Ceramicists Savannah Jacob and Abby Jo Elle are co-curating "Respect Your Mother," a group exhibition at Patina Gallery dedicated to climate change and environmental activism. Opening in honor of Earth Day, the show features works from over 50 artists across various mediums, including sculptures, collages, and paintings, with a strict prohibition on artificial intelligence to emphasize human-centric craft.
Chinese artist Zhang Mingxuan, 27, debuted her first mature body of work in a 2023 solo exhibition at Hive Center for Contemporary Art in Shanghai, featuring paintings and prints of distorted human forms wrapped in torn nylon hosiery. Her process involves stretching, tearing, and pressing nylon-clad boards onto canvas to create uncanny impressions of compressed, fetal-like bodies. The works, created after she completed her MA in printmaking at the Royal College of Art in London, explore themes of violence, embodiment, and the limits of the body through a labor-intensive method blending painting and printmaking.
Air de Paris, a veteran contemporary gallery that has exhibited at Art Basel since 1999, announced its withdrawal from the upcoming edition after a dispute over its assigned stand. Co-founders Florence Bonnefous and Edouard Merino made their exit public by posting emails online via Provence, a French publishing house, calling the stand assignment process “brutal and unfair.” Art Basel’s chief artistic officer Vincenzo de Bellis defended the decision, noting that 58 galleries had their stands moved this year due to the launch of a new section called Premiere and the need to improve visitor flow and aesthetic dialogue between exhibitors.
The Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery at Cowell College, UC Santa Cruz, is presenting "About Hunger & Resilience," an exhibition by photographer Michael Nye featuring portraits and oral histories on hunger in America, collected over four and a half years. The show is paired with "Circuit," a student-led photographic installation by Morgan Yacullo that maps campus food systems, including the UCSC Farm, Chadwick Garden, Redwood Free Market, and Cowell Coffee Shop. The exhibitions are part of a yearlong campus focus on food systems and food justice, curated with support from the Basic Needs team and curatorial intern Sloane Harris.
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.
長野県150周年記念／リニューアル・オープン5周年記念「再編する－NAMコレクションの現在」@ 長野県立美術館
The Nagano Prefectural Art Museum has announced a major exhibition titled "Reorganizing – The NAM Collection Today," scheduled to run from April 29 to June 7, 2026. Celebrating the 150th anniversary of Nagano Prefecture and the 5th anniversary of the museum's renewal, the show features approximately 100 works from the permanent collection alongside new commissions by guest artists Naoya Hirata, Barrack, and Tomoko Sato. The exhibition is structured into three thematic sections focusing on sculpture, the layers of painting, and the re-reading of institutional history.
Amid escalating tensions between Iran and the United States, the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art opened an exhibition of anti-war artworks by American artists. The show features pieces by prominent American artists that critique war and violence, drawing local visitors who are engaging with the works despite the political climate of anti-American sentiment in the streets.
La Biennale di Venezia has announced the establishment of two Visitors' Lions for the 61st International Art Exhibition, following the resignation of the International Jury appointed by curator Koyo Kouoh. The awards ceremony, originally scheduled for May 9, has been moved to November 22, the final public day, echoing a similar shift during the 2021 Architecture Exhibition due to COVID-19. The Visitors' Lions will be voted on by ticket holders who visit both exhibition venues between May 9 and November 22, with one award for the Best Participant in the exhibition "In Minor Keys" by Koyo Kouoh and another for the Best National Participation.
Two Selves Gallery in Troy, New York, opened a new exhibition titled "Coming Out of Darkness: Landscapes of Presence" by artist Patricia Wood during the April Troy Night Out event. The show, on display through May, is divided into three sections: a series of acrylic paintings on black velvet depicting forest scenes from the Adirondacks, a middle section featuring reference photos, miniatures, encaustic works, and mental health resources, and a front section with oil paintings of Winnie the Pooh characters and Wood's jewelry. Wood describes the exhibition as a personal journey through depression, using light and dark to convey her struggle and recovery.
