Groundbreaking Achievement: 2025 Turner Prize Goes to Nnena Kalu, First Artist With Learning Disability to Win Prestigious Award

London-based artist Nnena Kalu (b. 1966) won the Turner Prize 2025 at a ceremony in Bradford on December 9, becoming the first artist with a learning disability to receive the prestigious award since its inception in 1984. Kalu’s practice spans sculpture, installation, and works on paper, featuring cocoon-like hanging sculptures made from unconventional materials like masking tape and VHS ribbon, as well as large-scale drawings of spiraling vortexes. She was selected from a shortlist that included Rene Matić, Mohammed Sami, and Zadie Xa, and was recognized for her presentation in the group exhibition “Conversations” at the Walker Art Gallery and her work at Manifesta 15 in Barcelona. The prize includes a £25,000 award.

Nnena Kalu wins the 2025 Turner Prize

Scottish artist Nnena Kalu has won the 2025 Turner Prize, becoming the first learning-disabled person to receive the prestigious award. Her winning work includes suspended sculptures bound with rope and tape, along with swirling vortex drawings, currently on display at Cartwright Hall Art Gallery in Bradford as part of the UK City of Culture festival. Kalu, who is autistic and has limited verbal communication, was nominated for her contributions to the Conversations exhibition at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool and for her work Hanging Sculpture 1 to 10 at Manifesta 15 in Barcelona. The jury, chaired by Tate Britain director Alex Farquharson, praised the visual and aesthetic quality of her abstract art, noting its powerful presence and enigmatic expressiveness.

The Best Art Shows of 2025

A roundup of the best art shows of 2025 highlights standout exhibitions across New York galleries and museums. Notable shows include Reverend Joyce McDonald's first major exhibition at the Bronx Museum, Laura Owens' interactive takeover at Matthew Marks Gallery, and Harkawik's refrigerator-mounted photo display featuring 280 artists. Other featured shows include Maxwell Gallery's unsold works, Elisabeth Kley's curator-driven show at White Columns, Cady Noland's sculpture at Gagosian, and Falcon Art Collective's group show in an unfinished midtown building. The article also mentions Alannah Farrell's trans-themed work in Chinatown, Bradford's blue-field paintings at Canada gallery, and the reopening of institutions like the Frick Collection.

Black and Indigenous artists stand out in Portland Art Museum exhibition

The Portland Art Museum is currently featuring an installation by artist Christopher Myers titled *Let the Mermaids Flirt With Me* (2022), which serves as the centerpiece of the exhibition *Global Icons, Local Spotlight*. The work consists of stained glass lightboxes arranged in an octagonal structure, depicting Black life and water symbolism, including images of a Black mermaid, fire hydrant scenes, and references to the water spirit Mami Wata. The installation incorporates objects like gas cans, oars, life jackets, and votive candles, transforming the space into a shrine-like environment.

Art Basel unveils gallery line-up and first highlights for its 2026 Hong Kong edition

Art Basel has announced the gallery lineup and first highlights for its 2026 Hong Kong edition, which will feature 240 leading galleries from 41 countries and territories. Over half of the participating galleries operate in the Asia-Pacific region, including 29 with spaces in Hong Kong. A new sector called Echoes debuts, spotlighting recent works by up to three artists per presentation. The Encounters sector will be curated for the first time by a collective of four Asia-based curators led by Mami Kataoka. The fair also introduces a Film Program curated by media artist Ellen Pau and a Conversations Program directed by Venus Lau. For the fifth year, Art Basel and M+ will co-commission a monumental public artwork for the M+ Facade, this time by Shahzia Sikander. The fair runs March 27–29, 2026, with preview days on March 25 and 26 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

13 Art Exhibitions You Don’t Want To Miss This Fall

This fall, galleries and museums across the United States are presenting a series of exhibitions centered on Black life, ranging from historic pioneers to contemporary voices. Highlights include Athi-Patra Ruga's immersive installation 'Lord, I gotta keep on (movin')' at the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art, which imagines a queer Black nation called Azania; 'Edmonia Lewis: Indelible Impressions' at Stanford's Cantor Arts Center, showcasing the 19th-century sculptor's Neoclassical works; and 'Data Consciousness: Reframing Blackness in Contemporary Print' in New York, inspired by W. E. B. Du Bois's data visualizations. Other notable shows include 'A Taste of Beauty' at the Crocker Art Museum, featuring carved African spoons, and the reopening of the Studio Museum in Harlem, alongside the global energy of Art Basel Miami Beach.

