series and is funded by multiple foundations including the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Rosalind P. Walter Foundation.

Amid a cost of living crisis for London’s artists, a charity has secured dozens of affordable studio spaces

Bow Arts, a UK charity founded in 1994, has acquired two buildings in east London to create permanently affordable studio spaces for artists. The purchases include a site in the Hackney Yards development, developed in partnership with housing association Notting Hill Genesis and supported by Arts Council England and the London Legacy Development Corporation, which will provide 38 studios by 2026, and the Brutalist Lakeside Centre in Thamesmead, already housing over 40 artist studios. This follows Bow Arts’ first owned building, Three Waters, acquired in 2022 on a 999-year lease with 70 studios. The charity now owns three of the 28 buildings it manages across London, with an annual turnover of £5.1 million, most of which is reinvested into the creative community.

6 curatorial projects picked for Art Macao 2025

The Cultural Affairs Bureau of Macau has announced the six winning curatorial proposals selected for the 'Local Curatorial Project' of Art Macao 2025, the Macao International Art Biennale. Chosen from 34 submissions by a panel of international and local experts, the projects include 'Genetic Duration' by Guilherme Ung Vai Meng, 'After Oriental Garden' by Cheong Weng Lam, 'The Sea of Languages: Macao Language Research Programme' by He Yanjun and Zhang Ke, 'A Speakable Position for Women' by Cheong Cheng Wa and Wang Jing, 'Beneath the Wetware Peninsula' by Daisy Di Wang and Wong Mei Teng, and 'Jacone’s Tower' by Feng Yan and Ng Sio Ieng. These proposals will be exhibited during Art Macao 2025 and are shortlisted for the chance to represent Macau at the 61st Venice Biennale Collateral Event.

PHOTOS: 50 years of Surrey Art Gallery, and where it might move

Surrey Art Gallery (SAG) is celebrating its 50th anniversary this summer, having opened in 1975 at Bear Creek Park in Surrey, British Columbia. The gallery, which offers free admission and parking, is showcasing a 50th-anniversary group exhibition titled "10 and 10: Story of Stories" through August 9, pairing works from its first decade of collecting (1975–1985) with those from the last decade (2014–2024). Director Alison Rajah notes that the gallery holds nearly 2,000 works in trust, including 70 cultural properties recognized as national treasures. However, the gallery has run out of storage space, prompting plans to move to a new Interactive Art Museum (IAM) in Surrey City Centre, a project first proposed in 2017. Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke confirmed on June 11 that funding has been allocated and construction could begin within the next year.

6-13-25 Student Excellence in the Arts - SUNY

The State University of New York (SUNY) has announced the 2025 recipients of its annual arts awards, including the Thayer Fellowship of the Arts, the Patricia Kerr Ross Award, and the Best of SUNY art exhibition winners. Key Bird from the University at Albany and Misael Hernandez from the University at Buffalo each received a $7,000 Thayer Fellowship, while Rush Carson from Purchase College won the $1,000 Patricia Kerr Ross Award. Three students received Best of SUNY Awards, with four additional students earning honorable mention. The awards were presented by SUNY Chancellor John B. King Jr. and the SUNY Board of Trustees.

This Massachusetts Town Has The Biggest Heart

This article highlights Rockport, Massachusetts, as a town renowned for its creative spirit and historic art colony. It details the Rockport Art Association & Museum (RAA&M), founded in 1921, which supports about 250 artists and hosts over 40 exhibitions annually, including upcoming shows by emerging artists and Bradley Hendershot. The town also features the Shalin Liu Performing Arts Center, home to the Rockport Chamber Music Festival, and hosts annual festivals such as Motif No. 1 Day, Harvest Fest, and Christmas in Rockport, along with historic lighthouses like Thacher Island Twin Lighthouses.

Landmark store transformed into art gallery

Kellie Miller Art (KMA) gallery has opened a new location in Brighton's Church Street, taking over the former Dockerills hardware store. The two-floor space, which doubles the gallery's previous size, was inaugurated with a packed opening event on Friday evening, featuring paintings, ceramics, and sculptures from over 100 local, national, and international artists. The gallery is run by artist and curator Kellie Miller, who has over 30 years of industry experience.