Bel Ami gallery in Los Angeles has opened a new exhibition titled "Everything looks dark now," which takes its name and conceptual framework from Anton Chekhov's play *The Seagull*. The show features a diverse group of artists whose works collectively explore themes of melancholy, reflection, and existential uncertainty, mirroring the atmospheric and introspective mood of Chekhov's text.
Un souvenir de guerre pour Düsseldorf
The Kunstpalast museum in Düsseldorf has acquired a war-related painting by Bordeaux-born artist William Laparra, who was mobilized in 1917 into the French camouflage section during World War I. Laparra served as a brigadier-chief in the 1st group of the 10th Army at the Chantilly workshop, a unit created in 1915 by figures including Eugène Corbin, Louis Guingot, and painter Guirand de Scévola, who developed earth-toned uniforms and painted canvas to conceal artillery from German aircraft.
Nicolas Di Felice, creative director of Courrèges, discusses his fifth anniversary at the fashion house in a conversation with actress Juliette Binoche. Di Felice, who does not consider himself an artist, shares his process of creating cohesive runway shows that begin with a single flash of inspiration, while Binoche reflects on her own artistic journey, including her directorial debut documentary "In-I In Motion." The dialogue explores themes of trust, collaboration, and the balance between creative vision and business reality.
A new art exhibition titled 'SMASH! A Piñata Exhibition' has opened at Prism Art Gallery in Midtown, Sacramento, curated by Bridgett Rex and Vianne De Santiago. Running through May 30, the show features piñatas created by amateurs, professional makers, and multidisciplinary artists, exploring the cultural and emotional significance of piñatas beyond their role as party decorations. The exhibition will conclude with a public smashing of selected piñatas. Artists such as Andres Alvarez and Gilbert Rangel contributed works that incorporate personal and cultural narratives, using materials like corn husks and tissue paper to reflect on heritage, memory, and community.
The article reviews 'Costume Art,' an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art that explores the intersection of fashion and the human form. It examines how garments and accessories are presented as sculptural objects, highlighting the dialogue between clothing and the body through historical and contemporary pieces.
Nalini Sharma, an art patron and honorary member of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston's Board of Advisors, discusses the museum's exhibition "Divine Color: Hindu Prints from Modern Bengal" in an exclusive video interview. The show, supported by Nalini and Raj Sharma, features nearly 40 vibrant lithographs and over 100 objects including prints, paintings, sculptures, and textiles, exploring Hindu devotional prints from 19th-century Calcutta (now Kolkata). It is the first U.S. exhibition devoted to these works, which were mass-produced using lithographic technology and deeply embedded in daily life across India and the diaspora.
The 82nd Whitney Biennial has opened, drawing attention for its weird, provocative nature that leaves viewers wanting more. The exhibition, held at the Whitney Museum of American Art, features a range of contemporary works that challenge conventional boundaries and spark dialogue.
The Grohmann Museum in Milwaukee has opened a new exhibition pairing two shows by contemporary American artists focusing on military service. Ohio-born Mary Whyte's "We the People: Portraits of Veterans in America" features 50 large-scale watercolor portraits of veterans from various wars and backgrounds. Milwaukee photographer Dennis Darmek's "Boots and Sand: The Marines of 29 Palms" presents two dozen color photographs taken at the Marine Corps base in California's Mojave Desert, where Darmek himself trained in 1969. The photos capture both posed and candid moments, highlighting diversity within the modern Marine Corps, including women in combat roles.
Artists nationwide are invited to submit original works to a juried exhibition titled "Allegories of a Better World," which will be held at the Minneapolis Institute of Art on June 28, 2026. The submission deadline is May 15, 2026. The exhibition is organized in conjunction with the premiere of the documentary film "The Making of America," directed by Monique Linder and produced by OMG Studios in partnership with the Minnesota Humanities Center. Submissions should explore themes such as virtue, moral courage, truth, justice, liberation, reconstruction, memory, history, and cultural healing. Selected works may also be featured in the film.
A group art exhibition titled 'Femarmony' opened at the Sanat Initiative gallery in Karachi. The show features works by artists Imran Ali Kazmi, Nabiha Gillani, Saba Haroon, and Ujala Hayat, focusing on emotions, identity, and the evolving role of women in society through diverse painting styles and visual narratives.
