A powerful photo project became a love letter to the workers who built L.A. Metro's D Line

Photographer Ken Karagozian, who began documenting L.A. Metro construction workers in 1995, has collaborated with historian India Mandelkern on a photo book titled "Wilshire Subway: The Making of the D Line Subway Extension." The book chronicles the history, conflicts, and the workers behind the D Line extension along Wilshire Boulevard, ahead of its May 8 opening. A related exhibition, "Wilshire Subway: Photographed by Ken Karagozian," is on view at the 1301PE art gallery through May 14.

Why Italy's cultural wealth never really enters public accounts and budgets?

Perché la ricchezza culturale italiana non entra mai davvero nei conti e nei bilanci pubblici?

Italy has exceeded the European Commission's structural adjustment path by 0.1 percentage points of GDP, reopening fiscal scrutiny. Amid this debate, the article highlights a deeper issue: Italy's immense cultural heritage is drastically undervalued in public accounts. For example, the Pompeii Archaeological Park is recorded at just €48.9 million, the Colosseum at under €15 million, and the Uffizi at about €2 billion—figures based on outdated 2002 ministerial criteria that bear no relation to actual economic or cultural worth. The State General Accounting Office, with the University of Roma Tre and EU technical assistance, has proposed a new methodology to value cultural assets by discounting their future net financial flows, including direct revenues and indirect tourism-related returns.

A Milano c’è la prima mostra omaggio all’artista Giovanni Campus dopo la morte

BUILDING Gallery in Milan has opened "Tempo e passione," the first posthumous exhibition dedicated to Giovanni Campus (1929–2025), who died less than five months ago at nearly 100 years old. Curated by Marco Meneguzzo, the two-floor show spans Campus’s career from his Sardinian roots to his Milanese performances, featuring works that measure space using materials like springs and cords, alongside vintage video documentation of his actions in Piazza Palazzo Reale and Sardinia.

Agitate, Educate, Organize. A Conversation with the Indonesian Collective That Is in Venice with Two Projects

Agitare, educare, organizzare. Una conversazione con il collettivo indonesiano che è a Venezia con due progetti

Sale Docks, an activist art space born from a 2007 occupation in Venice, has invited the Indonesian collective Taring Padi to collaborate on two projects. The first is the exhibition "Taring Padi: People's Liberation," which reactivates banners as tools for propaganda, mobilization, and resistance. The second is a public intervention in Venice, where the collective and local community will repaint the walls of the historic social center Laboratorio Occupato Morion. The article includes an interview with Taring Padi, which was founded in 1998 in Yogyakarta by students and activists, and discusses their use of wayang shadow-puppet imagery and collaborative processes to agitate, educate, and organize communities.

LensCulture portrait awards 2026 – in pictures

The LensCulture Portrait Awards 2026 have announced their winning and shortlisted photographers, showcasing a diverse range of styles from documentary realism to conceptual invention. Highlights include an Australian photographer's winning portrait of a 'barefoot volcanologist' and poignant series documenting the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the reclamation of identity in post-colonial contexts.

A circle of Cuban art at Westchester Regional Library

The Westchester Regional Library in Miami is hosting "Circular Reflections," an exhibition featuring over 80 contemporary Cuban artists, each working within a 21-inch circular format. Organized in collaboration with the Miami-Dade Public Library System, the show opened on April 3 and runs through June 25. Curated by Miami-based artist and independent curator Miguel Rodez, the project began nearly a decade ago and has evolved into a traveling, ongoing documentation of Cuban visual culture. Artists like Ismael Gómez Peralta discuss how the circular constraint challenged traditional rectangular composition, pushing them to rethink spatial organization while maintaining their individual visual languages.

This Day in History, 1986: A Gianthropologist documents Expo 86 at new Surrey Art Gallery exhibit

The Surrey Art Gallery in British Columbia is presenting a new exhibition titled "In the Shadow of the Pavilions: Expo 86 and Contemporary Art," running from April 18 to June 7, 2026. The show features over 50 artists, including a project by Michael de Courcy who took 1,700 photos of Expo 86 visitors, and works by Henri Robideau, a self-described 'Gianthropologist' who photographed giant roadside attractions across Canada in the 1980s.

Flinders exhibition revives the ’60s-’70s

Flinders University Museum of Art (FUMA) presents 'Anarchive: knowledge follows form', a solo exhibition by South Australian artist Bridget Currie running from 27 April to 19 June 2026. The show reimagines the archive as a living force, drawing on FUMA's 'Post-object and Documentation Art' collection from the 1960s and 1970s. It features works by Bonita Ely, Alison Goodwin, Poppy Johnson, Dorothy Thompson, and Eva Yuen Man-Wah, including Thompson's playful protest performances in bird costumes. The exhibition is co-presented with Adelaide Contemporary Experimental and includes a guest-edited issue of Artlink magazine.

