Chang-Ching and Rhett Tsai’s Tricks of the Light

Artists Rhett Tsai and Chang-Ching Su have presented tandem projects at Chicago's Watershed Art & Ecology, inspired by a joint research trip to fishing villages on China's Huangqi Peninsula. Their works explore the practice of light-lure fishing, with Su creating photographic exposures using the green LED lights from squid-fishing boats and translating satellite fishing data into sculptural installations. Tsai's contributions include CGI films and a VR video that depict the rhythms and social realities of coastal communities, focusing on the Tanka boat-dwelling people.

Marcos Kueh in Turbulent Seas

Artist Marcos Kueh presents his solo exhibition 'Smooth Sailing' at ESEA Contemporary in Manchester. The show features new sculptures, tapestries, and a large-scale installation that reflect on the histories of Chinese labour and migration, particularly to northwest England, drawing inspiration from 19th-century trade union banners found in Manchester's People's History Museum.

‘Paper Gardens’: The Flower and the Serpent Beneath

The Museum of Art and Photography (MAP) in Bengaluru is hosting 'Paper Gardens,' an exhibition that re-examines the history of botanical art through the lens of British colonialism. While the show features visually stunning hand-coloured lithographs of rhododendrons and medicinal plants, it juxtaposes these aesthetics with the harsh realities of the East India Company’s surveys. The exhibition highlights how local Indian artists and knowledge keepers were often marginalized or left anonymous, even as their expertise was essential to the scientific and commercial success of the British Empire.

A View From the Easel

Hyperallergic's ongoing series "A View From the Easel" features two artists describing their unconventional studio practices. Georgina Arroyo works in a shared academic space at Purchase College, compartmentalizing her process-intensive mold-making and casting work around her job schedule. Linda Jacobson, based in her Venice, California studio for 17 years, works on multiple pieces simultaneously, currently focusing on a large commissioned painting.

Venice Biennale opens under shadow of protests over Russia and Israel

The 61st Venice Biennale opened under heavy protest as Russia returns to the event for the first time since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian feminist collective Femen and Russian punk band Pussy Riot demonstrated outside the Russian pavilion, with activists accusing Russia of using art as a weapon in a hybrid war. Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside Israel's pavilion, holding banners reading 'No artwashing genocide' and demanding Israel's exclusion over the war in Gaza. The Biennale's international jury resigned last month, refusing to award prizes to countries led by figures subject to ICC arrest warrants, namely Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called Russia's participation 'morally wrong' and threatened to cut €2 million in funding, while culture ministers from 22 European countries urged organizers to reconsider.

Art exhibitions explore Appalachian identity and newcomer experiences

The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine is launching a dual exhibition featuring "From These Hills" and "Making it in America," opening April 14 in Roanoke. "From These Hills," on loan from the William King Museum of Art and curated by Kathy Foley, showcases contemporary Appalachian art across various media that explore regional identity and memory. Complementing this, photojournalist Heather Rousseau’s "Making it in America" documents the lived experiences of immigrants and refugees in Southwest Virginia, capturing the resilience of Afghan, Ukrainian, and Latino newcomers through five years of visual storytelling.

Comment | Are museums ‘guilt tripping’ their visitors? No, they aren’t doing enough

The article argues that museums are not doing enough to address political realities, colonial histories, and systemic oppression in their exhibitions and wall texts, contrary to critics who claim visitors feel guilt-tripped or bored by such content. The author cites the Victoria and Albert Museum's exhibition "The Great Mughals: Art, Architecture and Opulence" as a missed opportunity, noting that it privileged opulence without adequately engaging with the violent histories of colonialism, as pointed out by art historian Archishman Sarker and artist Sutapa Biswas.

A New Generation of Gallerists Is Redefining Artist Representation

A new generation of gallerists is rethinking traditional artist representation models, moving away from rigid exclusivity clauses and transactional relationships. Figures like Bryce Watanasoponwong of The Charoen AArt in Bangkok, Storm Ascher of Superposition, and Lorraine Han of Unveil Gallery are adopting flexible, collaborative approaches that reflect the realities of contemporary artists, who often juggle multiple roles and prefer non-exclusive arrangements. These gallerists emphasize open dialogue, shared responsibility, and long-term relationship-building over strict contracts, as seen in Ascher's seven-year support of artist Haleigh Nickerson, which culminated in a solo show at NADA New York 2025.