Haarlem Resistance hero commemorated with illicit 'stumbling stone'

Ton Witteman, grandson of Dutch resistance hero Bart Witteman, has laid an unauthorized 'stumbling stone' (stolpersteine) in front of his grandfather's former home in Haarlem, Netherlands. Bart Witteman, a policeman who sheltered two Jewish people during World War II, was arrested, deported, and murdered by the Nazis in 1945. The city council had refused to include non-Jewish resistance figures in its official memorial program, which only covers the 733 murdered Jewish, Sinti, and Roma residents. Witteman obtained the hand-stamped brass plaque from German artist Gunter Demnig's Stolpersteine project and installed it himself with the current homeowners' blessing.

Aristophil : Gérard Lhéritier obtient une peine aménagée

Gérard Lhéritier, founder of the investment firm Aristophil, has had his prison sentence reduced to two years under electronic monitoring after pleading guilty in a French plea-bargaining procedure. Originally sentenced in December 2025 to five years in prison for fraud, Lhéritier's scheme involved selling shares in manuscripts and historical documents, causing losses estimated at several hundred million euros to nearly 18,000 investors.

Accusé de viol, le directeur du Frac Bretagne est révoqué

The director of the Frac Bretagne (Regional Contemporary Art Fund of Brittany), Étienne Bernard, has been dismissed following an internal investigation into allegations of sexual violence. The case began in October 2025 when an anonymous testimony on the Instagram account #MeTooArtContemporain accused a former art professor of sexual assault; the post noted the accused had since become a Frac director. After graffiti appeared on the Frac Bretagne building, the institution hired the external consultancy Égaé to conduct an internal inquiry. Two reports submitted in February and April 2026 documented multiple serious allegations against Bernard, including harassment and assault. The board voted unanimously to revoke his position on May 4, 2026, and the public prosecutor's office in Rennes has opened a criminal investigation for moral harassment, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and aggravated rape. Bernard denies the allegations and has filed an appeal with the administrative court.

The Museum of the Surrender of Reims Reopens After a Year of Renovations

Le Musée de la Reddition de Reims rouvre ses portes après un an de travaux

The Musée de la Reddition de Reims (Museum of the Surrender of Reims) reopened on May 7, the 81st anniversary of the German surrender signed in its map room, after a year-long closure. The renovation, costing approximately €2 million, focused on conservation: protective glazing, improved ventilation and lighting, and anoxic treatment of collections to halt degradation of original maps, documents, and war room objects. The museum also overhauled its scenography, designed by Belgian agency Kascen, to present a clearer chronological narrative covering the occupation, Allied presence in Reims, liberation, postwar reconstruction, and reconciliation, rather than just the surrender itself. The museum now displays 17 uniforms, 130 objects and weapons, and 65 archival documents, including the act of capitulation and General McAuliffe's jacket.

L’offre de formation se développe

French art training institutions are expanding their curricula to include provenance research, responding to a 2022 government report that identified gaps in conservator education. The Institut national du patrimoine (INP) now offers seminars on Nazi-era spoliation (1933-1945) and has added a five-day provenance research module for external competition students since 2024-2025. Paris-Nanterre University launched a master's-level diploma in 2022 covering legal, historical, and methodological aspects of provenance research. The École du Louvre now offers a specialized master's in "sensitive goods and provenance research" addressing spoliated works, human remains, colonial acquisitions, and illicit trafficking, while also integrating provenance methodology into its general curriculum from master's level one.

Aristophil : Gérard Lhéritier reconnaît sa culpabilité et obtient une peine réduite

Gérard Lhéritier, founder of the art investment firm Aristophil, has pleaded guilty in a French court under a procedure known as comparution sur reconnaissance préalable de culpabilité (CRPC), effectively a plea bargain. On April 14, he admitted responsibility for fraud and deceptive commercial practices after more than a decade of denial. This late admission, made just before his expected incarceration, reduces his sentence from the five years of imprisonment handed down in December 2025 to two years under electronic monitoring. The case stems from Aristophil’s collapse, which involved selling shares in manuscripts and historical documents as attractive investments, leaving thousands of investors heavily impacted.

Theodor Nymark “Diversione” at Pachinko, Oslo

Artist Theodor Nymark presents his solo exhibition "Diversione" at Pachinko gallery in Oslo. The show features works developed from a residency at the Danish Institute in Rome, exploring themes of memory, nature, and mediation through symbolic and physical frames.