The Art World This Week, 19 September 2025

Ocula's weekly briefing reports strong sales at viennacontemporary with 15,000 visitors and six-figure results for Galerie Zimmermann Kratochwill. Sotheby's announced $248 million in pre-tax losses for 2024 but achieved $100 million from the Karpidas collection sale and consigned the Pritzker and Lauder collections for November. Haegue Yang was appointed chair of the executive board at Kunst-Werke Berlin. Yemen's National Museum in Sanaa was damaged by Israeli airstrikes. Gallerist Sebastian Gladstone opened a new Los Angeles space, while L.A. Louver closed its Venice Beach gallery after 50 years. Taymour Grahne Projects opened in Dubai. Samia Halaby won the MUNCH Award, Jennifer Packer and Marie Watt received Heinz Family Foundation awards, and the Henry Moore Foundation distributed £100,000 to UK sculptors.

11 art exhibits across Maine you shouldn’t miss this fall - Portland Press Herald

The Portland Press Herald highlights 11 art exhibitions across Maine for fall, including shows at Bates College Museum of Art, Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Center for Maine Contemporary Art, and Colby Museum of Art. Featured exhibitions include "Shelburne Thurber: Full Circle" and "Precision and Expression: American Studio Ceramics from the E. John Bullard Collection" at Bates; "Gordon Parks: Herklas Brown and Maine, 1944" and "Medieval Art from the Wyvern Collection" at Bowdoin; the CMCA 2025 Biennial with 29 selected artists; and "Gertrude Abercombie: The Whole World Is a Mystery" and "Is anything the matter? Drawings by Laylah Ali" at Colby.

Actor Sharon Stone is up for the Women in Art Prize

Actor Sharon Stone, known for her role in *Basic Instinct*, has been nominated for the Women in Art Prize, now in its eighth year. The non-profit award exclusively honors women artists, and Stone began painting intensely during the Covid-19 lockdowns, holding her first solo gallery show at Allouche Gallery in Los Angeles in 2023. Other finalists among the 25 competing for 22 awards include painter Bianca Raffaella, who is registered blind, and Jenny Lewis, whose work addresses menopause. The prize also features the Paula Rego Painting Prize, created with the artist's estate to honor her influence on women in the arts. Winners will be announced at a ceremony at the British Library on 17 September, hosted by historian Amanda Foreman, with an exhibition at York Street Gallery in London from 16-24 September.

Kiaf SEOUL

Kiaf SEOUL's 2025 edition will feature over 125 Korean galleries alongside participants from more than 20 countries, reaffirming its role as a leading platform for global engagement with Korea's art scene. The fair highlights works by celebrated Korean modernists such as Seo-Bo Park and Whanki Kim, while also spotlighting emerging Korean artists. Major galleries like Kukje Gallery present internationally acclaimed artists including Anish Kapoor, Ugo Rondinone, and Ha Chong-Hyun, while the Kiaf PLUS section focuses on material experimentation and cross-cultural exchange from emerging voices. The fair also includes the third edition of the Kiaf HIGHLIGHTS Award, themed "Resonance," and a special exhibition "Reverse Cabinet" commemorating the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Korea and Japan.

Emerging artists explore identities and bodies through queer perspectives at Frieze Seoul

Frieze Seoul 2025 is spotlighting queer and female artists through two major exhibitions: “off-site 2: Eleven Episodes” at Kukje Gallery K2, organized in partnership with Art Sonje Center, and “UnHouse” at the new Frieze House space. The former features works by 11 emerging Korean female and genderqueer artists exploring non-normative bodies and identities, including photography by Hong Ji-young, video by duo Yagwang, and an experimental piece by Kwak So-jin. The latter reimagines domestic space through a queer lens with 14 artists such as Anne Imhof, Catherine Opie, and Xiyadie.