Venice Biennale: In Photos and Video

The Venice Biennale, one of the most anticipated events in the art world, is showcased through a collection of photos and video. The article presents visual scenes from the prestigious international art exhibition, capturing the atmosphere and installations on display.

A review of the 2026 Venice Biennale without naming a single artist

Una recensione della Biennale di Venezia 2026 senza nominare neppure un artista

This review of the 2026 Venice Biennale describes an exhibition that overcame dire circumstances—the death of curator Koyo Kouoh early in preparations, losses of key artists, and international political controversies—to deliver a surprisingly joyful and engaging show. Titled "In Minor Keys," the Biennale features a well-conceived, flowing presentation across the Giardini and Arsenale that prioritizes beauty, craftsmanship, and hope over a punitive or documentary tone.

Provincia Cosmica. A Foggia per scoprire la fotografia sociologica di Maria Palmieri

Maria Palmieri (Foggia, 1986) is a photographer who uses her camera as a tool for observation, understanding, and social improvement. After studying law, she turned to visual arts, blending reportage with vernacular photography to uncover truth amid the 'noisy horror' of contemporary life. In an interview with Artribune, she discusses her sociological approach to photography, her return to her hometown of Foggia, and her ongoing documentation of the region's fragilities, including the largest migrant ghetto in Europe.

Colombia of the 1970s arrives in Milan with an exhibition that feels like a film

La Colombia degli Anni ’70 arriva a Milano con una mostra che pare un film

Ever Astudillo (Cali, 1948–2015) is the subject of a new exhibition at Velo Project in Milan, titled "Latin Fire." The show brings together photographs and drawings from the 1970s and 1980s, capturing the Colombian city of Cali as a silent theater of anonymous, often isolated figures. The installation also features kinetic sculptures by filmmaker Virgilio Villoresi (Fiesole, 1979), creating a dialogue between Astudillo's still images and Villoresi's fragile, hypnotic movement. The exhibition runs until May 16, 2026.

Creating Variety in Contemporary Rome: The Story of the Conventicola degli Ultramoderni on Sky Arte

Fare varietà nella Roma contemporanea: la storia della Conventicola degli Ultramoderni su Sky Arte

On Sunday, May 3, Sky Arte will premiere the documentary "Ultramoderni," which chronicles the rise of the Conventicola degli Ultramoderni, a unique artistic collective in Rome. Founded by Sior Mirkaccio and Madame de Freitas, who met in 2011, the group operates from a small hidden venue in the San Lorenzo district, blending music, cabaret, burlesque, and contemporary variety shows with a retro-futuristic aesthetic. The documentary, filmed in their Roman space, features interviews with the duo and excerpts from their performances, tracing how they built a diverse community of enthusiasts around their reinvention of past traditions.

‘Layers of Us’ show examines culture through art

Mothership Studios is hosting the opening reception and a brunch for the "Layers of Us" exhibition, featuring nine artists from Texas State University. The show explores the concept of culture through individual representation and community, using diverse media like video, painting, photography, and sculpture.

National Artist Call for Juried Art Exhibition at Minneapolis Institute of Art, Allegories of a Better World

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.

Emerging and Mid-Career Craft and Design Artists Gather at KCDF Open Call Exhibition

The Korea Craft and Design Foundation (KCDF) announced the launch of its "2026 KCDF Craft and Design Open Call Exhibition" on April 27, selecting 10 emerging artists, 6 mid-career artists, and 3 groups through a professional review. The program opens with a solo exhibition by mid-career artist Seo Junghwa, titled "Ambiguity," featuring metal furniture that blurs boundaries between natural and artificial objects, running from April 29 to May 10 at KCDF Gallery. Additional window gallery shows include Jeon Young Eun's "Showcase of Extinction" (April 15–May 10) and Lee Hyungchan's "Supporting [ ]s" (May 13–June 7). Since 2018, the Foundation has supported 154 exhibitions through this initiative.

La MansA Launches Its Magazine

La MansA lance son magazine

La MansA – Maison des mondes africains has launched MansA Magazine, a bilingual (French/English) semiannual cultural publication. The magazine, available at newsstands, bookstores, and online, features essays, interviews, and portfolios focused on African and Afro-diasporic art scenes, adopting a critical and documentary approach. The cover of the inaugural issue features Guillaume Diop, the first Black male principal dancer at the Paris Opera.

Park Soo-keun's Early Recognition and Record-Breaking Art Sales

A newly discovered 1931 newspaper article reveals that the renowned Korean artist Park Soo-keun (1914–1965) received early public recognition as a teenager in the Chosun Ilbo, which described him as the "only painter in Yanggu." The article traces his artistic journey from his first selection at the Chosun Art Exhibition in 1932 with his watercolor *Spring Arrives* to his later success in the 1950s and 1960s, including winning awards at the National Art Exhibition and being appointed a judge. It also notes that his painting *The Laundry Place* recently sold for 4.7 billion won, setting a record at a domestic art auction.