Author Graci Harkema will visit the Grand Rapids Art Museum (GRAM) for a free public conversation about her life journey, coinciding with the museum's photography exhibition "As We Rise: Photography from the Black Atlantic." The event, titled "RISING: A Conversation with Graci Harkema," allows attendees to view the exhibition before the talk.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute has sent approximately 200 pieces from its jewellery collection to Hong Kong for a major exhibition titled 'Jewels, Gems, and Treasures: Adornment in World Cultures'. The show, hosted at the Hong Kong Palace Museum, spans 5,000 years and includes items from ancient Egypt, Imperial China, Renaissance Europe, and modern designers, highlighting the universal human impulse for adornment.
Artist and Holocaust survivor Yehudis Barmatz-Harris has installed a series of paintings within the barracks of Auschwitz-Birkenau, marking a profound personal and artistic return to the site of her family's trauma. The works, which utilize materials like salt and organic textures, are placed directly on the wooden bunks where prisoners once slept, creating a visceral dialogue between contemporary Jewish life and the void left by the Shoah.
The Krannert Art Museum is currently hosting the annual Master of Fine Arts Exhibition, showcasing the thesis work of eight graduate students from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Art & Design. The exhibition features a diverse range of media, including sculptural 3D collages by Samantha Jones that critique the hypersexualization of Black girlhood, and a mixed-media experimental classroom by Anthony Obayomi that explores social justice and educational metrics. Other works, such as Emily Tomlinson’s text-based drawings, highlight themes of cataloging and observational study.
Singapore's art scene is hosting several diverse exhibitions this April, ranging from a cat-themed group show at Tokonoma to Chok Si Xuan’s solo exploration of technological materials at Starch. Other highlights include a collaborative exhibition at Fluxus House Gallery featuring emerging artists Tay Ying, Zhixin Sheng, and Winnie Chua, which examines the nuances of early adulthood through personal correspondence and imagery.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art has launched a new exhibition titled "A Nation of Artists," which showcases a diverse range of works highlighting the creative spirit and historical narratives of American artistry. The exhibit, previewed by local media, offers a comprehensive look at how various artists have shaped the national identity through their unique visual languages.
The solo exhibition "Mapped by Tide and Time" has opened in Mumbai, showcasing over three decades of work by Indian artist Vishakha Apte. Curated by Ina Puri, the show features a diverse range of mediums including painting, printmaking, paper constructions, and ceramics. The collection highlights Apte’s career-long investigation into tactile depth and material dialogue, moving away from artistic spectacle in favor of quiet, process-led inquiry.
The Hammer Museum in Los Angeles has opened a major exhibition titled 'Several Eternities,' showcasing over 100 works by contemporary Brown and Indigenous artists. The exhibition is described as featuring 'living' pieces, suggesting works that are dynamic, process-based, or engage with ongoing cultural practices.
The Church History Museum in Salt Lake City has opened a new exhibition titled “From Above: Aboriginal Australian Art From the Bird Family.” The show features works by Indigenous Australian artists from the Anmatyerr culture who are also members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The artists, including Gary Bird Mpetyane, Maggie Bird Mpetyane, and Rose Coleena Wallace Nungari, traveled from Australia to attend the opening of the exhibit, which runs through August 1, 2026.
The Dixon Gallery and Gardens has concluded the third and final installment of its ambitious "Black Artists in America" exhibition series. This concluding chapter focused on the late 20th century, showcasing how African American artists navigated the Civil Rights Movement and the subsequent shift toward contemporary abstraction and conceptualism while maintaining a dialogue with social justice.
The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has issued an open call for contemporary artists and designers to create new carved wooden panels for a 19th-century coffered ceiling from a temple in Kochi, South India, which will be the centerpiece of its redesigned South Asia Gallery at South Kensington. The ceiling, measuring 6 by 1.7 meters and originally comprising 45 panels, has been in storage for over 70 years; more than half of its panels are missing. The commission invites applicants to replace the lost panels with sensitivity to the original materials, design, and craftsmanship, integrating them into the restored structure. Expressions of interest are due by 28 February 2026.