The Armory Show puts spotlight on the American South

The Armory Show, New York's premier art fair, is dedicating its 2025 Focus section to artists and galleries from the American South, running September 4-7. Curated by Jessica Bell Brown, executive director of the Institute for Contemporary Art at Virginia Commonwealth University, the section features 13 galleries, including Martha's from Austin and Wolfgang Gallery from Atlanta, with works exploring themes of queer identity, Black communities, and Southern cuisine. The fair, now under director Kyla McMillan and owned by Frieze, aims to amplify the region as a nexus for diasporas and challenge preconceived notions about the South.

Meet Elizabeth Catlett in 11 Facts

Elizabeth Catlett (1915–2012) was a sculptor, printmaker, feminist, and social activist whose art was inseparable from her life and politics. Born in Washington, DC, to parents who worked in education, she faced racial discrimination early on—denied a scholarship to the Carnegie Institute of Technology and paid less than white colleagues as a teacher. She became the first Black woman to earn an MFA from the University of Iowa, studying under Grant Wood, and later taught at the George Washington Carver School in Harlem, where she connected with Harlem Renaissance figures. Catlett moved to Mexico, married artist Francisco Mora, and created woodblock and linocut prints for 20 years. She was investigated by the House Un-American Activities Committee, declared an "undesirable alien," and became a Mexican citizen in 1962. Her work centered on Black and Mexican women, and she famously stated, "We have to create an art for liberation and for life."

How AI Will Change Art, According to Arthur Jafa, Marilyn Minter, and Other Artists

Emily McDermott's article, published July 15, 2025, gathers perspectives from artists including Refik Anadol, Arthur Jafa, Marilyn Minter, and others on how AI will change art. It references the controversial Christie's 'Augmented Intelligence' auction in February-March 2025, which generated nearly $730,000 despite an open letter signed by nearly 4,000 individuals urging cancellation over claims that AI models exploit copyrighted material. The artists quoted offer varied views, from Anadol seeing AI as a collaborator that augments creativity to Jafa dismissing most AI-generated work as generic.

11 Must-See Museum Exhibitions This Summer

This article highlights 11 must-see museum exhibitions for summer 2025, curated by Monica Jae Yeon Moon. Key shows include Melissa Joseph's site-specific installation 'Tender' at the Brooklyn Museum, a comprehensive solo exhibition of 18th-century Dutch still life painter Rachel Ruysch at the Toledo Museum of Art and Museum of Fine Arts Boston, and a queer photography exhibition at the Getty Center. Other notable events include the Venice Architecture Biennale, Berlin Biennale, and Ljubljana Biennial, with a focus on women artists like Emily Kam Kngwarray and Takako Yamaguchi receiving overdue recognition.

30 Artists Defining Queer Art Now

Artsy has published its annual Pride Month feature 'Queer Art Now,' spotlighting 30 LGBTQ+ artists who are shaping contemporary art. The artists were nominated by leading art-world figures including curator Legacy Russell, photographer Catherine Opie, and art advisor Racquel Chevremont. The cohort spans painters, photographers, performers, and sculptors, with profiles detailing their practices and recent exhibitions. The feature also includes a reflective essay by curator Gemma Rolls-Bentley on major themes in queer art today.

The Broad invites art lovers to Jeffrey Gibson exhibition

The Broad museum in Los Angeles has announced free Thursday evening tickets for "Jeffrey Gibson: the space in which to place me," an exhibition on view through September 28. The show features over 30 works including paintings, sculptures, flags, murals, and a video installation, adapted from Gibson's 2024 U.S. Pavilion presentation at the 60th Venice Biennale, where he became the first Indigenous artist to represent the United States with a solo exhibition. This is Gibson's first single-artist museum exhibition in Southern California.