American University Museum Opens Summer ’25 Exhibitions on June 14

The American University Museum at the Katzen Arts Center will open four new exhibitions on June 14, 2025, running through August 10. The shows include David A. Douglas: Intersections, exploring memory and place through large-scale mixed-media works; Soaring (Narsha), a Korean-American contemporary art exhibition celebrating the Han-Mee Artists Association’s 50th anniversary; Anarchy Loosed Upon the World, featuring vintage Vietnam War wire transmission photographs from the collection of Jo C. Tartt; and The Teen Experience, a show by teenagers from Montgomery County Public Schools examining identity, mental health, and social pressures.

Haiti goes to Venice: Artist Duval-Carrié selected to represent nation at Biennale expo | PHOTOS

Internationally acclaimed Miami-based artist Edouard Duval-Carrié has been selected to represent Haiti at the 2026 Venice Biennale, the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia. Ahead of the May 9 opening, Duval-Carrié hosted a behind-the-scenes preview event at his Little Haiti studio in Miami on April 24, 2026, where he discussed his conceptual approach. His installation draws on themes of history, politics, and spirituality in Haiti and the Caribbean, reflecting evolving perspectives on the nation's past and present. Duval-Carrié collaborated with Vanessa Selk, founding artistic director of the Tout-Monde Art Foundation, to frame Haiti's presence as both a national showcase and a reflection of diasporic influence and Caribbean identity. The exhibition runs through November 22, 2026.

Sharjah Biennial 2027 dates, artists and theme revealed

Sharjah Art Foundation has announced details for the 17th edition of the Sharjah Biennial, titled “What remains, sits restive,” running from January 21 to June 13, 2027. The large-scale contemporary art event will feature 109 participants across multiple sites in the emirate, including Sharjah City, Al Dhaid, Khor Fakkan, and Kalba. Confirmed artists include Anri Sala, Hassan Khan, Ibrahim Mahama, Oscar Murillo, Zina Saro-Wiwa, and Angela Ferreira. The biennial will be curated by Angela Harutyunyan and Paula Nascimento, each presenting separate sections under a shared theme examining how past political and cultural histories shape present-day realities through time, memory, and space.

Running from one image to another, from one time to another, from one hope to another: at Circolo, in Milan, an exhibition on the contemporary Lebanese scene

The article reviews "Shifting Crossroads. Beirut Contemporary," an exhibition at Circolo in Milan that surveys the contemporary Lebanese art scene. It features internationally recognized artists like Mona Hatoum and Simone Fattal alongside emerging talents, including works from the Saikalis Bay Foundation, founded in 2024 by Nicole Saikalis and Matteo Bay. The show spans historical-archival investigation, photography, installation, painting, and sculpture, with pieces such as Stéphanie Saadé's "Stage of Life" (2021), Catherine Cattaruzza's "I am Folding the Land" (2022), and Joana Hadjithomas & Khalil Joreige's "Waiting for the Barbarians" (2013) exploring themes of memory, fragility, and geopolitical instability.

I wanted to hate the new LACMA. Then I went back

The article describes the author's evolving impression of the newly opened David Geffen wing at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), designed by architect Peter Zumthor. Initially visiting at 11am, the author found the $724 million, 110,000 sq ft building to be a "dismal, dated, inelegant brute," with thick bronze windows, dark concrete slabs, and bunker-like galleries. However, returning at 4pm, the author experienced a transformation: golden afternoon light warmed the concrete, illuminated the interiors, and revealed the building as a "brilliant innovation and true gift to the city." The article details the building's 20-year design evolution, challenges including fossil discoveries on site, and Zumthor's public frustrations with the compromised details.

April 2026 Art And Culture Guide: Exhibitions, Museums & Cultural Events You Can’t Miss

A guide highlights key art and cultural events in India for April 2026. It features several exhibitions, including Nayanaa Kanodia's 'Staged Realities' at Bikaner House, Neha Sahai's introspective solo show at LATITUDE 28, and Mari Ito's first Indian solo exhibition at Bikaner House. Other notable events are the performance 'Sair-e-Motorcar' blending Kathak with vintage cars, the group show 'Houses I Almost Lived In' at LATITUDE 28, and the two-day World Dance Day festival curated by Geeta Chandran at the India International Centre.