New Art Vault Installation: How to Have a Flying Dream

A new immersive installation titled "How to Have a Flying Dream" by interdisciplinary artist Nancy Dewhurst opens at Gallery One’s Art Vault in Albuquerque, with a reception on May 15. The installation explores the phenomenon of flying dreams through objects, dream journaling, immersive imagery, and a digitized 16 mm film projected onto the ceiling, inviting visitors to engage in dream training exercises.

"Bloom Beyond Sight" , 2026

Bonu Deji's painting "Bloom Beyond Sight" (2026) is being offered for sale through Art R us gallery in Naples, Florida. The acrylic and oil on canvas work, sized 25 × 31 inches, is priced at US$1,400 and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Deji, a Nigerian artist born in 2003 and based in Lagos, creates figurative works exploring poverty, labor, resilience, and human dignity. The piece was exhibited in 2026 at Art R us's breakout exhibition of the artist and previously in the 2025 group show "Faces of Us" at The Zebra Gallery.

"The Watchful Savior" , 2026

Bonu Deji's painting "The Watchful Savior" (2026) is being offered for sale through Art R us gallery in Naples, Florida. The acrylic and oil on canvas work, measuring 25 × 31 inches, is priced at US$1,400 and comes with a certificate of authenticity. Deji, a Nigerian contemporary visual artist born in 2003 and based in Lagos, creates figurative works exploring poverty, labor, resilience, and human dignity. The piece was previously exhibited in the gallery's 2026 solo presentation of the artist and in the 2025 group show "Faces of Us" at The Zebra Gallery.

Grand opening of Quincy Art Gallery on 6th set for April 25 | Daily Gate City - Keokuk, Iowa

The Quincy Art Center is opening a new downtown gallery called Quincy Art Gallery on 6th at 127 N. 6th Street in Quincy, Illinois. The grand opening event on Saturday, April 25 will feature work from five artists, scheduled artist talks, a wheel throwing demonstration, and light refreshments.

MAC Panama Presents Two New Exhibitions: Oceanic Perspectives and a Surrealist Pioneer

OCEAN AND MEMORY MAC PANAMA PRESENTS TWO NEW EXHIBITIONS

The Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Panamá (MAC Panamá) has opened two exhibitions. The first, 'otras montañas, las que andan sueltas bajo el agua,' features artists Nadia Huggins and Tessa Mars and is part of the international research program The Current IV. It uses video and audio installations to explore an oceanic perspective. The second is a retrospective of pioneering Panamanian surrealist artist Beatrix 'Trixie' Briceño, which includes a digital art response by contemporary artist Ix Shells.

Coalescence featuring Resident Artist Emily Lamb

Baltimore Clayworks presents "Coalescence," a solo exhibition featuring resident artist Emily Lamb. The show combines ceramics and glass into mixed-media sculptures that explore the human body and emotional states, with expressive figurative narratives emerging from the interplay of glass translucency and refined clay modeling. The exhibition runs daily through May 22, 2021, with free admission.

Historic paintings on display in Upper Mustang

Artist Tsering Phonjo Gurung has organized a solo exhibition of 47 historic paintings in Lomanthang Rural Municipality, Upper Mustang, Nepal. The works depict the 15th-century Lomanthang Palace, caves, monasteries, traditional settlements, and indigenous culture, and are displayed to coincide with the Tiji Festival, aiming to attract domestic and international tourists.

A long-awaited dream for local arts lovers is finally set to take center stage this weekend: The Schaap Center. 📷 by David Rodríguez Muñoz, Detroit Free Press

The Schaap Center, a long-anticipated arts venue, is finally opening this weekend, fulfilling a dream for local arts enthusiasts in the Detroit area. The center is expected to host a variety of cultural events and exhibitions, marking a significant milestone for the community's arts scene.

Che Onejoon: ‘The AfroAsia collective is now more important to me than my personal art’

Che Onejoon, a South Korean artist, has shifted his focus from documenting North Korea's Cold War-era monument-building in Africa to working directly with West African migrant communities in South Korea. His earlier projects, including the Mansudae Masterclass series and films like *Black Monument* (2017) and *My Utopia* (2018), explored the little-known history of North Korean-built statues and buildings across at least 20 African nations. More recently, he co-founded Space AfroAsia, the Afroasia Eco Museum, and the AfroAsia Artist Collective, and now lives and works in the Bosan-dong "Africa Town" near the Demilitarized Zone, creating multilingual music videos and even a K-pop girl group with a mixed Korean-African lineup.