Art exhibition shines light on Romani persecution during Holocaust

An exhibition titled "Ceija Stojka: Making Visible" at The Drawing Center in New York City highlights the persecution of Roma and Sinti people during the Holocaust, a lesser-known chapter of Nazi atrocities. The show features paintings and drawings by Ceija Stojka, a Romani artist, writer, and activist who survived the genocide and died in 2013 at age 79. Her works, described as acts of memory and imagination rather than documentary, depict her experiences and stories passed down to her, with the exhibition also including documentary films by Karin Berger and Stojka's writings, such as her 1988 memoir "We Live in Secrecy."

Albert Yuk Shuttered Light Exhibit Opens in Reed Gallery

On April 12, the Reed Gallery opened 'Shuttered Light,' an exhibition of photographs by Deerfield Academy student Albert Yuk (class of 2026). The show juxtaposes staged war scenes from a Beijing film set with real wartime documentation from Israel and Iran, aiming to highlight media bias and the blurring of authenticity in news imagery. Yuk, who has traveled to conflict zones including Israel, Iran, Kazakhstan, and Afghanistan, began his photography career working for Pulitzer Prize-winning Chinese photojournalist Liu Heung Shing. The exhibition includes personal favorites like 'Intersection of Tradition and Modernity' and 'Warrior’s Respite,' reflecting themes of freedom, liberty, and gender roles.

South Lafourche artist's work featured in Kotex documentary

Akira Crosby, an artist from Cut Off, Louisiana, had her painting removed from a Houma art gallery in 2024 because it depicted menstrual blood as part of her feminist exhibit “Pieces of Me.” Months later, Kotex featured the same artwork in a documentary, bringing unexpected national attention to her work.

First Friday Art Walk showcases student exhibitions

The May First Friday Art Walk in downtown Springfield features student exhibitions from Drury University, Missouri State University, and Ozarks Technical Community College, alongside Route 66-themed shows. Seventeen venues participate in the self-guided tour, with college artists displaying work at four locations, including the Robert & Margaret Carolla Arts Exhibition Center, Brick City Gallery, the Pool Arts Center, and Ozarks Technical Community College's Art and Design Department. The Route 66 Centennial Traveling Exhibit, created by documentary filmmaker Katrina Parks, is on display at the Historic Gillioz Theatre, and photographers Vance Clark and Andrew Mann present their 'Unique Lens' exhibit at the Park Central Branch Library.

film mohammad gorjestani iran even odd

Filmmaker Mohammad Gorjestani, director of the SXSW Grand Jury Award-winning documentary short *Exit 12*, is preparing for the fall release of his feature debut *From the Mat*, which explores wrestling in Iran. He is also continuing to tour the installation “1-800 Happy Birthday,” dedicated to Black and Brown individuals killed by police. In an interview, Gorjestani reflects on diaspora, double consciousness, and his creative process, emphasizing the importance of making work free from dominant cultural interference.

New Austin museum exhibit tells stories of 27 festivals across Texas

The Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin has opened a new exhibition called "Texas Festivals," running through September 27. The show features artifacts from 27 festivals across the state, including a gown from Fiesta San Antonio, a sand sculpture from Sandfest in Port Aransas, an art car honoring Stevie Ray Vaughan from Houston's Art Car Parade, and mascots from the Texas Onion Fest, Hogeye Festival, and Texas State Forest Festival. The exhibition is divided into three sections exploring how festivals create community, and includes a short documentary, interactive activities, and a talk with historian Dr. Michaele Thurgood Haynes on May 3.

Through the eyes of artist T.C. Steele: IU’s campus 100 years ago

Indiana University's University Collections at McCalla has opened "Capturing the Campus: T.C. Steele," a collaborative exhibition with the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites that brings together many paintings by Hoosier artist T.C. Steele for the first time in decades. Steele, who served as IU's first artist in residence from 1922 until his death in 1926, created impressionist works depicting campus scenes, portraits of university presidents and faculty, and landscapes that capture what the campus looked like a century ago. The exhibit, which opened April 17, features paintings sorted by geographic location on campus, alongside a historic map, letters, documentaries, and 3D renderings.

Recording Presence: Practical Strategies For Documenting Contemporary Exhibitions

The article provides a practical guide to documenting contemporary art exhibitions, outlining methods for creating useful, ethical, and durable records. It emphasizes the importance of shot lists, consistent file naming, descriptive metadata, and accessibility features like captions and transcripts to ensure archives remain searchable and meaningful over time.