Pop-up art gallery “Class C” rolls into Irvine Barclay Theater plaza

Artist Ruben Ochoa has returned to the UC Irvine campus with "Class C," a mobile art gallery housed inside a converted 1985 Chevy delivery van. The pop-up exhibition features works by UCI-affiliated artists Sean Duffy, Beatrice von Rague Schleyer, and André Woodward, showcasing contemporary art within a space that mimics a traditional white-cube gallery. The project is presented in coordination with the exhibition "Breakdown/Breakthrough: Art and Infrastructure" at the Langson IMCA.

Catalyst: Art as Activism

Summerhall Arts in Edinburgh has launched "Catalyst: Art as Activism," a major exhibition featuring four solo shows by artists Eilidh Appletree, Taraneh Dana, Kasia Oleskiewicz, and Molly Wickett. The project utilizes sculpture and installation to confront urgent global issues including the climate crisis, capitalist extraction, disability rights, and the realities of migration. A central component, Eilidh Appletree’s "Net Worthy," uses materials like mycelium, soya wax, and sand to create a submerged seascape that warns of biodiversity loss and the ecological consequences of industrial food production.

Potatoes Grow on Trees: Hu Yinping Replants Meaning in Making

Beijing-based artist Hu Yinping is presenting three major works in Hong Kong this March, including the installation 'Potatoes Grow on Trees' in the Encounters sector of Art Basel Hong Kong. The works stem from her long-running project 'Hu Xiaofang,' a semi-fictional company that employs women in rural China to create crocheted artworks, redistributing income and visibility to this often-overlooked demographic.

Meet the Committee: Fátima González of Campeche

Mexico City gallerist Fátima González, founder of the gallery Campeche, has been selected to join a committee, likely for a major art fair or institutional program. The article presents her perspective on the challenges and realities of operating a gallery in Latin America.

Animated Bodies

Animierte Körper

Latefa Wiersch presents her exhibition "Atlas Studios" at the Istituto Svizzero in Rome, featuring unsettling, puppet-like sculptures that resemble film sets. The works explore themes of bodily helplessness, imperfection, and geopolitical displacement, drawing on her earlier project "Hannibal" at the Dortmunder Kunstverein, which addressed post-migrant German realities and the demolition of a housing complex. The new installation references the Atlas Studios in Ouarzazate, Morocco, and the history of cinema, with figures made from rags and nylon stockings that appear as actors or set workers.

Ethics and Parafiction: A Conversation

Ethics and Parafiction: A Conversation

e-flux Screening Room hosted an event featuring artist and filmmaker Salomé Lamas on December 6, 2025. The program included screenings of her films 'Eldorado XXI' (2016) and 'Gold and Ashes' (2025), a presentation of her related publication, and a public conversation with curator Lukas Brasiskis. The published transcript focuses on Lamas's filmmaking process, particularly the logistical and ethical challenges of shooting in extreme locations like La Rinconada, Peru.

Participatory Design or Processual Formalism? Frei Otto, the Ökohaus, and the Ökohäusler by Matthew Kennedy

The Ökohaus (Eco-House) project in Berlin stands as a radical experiment in participatory architecture, born from the 1987 Internationale Bauausstellung (IBA) urban renewal program. Designed by Frei Otto, the complex features three residential buildings characterized by a 'double informality' where dense foliage and a patchwork of diverse cladding materials—ranging from timber and metallic shingles to exposed concrete—create a ruin-like yet meticulously resolved aesthetic. The project challenged traditional housing models by allowing residents, or 'Ökohäusler,' to engage in a collective and individualized construction process.

Tania El Khoury’s Soothing “Revenge Art”

Lebanese artist and Bard College professor Tania El Khoury discusses her multidisciplinary practice and her recent experience living through the escalation of conflict in Beirut. The interview highlights her interactive performance piece, "The Search for Power," which uses her own 2018 wedding blackout as a jumping-off point to investigate the colonial roots of Lebanon's systemic infrastructure failures. Originally set for a Beirut run in March, the production was postponed due to the outbreak of war.

When the Night Bleeds into the Day

Wenn die Nacht auf den Tag abfärbt

Berlin-based graffiti artist Paradox Paradise, known for his distinctive red-and-blue "Paraglyphs" painted on high facades, discusses his evolution from classic graffiti to a radically reduced visual language. In an interview with Monopol, he explains how he stripped away decorative elements to focus on precise, vertical outlines and messages like "Mieten runter Wände bunter" (lower rents, more colorful walls). He describes his nocturnal actions as states of heightened presence requiring weeks of planning, where every movement has immediate consequences.