Preview: Upcoming Summer Shows at Houston Area Museums

Houston-area museums and art spaces have announced their upcoming summer exhibitions, including immersive installations, figurative group shows, and presentations addressing environmental issues. Highlights include A.A.Murakami's "Floating World" at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), the first solo U.S. museum presentation for the artist duo; Francesca Fuchs's "The Space Between Looking and Loving" at the Menil Collection, which explores a personal connection between the artist's father and John de Menil; and "Figurative Histories" at the Moody Center for the Arts, featuring works by Black Texas artists examining sociopolitical histories.

Female artists and new buyers breathe life into the art market

The global art market contracted by 12% in 2024, falling to an estimated $57.5 billion in sales from its 2022 peak, according to the Art Basel and UBS Art Market Report 2025 compiled by Dr. Clare McAndrew. Despite the overall decline, the number of transactions grew by 3%, driven by a broadening collector base and increased engagement with more affordable works. The report highlights a surge in interest in female artists, with galleries raising their representation to 41%, and notes that art fairs remain the most common entry point for new buyers. The Aotearoa Art Fair, opening May 1-4 at Auckland's Viaduct Events Centre, exemplifies these trends with strong Indigenous and Pacific representation, emerging artist platforms like Horizons 2025, and affordable works under $5,000 from established galleries such as Gow Langsford Gallery.

A Deep Dive Into Westchester’s Arts Scene Right Now

This article surveys the visual arts scene in Westchester County, New York, highlighting museums, galleries, public displays, and artist profiles north of Manhattan. It features institutions such as the Neuberger Museum of Art, ArtsWestchester, Hammond Museum & Japanese Stroll Garden, Hudson River Museum, and Hudson Valley MOCA, noting specific exhibitions like "Smoke in Our Hair: Native Memory and Unsettled Time" and "Bill Viola: Moving Stillness." The piece emphasizes that Westchester offers a vibrant, bucolic alternative to New York City's art scene, with historic estates and contemporary spaces showcasing both established and emerging artists.

michaela yearwood dan longlati foundation 2732357

British artist Michaela Yearwood-Dan has opened her first solo exhibition in China, titled “RECESS,” at the Longlati Foundation in Shanghai. The show features paintings and ceramics that explore themes of play, fluidity, and cultural identity, drawing on influences from Chinese calligraphy and tai chi. In an interview, Yearwood-Dan discusses her childlike approach to making the work and her desire for viewers to feel a personal connection. A concurrent exhibition, “Georgia Gardner Gray: Metal Madonna,” is also on view at the foundation.

scope art show miami 2025 2712268

Scope Art Show Miami has announced its 2025 edition, themed "Be Here Now," which will take place December 2–7. The fair will feature 95 galleries from 18 countries and territories, including over 30 first-time exhibitors, along with large-scale installations, performances, and collaborative activations. Highlights include a reprisal of The Better Together Bar by Chris Allen Darsow and Al Hamm, a monumental installation by Victor Quiñonez (Marka27) titled "Elevar La Cultura" (2025), Shepard Fairey's "Phone Booth" presented by Mortal Machine Gallery, and Dan Witz's hyperrealist painting "Crown Heights" (2025).

Curators Announced for 16th Baltic Triennial

The Contemporary Art Center (CAC) Vilnius has appointed artist Nikita Kadan and curator Natalia Sielewicz as curators of the 16th Baltic Triennial, scheduled for 2027. Kadan is a Kyiv-based artist, while Sielewicz is chief curator at Warsaw's Museum of Modern Art. The duo has proposed "grief and resurrection" as the triennial's theme, framing despair and mourning as spaces for careful listening and potential renewal.

art humberto moro dia foundation interview

Humberto Moro, deputy director of program at the Dia Art Foundation, discusses his role in expanding the institution's focus to include Latin American artists such as Liliana Porter, Delcy Morelos, and David Lamelas, whose major survey he curated. The interview, published by Cultured, covers Moro's career path from his early painting pursuits to positions at Museo Tamayo, Museo Jumex, SCAD's Museum of Art, and the Park Avenue Armory, and his current work at Dia alongside director Jessica Morgan. Moro also shares his personal interests in science fiction and literature, citing authors Ted Chiang, Cixin Liu, and Mariana Enriquez.

