Britain and Ireland’s wildflowers – in pictures

The Eden Project's National Wildflower Centre is opening entries for its Wildflower Photographer of the Year 2026 competition on 29 May. A selection of photos from last year's competition will be on display at Eden Dock, Canary Wharf, London, during CWG's Nature Week from 13 July. The article showcases a gallery of winning and commended images from the 2025 competition, featuring wildflowers such as foxgloves, sea thrift, heath spotted-orchids, and common poppies, captured by photographers including Juliet Klottrup, Reece Gibbins, and Emma Eccles.

‘Your homes will be destroyed, your family killed’: the US has dropped millions of war propaganda leaflets – but do they work?

The United States military has been dropping propaganda leaflets in psychological operations (psyops) for over a century, from World War I through the Gulf War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. A new interactive exhibit at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn, organized by the digital archive group Khajistan, displays hundreds of these leaflets, including those dropped on Japan during World War II and in more recent conflicts. However, declassified internal documents, such as a 1971 US Air Force report, reveal that leaflets were often used as toilet paper, cigarette rolling paper, or souvenirs by enemy soldiers, undermining the official narrative of their effectiveness.

Stick a euro in the slot for the lights! The mesmerising, strictly Venetian works of Lydia Ourahmane

British-Algerian artist Lydia Ourahmane has created a new exhibition in Venice, opening alongside the Venice Biennale, that is deeply rooted in the city itself. Rather than shipping in materials, she built a pier for the island of Poveglia in collaboration with a local cooperative that saved the island from development, and she acquired a coin-operated light machine from the church of San Giovanni Crisostomo, which visitors must feed with a euro to illuminate the show. The exhibition is presented at the Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation.

‘Street culture is about revolution’: Brazilian ‘hip-hop’ painter Paulo Nimer Pjota

Brazilian artist Paulo Nimer Pjota, now 37, is preparing for his first UK institutional exhibition, 'Encantados (Enchanted),' at the South London Gallery. The show features 11 new paintings on canvas alongside a large wall drawing, drawing on imagery from ancient civilizations, Brazilian folklore, art history, and children's literature. Pjota, who began painting at age 12 and sold his first work at 15, describes his process as akin to a hip-hop producer sampling diverse sources. His background includes graffiti and hip-hop culture in São José do Rio Prêto, where he trained at a local hip-hop school and collaborated with renowned Brazilian graffiti artists like Os Gêmeos, Ise, and Nunca.

Zurbarán: a ‘magnificently choreographed’ showing of the Spanish ‘genius’

The article reviews the first-ever British exhibition dedicated to Spanish Baroque painter Francisco de Zurbarán, held at the National Gallery in London. The show brings together 40 works from collections spanning Seville to San Diego, featuring his hyper-real religious paintings and radiant still lifes, described as a 'magnificently choreographed' trawl through his oeuvre. Critics praise the exhibition for its dramatic lighting and revelatory presentation, though some note uneven quality in his later works.

Woody De Othello Celebrates First Major Solo Public Exhibition in New York with Public Art Fund

Woody De Othello's first major solo public exhibition in New York, titled "Guardian Spirit," has opened at Brooklyn Bridge Park, presented by Public Art Fund. The exhibition features monumental redwood totems standing 20 to 22 feet tall, carved with chainsaws and grinders, alongside bronze sculptures created between 2021 and 2025. The works explore themes of ritual, spirituality, and the elemental forces of wind and water, drawing inspiration from nkisi, ritual objects from Western and Central Africa. The exhibition runs from May 5, 2026, to March 8, 2027, with sculptures installed at Pier 1 and the Manhattan Bridge View.

The new London museum that looks like a ‘reconstructed Toblerone’

The V&A has opened a new outpost in east London's Lower Lea Valley, a former industrial area transformed into a cultural quarter after the 2012 Olympics. The museum, described as looking like a 'reconstructed Toblerone', is the latest addition to the 'Olympicopolis' vision, which aimed to create a cultural legacy akin to west London's Albertopolis. The article, written by Catherine Slessor in The Guardian, offers a mixed review: praising the beauty and craftsmanship of the galleries while criticizing overuse of trendy phrases like 'lived experience' and 'transcultural identities'.