Under pressure, the Venice Biennale jury resigns and is replaced by a public vote

Sous pression, le jury de la Biennale de Venise démissionne et est remplacé par un vote du public

On April 30, just days before the Venice Biennale's public opening on May 9, the entire international jury responsible for awarding the Golden and Silver Lions resigned. The jury—comprising Solange Farkas, Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi—had been caught in a escalating controversy after Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco reinstated Russia, which had been excluded since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The European Union threatened to suspend or cancel its €2 million subsidy if Russia remained included. The jury attempted to exclude countries whose leaders face International Criminal Court arrest warrants, effectively targeting Russia and Israel, but ultimately resigned under pressure from both external diplomatic turmoil and internal institutional opposition to any discrimination between pavilions.

“Show d’Houdini” at CAC Brétigny, Brétigny-sur-Orge

The article reviews the group exhibition "Show d’Houdini" at CAC Brétigny in Brétigny-sur-Orge, which explores the figure of the magician as a cultural archetype. Drawing on the legacy of Harry Houdini and the historical context of late 19th- and early 20th-century illusionism and spiritualism, the show presents works that examine the magician's dual nature—oscillating between charlatanism and miracle, deception and wonder.

Hyeree Ro: What Bears

Hyeree Ro is preparing for the 2026 Venice Biennale, where she will present the work "Bearing (2026)" as part of the Korean Pavilion, titled "Liberation Space: Fortress/Nest." The article follows Ro in her temporary Brooklyn studio, where she works with salvaged objects and materials that migrate across multiple works over years—such as a sheet of organza purchased in 2023 that later appeared in "Niro (2024)" and "Carry (2025)" before being repurposed as the pavilion's fabric walls. Her practice is defined by a nomadic, accumulative material logic: objects enter without a fixed destination and gain meaning through repeated reuse.

Arts organisation enlists celebrities in fight to save Manhattan church

West Park Presbyterian Church on Manhattan's Upper West Side, a designated landmark, is seeking permission from the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to demolish its building, citing financial hardship due to an estimated $26.6 million in repair costs. The church's sole tenant, the arts nonprofit The Center at West Park, was evicted last year and is now leading a fierce opposition campaign, arguing the building is financially viable through leasing and air rights sales.

miami beach free water taxi program 1234763931

Miami Beach is launching a free water taxi program for the second year, starting December 1, to shuttle passengers between the island and mainland every ten to fifteen minutes, with connecting shuttles to the Convention Center and Collins Avenue. The initiative comes as severe traffic congestion during Miami Art Week has driven some exhibitors away from NADA’s inland fairgrounds, with dealers reporting that collectors often abandon trips midway due to gridlock.

protest sparks over sijena murals 1234748359

A small protest of fewer than 50 demonstrators, organized by the Catalan National Assembly and joined by former Catalan president Laura Borràs and ANC president Lluís Llach, gathered outside the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) on Monday morning as Aragonese technicians arrived to inspect a set of contested 13th-century Romanesque murals. The murals, originally from the Sijena Monastery, were ordered returned by Spain’s Supreme Court after more than a decade of litigation, concluding that the original religious order never lawfully transferred ownership after the works were removed in 1936 following a fire during the Spanish Civil War. The inspection team, led by restorer Natalia Martínez de Pisón, began with less fragile sections using photogrammetry to assess transport viability, while MNAC officials warn that moving the more delicate frescoes could cause irreversible damage and plan to formally contest the execution order on conservation grounds.

icom russia president slams calls to eject russia from icom for violating code of ethics as political libel 1234742570

ICOM Russia president Vasilij Pankratov has denounced calls for Russia's expulsion from the International Council of Museums (ICOM) as "political libel." The controversy follows an open letter published in Le Monde on May 5, in which a group of art experts—including art historian Konstantin Akinsha, Francesca Thyssen Bornemisza, and Vitalit Tytych—accused Russia of systematically erasing Ukraine's cultural identity since the 2022 invasion. The signatories threatened to take ICOM to court in France if it failed to oust Russia for violating the organization's code of ethics. Pankratov dismissed the accusations as unfounded, arguing that Russian museum workers operate within the country's constitution and local ethical criteria, and denied claims that Ukrainian cultural property has been appropriated by Russian museums.