Qatar has debuted an immersive pavilion at the Venice Biennale, marking a significant cultural presence at the prestigious international art exhibition. The pavilion showcases contemporary art and digital installations, reflecting Qatar's growing investment in the global art scene.
An exhibition of American anti-war pop art has opened in Tehran, Iran, featuring works that critique war and militarism through the lens of popular culture. The show brings together iconic pieces from American artists known for their anti-war stance, displayed in a country that has long been subject to U.S. sanctions and political tensions.
An exhibition themed around the lotus flower has been organized to honor President Ho Chi Minh, showcasing artworks that draw symbolic connections between the lotus—a national emblem of purity and resilience—and the revolutionary leader's legacy. The event features paintings, sculptures, and installations by multiple artists, all centered on this botanical motif as a tribute to Ho Chi Minh's life and ideals.
Hong Kong officials, led by Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Rosanna Law, inaugurated the Hong Kong Exhibition at the 61st Venice Biennale on May 8, 2026. For the first time, the Hong Kong Museum of Art (HKMoA) is collaborating with the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) to present works by local artists Kingsley Ng and Angel Hui in a Collateral Event running through November 2026. Law also attended the Chinese Pavilion opening and met with the Italian ambassador and the rector of Ca' Foscari University.
Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery in Saskatchewan is presenting an exhibition titled "môso-tâpiskan: Indigenous Living Heritage," curated by local artist Sadi Rose Vaxvick. The show features artifacts from the permanent collection, including a projectile point identified by an archaeologist as 8,000 years old, as well as pottery pieces dating back 2,000 years. Vaxvick consulted an Indigenous advisory committee of elders, repatriation liaisons, historians, and Métis locals, and worked with language speakers to translate all artifact notations into their original Indigenous languages.
The article is about a mother-daughter artist duo debuting their first joint exhibition in Scottsdale, Arizona. The exhibition showcases their collaborative and individual works, highlighting their unique artistic relationship and creative dialogue.
The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian, in collaboration with Museums on Main Street, has launched its nationally touring exhibition "Americans" at the Cornell Creative Arts Center in Kingston, New York. Kingston is the first of 125 communities across the country to host the exhibition, which will travel for six years as part of the Rev250 commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the United States. The exhibition explores how Native American history and identity have been portrayed and often misunderstood, challenging visitors to reconsider familiar narratives like Pocahontas, the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and the Trail of Tears through interactive elements and digital content.
Oklahoma City University (OCU) is hosting an art exhibition that incorporates 'digital debris'—discarded or obsolete digital materials—into its works. The show features pieces created by artists who repurpose e-waste, old screens, and other technological remnants to explore themes of consumption, memory, and the environmental impact of digital culture.
The article explores the growing role of artificial intelligence in the art market, examining whether AI tools can effectively assist with tasks such as authentication, valuation, and trend prediction. It discusses the potential benefits of AI in streamlining operations and reducing human bias, while also acknowledging skepticism from traditionalists who question AI's ability to understand artistic nuance and cultural context.
Florida CraftArt in downtown St. Petersburg has opened 'Florida NOW,' a new exhibition showcasing contemporary craft from across the state. Curated by artist and ceramics educator Holly Hanessian, the show features works in sculptural ceramics, glass, fiber, metal, and wood that blend traditional techniques with current perspectives. The opening reception is scheduled for May 9, and the exhibition runs through June 13.
Aurora Public Art has opened a new exhibition titled "Re-Imagined: The Art of Sustainability" at the David L. Pierce Art and History Center in downtown Aurora, running through May 23. The show features works from adult artists like Jennifer Joiner, who creates art from trash collected on Lake Michigan beaches, and Ann Marie Greenberg, who repurposes household plastics and metal. It also includes submissions from students at East Aurora School District's Early Childhood Center, who used milk cartons, cereal boxes, and other recyclables. Curator Sangeeta Pande organized the open call, which drew 15 adult artists and numerous young participants, all exploring themes of environmental stewardship and creative reuse.
On May 1, an intergenerational art exhibition opened at Quest Art School and Gallery in Ontario, Canada, featuring works by female students and older women exploring resilience, healing, and community. Organized by Colibri - Francophone Women's Centre of Simcoe County in partnership with Quest and École secondaire Le Caron, the bilingual exhibit runs through the first week of May in recognition of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Themes include identity, belonging, self-expression, and feminist history, with textile art highlighting women's historical exclusion from the art world and their use of crafts for empowerment.
An art exhibition titled “When the Guns Fall Silent” opened in Idlib, Syria, at the National Museum hall, organized by the Syrian Artists Union. The four-day show features around 70 works by both professional and emerging artists from across Syria, with the first two days dedicated to established painters and the final two to emerging talent. Participants include Mai Halawani from Homs and Doaa Abboud from Tartous, who see the event as a rare chance to reconnect with the artistic community after years of isolation.
A new exhibition titled 'Wild Art' will open in Peterborough this May, celebrating nature and showcasing local creative talent. The event aims to highlight the connection between art and the natural environment through works by regional artists.
The New Hampshire Art Association (NHAA) is presenting the Sue Werner Thoresen Juried Exhibition at its Robert Lincoln Levy Gallery in Portsmouth, opening May 1, 2026. The show features 73 artists whose works explore the experiences of women, girls, and gender-diverse people, inspired by the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation’s Status of Women in New Hampshire report. Themes include education, healthcare, economic opportunity, caregiving, safety, representation, and societal expectations, with attention to intersections of race, class, ability, sexuality, geography, and access to resources. The exhibition is held in memory of Sue Werner Thoresen (1944–2024), a longtime advocate for community well-being and gender equity, and includes awards in her honor.