Seen in Venice, Bought in Venice

"In Venedig gesehen, in Venedig gekauft"

The article reports on multiple developments surrounding the Venice Biennale. Iran has withdrawn from the Biennale, citing political and economic crises, with logistical challenges such as no flights or postal service making participation nearly impossible. Artist Anish Kapoor has called for the exclusion of the United States from the Biennale, criticizing its "abhorrent policy of hate" and "ongoing warmongering." A memorial installation by Derrick Adams for the late curator Koyo Kouoh, who was set to lead the main exhibition, will be displayed near the Arsenale. Additionally, the Biennale faces a funding cut from the EU due to Russia's continued participation despite the Ukraine war, leading to the resignation of the jury and the culture minister's withdrawal.

Arts and cultural engagement ‘linked to slower pace of biological ageing’

A new study published in the journal *Innovation in Aging* finds that engaging in arts and cultural activities—such as singing, painting, visiting museums or galleries—is linked to a slower pace of biological ageing. Researchers from University College London analyzed blood test and survey data from 3,556 adults in the UK Household Longitudinal Study, using epigenetic clocks to measure biological ageing. Those who participated in arts activities at least weekly showed a 4% slower ageing process, while monthly engagement yielded a 3% slowdown. The effect was comparable to the difference between smokers and those who quit smoking.

‘How can nudity be so provocative?’ Florentina Holzinger on rocking Venice with naked jetskiers, human bells and urine divers

Florentina Holzinger, an Austrian dancer and choreographer known for provocative, physically extreme performances, is representing Austria at the Venice Biennale with a new work titled *Seaworld Venice*. The piece features naked performers on a barge in the lagoon, including a woman suspended upside down inside a cast-iron bell hoisted by a crane, a guitarist rocking at a vertiginous height, and a vocalist screaming like Yoko Ono. Holzinger’s previous opera *Sancta* included a climbing wall, nuns on roller skates, and a pregnant pope on a robot arm, and has toured European opera houses for two years.

A snapshot of the photographer Raghu Rai | Brief letters

A letter to the editor from Gabrielle Palmer recounts her experience contacting photographer Raghu Rai in 1987 to request permission to use one of his photographs in her book "The Politics of Breastfeeding." Unable to afford the £200 fee, Palmer called Rai in India, who generously waived the fee entirely and wished her well. The letter is a brief tribute published in response to Rai's obituary in The Guardian.

From men on dog leads to public breast-fondling, Valie Export’s art demanded a total feminist revolution

Valie Export, the pioneering Austrian feminist artist known for her provocative and confrontational performances from the 1960s onward, is the subject of a reflective essay by writer and academic Hettie Judah. The article revisits Export's radical works such as *Hyperbulia* (1973), where she crawled naked through electrified wires; *From the Portfolio of Doggedness* (1968), in which she led a man on a dog lead through Vienna; and *Action Pants: Genital Panic* (1969), where she walked through a cinema with exposed genitals. Judah draws on her own interviews with Export, who died in 2023, and discusses the artist's manifesto demanding that women use art to reshape consciousness and achieve liberation.

‘Touch the earth lightly’: the Australian home that floats above the landscape

The article profiles the Ball-Eastaway House, a home designed by pioneering Australian architect Glenn Murcutt in 1983 for artist Sydney Ball and his partner Lynne Eastaway. Located on a 10-hectare block of dry sclerophyll forest northwest of Sydney, the house is elevated on 14 steel columns sunk into a sandstone rock shelf, allowing it to float above the landscape and minimize its environmental impact. Murcutt, who later won the Pritzker Prize, incorporated sustainable design features such as natural ventilation, a gutter system inspired by eucalypt leaf patterns, and a structure that can be dismantled without trace.

The Christophers review – Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel are the double act of the year

Steven Soderbergh's new film "The Christophers" is a London-set movie about contemporary art, starring Ian McKellen as Julian Sklar, a once-dominant but now outmoded English painter, and Michaela Coel as Lori Butler, a former art student hired as his assistant. The plot revolves around a series of hidden paintings called "The Christophers" that Julian's grasping adult children want to find and potentially forge for profit. The film is described as fast, literate, and funny, with McKellen and Coel delivering a compelling double act.