Salon des Refusés 2.0

Salon des Refusés 2.0

A group exhibition titled "we refuse_d" has opened at the Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst (M HKA) in Antwerp, bringing together 15 artists, many of whom faced cancellations or disinvitations from exhibitions following the October 7, 2023 attacks. The show, referencing the historic 1863 Salon des Refusés, aims to reclaim reputation and amplify marginalized voices, specifically focusing on Palestinian history and artists affected by the cultural fallout.

Venice Biennale 2026: What are the major trends that will mark the 99 national pavilions?

Biennale de Venise 2026 : quelles sont les grandes tendances qui vont marquer les 99 pavillons nationaux ?

The article previews the 2026 Venice Biennale, highlighting key trends across its 99 national pavilions. Major themes include the hybridization of theater, dance, and performance, particularly in pavilions from Austria, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Lithuania, where artists like Florentina Holzinger, Aline Bouvy, Miet Warlop, and Eglė Budvytytė use radical, body-centric works. Geopolitical engagement is also central, with the Ukrainian pavilion featuring Zhanna Kadyrova's work on resistance and the British pavilion exploring themes of exile and migration. Other notable pavilions include Spain's focus on imagery, a sound installation for the Vatican, a polyphonic piece for Romania, and a film on sign language song for Poland.

Claire Danes voices new Georgia O’Keeffe documentary.

A new documentary titled 'Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Light' is set for release this spring, featuring actress Claire Danes as the voice of the iconic American Modernist. Narrated by Hugh Dancy, the film explores O’Keeffe’s life and artistic legacy, with digital distribution scheduled for June 1st and special screenings beginning on Mother's Day.

How Entertainment Exec Hassan Smith Built an Art Collection Championing Black Artists

Entertainment executive Hassan Smith has curated a deeply personal art collection in his North Atlanta home that bridges historical mastery with contemporary Black identity. His holdings range from a 17th-century Rembrandt drawing in the kitchen to iconic photography by Gordon Parks and contemporary works by artists like Ferrari Sheppard and Derek Fordjour. The collection is characterized by its integration into daily family life, featuring a Basquiat-inspired aesthetic that begins at the front door.

Must-See National Pavilions at the 61st Venice Biennale

The 61st Venice Biennale features standout national pavilions from Japan, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, Singapore, and India. Japan presents Ei Arakawa-Nash's 'Grass Babies, Moon Babies,' an interactive exhibition with hand-sewn baby dolls and sound pieces exploring queer parenthood and collective care. The Philippines showcases Jon Cuyson's 'Sea of Love / Dagat ng Pag-ibig,' a solo show using 'mussel thinking' to highlight Filipino seafarers. Timor-Leste's 'Across Words' brings together three artists addressing ethnolinguistic diversity and cultural memory, while Singapore presents Amanda Heng's 'A Pause,' a feminist performance on vulnerability and resilience. India's pavilion features Ranjani Shettar's work, supported by Talwar Gallery.

Queer Horizon: “Spectrosynthesis Seoul” at Art Sonje Center

The fourth edition of "Spectrosynthesis," Sunpride Foundation's exhibition series dedicated to LGBTQ+ art in Asia, opens at Art Sonje Center in Seoul. Curated by Sunjung Kim and Youngwoo Lee, the show unfolds in two parts: "The Two-Sided Seashell" and "Tender: Invisibly Visible, Unlocatably Everywhere," featuring works by artists including Sin Wai Kin and Young-Jun Tak. The exhibition engages with queer theory, particularly José Esteban Muñoz's concept of queerness as a horizon of potentiality, and responds to South Korea's recent political turbulence, including the 2024 martial law declaration and presidential impeachment.