The University of Wyoming Art Museum will open 'Global Collection: Masks of the World' on Saturday, May 2. The exhibition features 28 masks from the museum's permanent collection, spanning diverse regions and cultural contexts, and explores masks as cultural agents, works of art, and objects shaped by circulation and interpretation. The show is drawn from donations made over the past 50 years and was curated with assistance from UW Honors College intern Carter Coggins. Funding comes from the Barbara J. and V. Frank Mendicino Endowment for Collection Conservation and the Patricia R. Guthrie Special Exhibitions Gallery Endowment.
The Pulitzer Arts Foundation in St. Louis is hosting its monthly First Fridays event on May 1, 2026, from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM. During this time, museums and galleries in the Grand Center Arts District offer free admission and extended hours, with the Pulitzer featuring its current exhibition "Dialogues & Conversations" and a cash bar on the Mezzanine. The event is free and open to the public, with accommodations available upon request.
An exhibit at the African Diaspora Art Museum pairs the original sociological work of W.E.B. Du Bois with contemporary photographs of Black Atlantans, reimagining his early 20th-century data visualizations and writings through a modern lens. The show juxtaposes Du Bois's pioneering studies on Black life in America with current imagery, creating a dialogue between past and present.
The House of Creatures exhibition at Milan Design Week 2026 presents a collection of sculptural works designed to represent hybrid beings through material and form. The show brings together designers who interpret creatures as symbolic figures, translating mythology and emotion into physical pieces across furniture, lighting, and collectible formats. Each work is positioned as an individual presence within a gallery setting, forming a sequence of distinct forms rather than a single unified installation, with materials including ceramics, textiles, and metal constructions.
The Hôtel de la Marine in Paris will host "Animalia," an exhibition drawn from the Al Thani Collection, from July 1, 2026 to January 10, 2027. Featuring over 120 sculptures, paintings, and decorative works, the show explores how animals have inspired artists across centuries and cultures, from ancient Greece to modern times and from China to the Ivory Coast.
Four African women artists are featured in the exhibition "Bread, Roses and Colors" in Lucca, Italy, exploring themes of identity, rights, and social justice through their work. The show brings together diverse perspectives from the continent, highlighting the artists' personal and collective experiences.
An exhibition titled 'Artivism: Eco Art' has opened at the Batdorff Gallery, featuring works that blend artistic expression with environmental activism. The show highlights artists who use their practice to address ecological issues and promote sustainability through visual art.
Senior contemporary artist Parvathi Nayar's solo exhibition explores the interconnectedness of human histories and natural forces, focusing on themes of salt, memory, and ocean currents. The show features works that examine how human narratives are shaped by and inseparable from environmental elements, as described in a review by Deepa Natarajan Lobo.
A charcoal art exhibition titled "Charcoal Stories" by young prodigy Ricky Tej from Nagarkurnool district was inaugurated at Lamakaan in Hyderabad. Renowned film director and artist B. Narsing Rao attended as Chief Guest, praising Tej's realistic charcoal drawings and mythological themes. Other speakers included journalist Sri Venkateshwar Rao, editorial cartoonist Sri Narsim, and Group-1 Officer Ms. Sahithi, who emphasized the importance of encouraging artistic talents alongside academics. The exhibition was organized by BALACHELIMI children's magazine and remains open to the public until 6pm on April 26, 2025.
The Southern Regional Art Exhibition, currently in its final days at the Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences (LBIF), showcases the next generation of artistic talent. The exhibition features works from emerging and established artists across the region, highlighting diverse media and perspectives.
Studio Russo Gallery, in collaboration with Artvocate, is hosting the opening reception of "Disintegration Regeneration," a solo exhibition by artist Anastasia Travieso-Diaz. The show features works that explore themes of rupture and renewal, using layered compositions and material experimentation to examine cycles of loss, resilience, and transformation.
Artium museum in Vitoria, Spain, has opened a retrospective exhibition titled "Juana Cima: Una mirada disidente" dedicated to Cuban-born artist Juana Fernández Cima (b. 1951). The show traces her career from the late 1970s through the 1990s, highlighting her pioneering work on identity, gender, and ecology, which was progressively marginalized from the dominant artistic narrative. The exhibition is organized around five conceptual territories—Bilbao, mythical ecofeminist landscapes, insular identity, spirituality via India and Buddhism, and mountain retreat—and runs until August 30, 2026.
ロバート・ザオ・レンフイ「アフター・コントロール」@ 京都市立芸術大学ギャラリー@KCUA
The Kyoto City University of Arts Gallery @KCUA is hosting a solo exhibition by Singaporean artist Robert Zhao Renhui titled "After Control" (アフター・コントロール), running from May 16 to July 12, 2026. The exhibition presents works from Zhao's long-term projects on Christmas Island, Singapore, Tokyo, Hampi (India), and Phuket (Thailand), exploring environments shaped by human intervention and the complex interplay between nature and artificiality. Zhao, known for his participation in major international exhibitions including the Thailand Biennale Phuket 2025, the 60th Venice Biennale (2024), and the Gwangju Biennale (2023), uses photography, video, and installation to critically examine how ecosystems transform under human control.
Shoair Mavlian, director of The Photographers’ Gallery in London, is the subject of a profile that follows her through a typical morning, discussing her leadership strategies amid challenges facing the arts sector. The article explores how she navigates pressures from AI-generated imagery, government funding cuts, and cultural backlash against progressive initiatives, while maintaining the gallery's relevance and financial stability.