‘It takes an entire museum to do it justice’: the Smithsonian celebrates America in 250 objects

The Smithsonian National Museum of American History in Washington DC is marking the 250th anniversary of US independence with a major exhibition titled "In Pursuit of Life, Liberty & Happiness," opening on 14 May. The show displays 250 objects spanning all three floors of the museum, ranging from a Revolutionary War-era gunboat (the Philadelphia) to a Donald Trump "Make America great again" hat. Seventy-six rarely seen objects are concentrated in entry hall cases, while the rest are embedded throughout existing galleries, connected by a "ribbon" design. Director Anthea Hartig frames the exhibition as a commemoration of moments where individuals and communities fought for recognition and identity, pairing each object with an action verb to emphasize democracy as participatory.

Twiggy, Bella Freud and more: Steven Meisel’s masterful London portraits – in pictures

Steven Meisel, the legendary fashion photographer, has been named Master of Photography at Photo London 2026. A rare exhibition of his work, titled "Steven Meisel: Master of Photography," will be held at Olympia, London from 13 to 17 May, showcasing his iconic London portraits from the 1990s, particularly his "Anglo-Saxon Attitude" series for British Vogue. The images feature models and muses such as Twiggy, Stella Tennant, Isabella Blow, Honor Fraser, Bella Freud, and Marlon Richards, captured in locations across London and New York.

Dirty carpets to Palestinian skateboarders: a decade of Peckham 24 – in pictures

Peckham 24, a photography festival in south London, celebrates its 10th anniversary with a special edition titled "The Eras Edition," running from 15-17 May at Copeland Park and the Bussey Building. Founded a decade ago by artist-curator duo Jo Dennis and Vivienne Gamble as a fringe event of Photo London, the festival began as a 24-hour pop-up showcasing emerging talent. This year's edition explores the theme of time through works by artists including Kristina Yenza (documenting youth in wartime Ukraine), Vinca Petersen (rural community life on the Isle of Skye), Max Ferguson (the London College of Communication tower block), Julie F Hill (space telescope data visualizations), Mark Duffy (carpet detritus in the Houses of Parliament), and Maen Hammad (Palestinian skateboarders).

Salisbury Cathedral restores stained-glass treasure by Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris

Salisbury Cathedral has completed a two-year restoration of a stained-glass window designed by Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris. The 6.5-metre "Angels" window, depicting ministering and praising angels, was carefully removed in February 2024, cleaned, and fitted with protective glazing and oak frames. Head glazier Sam Kelly, who began as an apprentice at the cathedral 40 years ago, led the project alongside colleagues Vicky Pearce, Kate Kersey, and Alfie Durrant. Lost details were restored on backing glass rather than the original surface, and the window will be rededicated at an evensong service on 7 May.

Rose Finn-Kelcey review – flying puns, smart pranks and prayers for 20p

The Guardian reviews "Rose Finn-Kelcey: House Rules," a posthumous exhibition at the new Arts Collective in Northampton, UK. The show features works by the British conceptual artist (1945–2014), including her 1972 flag installation "Power for the People" at Battersea Power Station, a prayer vending machine titled "It Pays to Pray," and pieces exploring permission, spirituality, and societal restrictions. The exhibition is presented as a homecoming for Finn-Kelcey, who was born in Northampton.

Genuine Fake Premium Economy review – brilliantly obnoxious millennial rage at a rigged financial world

The exhibition "Genuine Fake Premium Economy" at a London gallery features works by American artists Jenna Bliss, Buck Ellison, and Jasmine Gregory, all born in the mid-1980s. Their pieces—including Bliss's shaky videos of New York's financial district, Ellison's fictional bank advertisements pairing classical paintings with cynical taglines, and Gregory's luxury watch ads stripped of watches—collectively express millennial rage at a rigged financial system and the aftermath of the 2008 crash.

‘Sensitive, sexy and surreal’: Japan’s Kyotographie festival

Kyotographie, Japan's leading international photography festival, opened its 2025 edition with the theme 'Edge,' featuring 14 exhibitions across Kyoto. The festival includes a major retrospective of Daido Moriyama, the 86-year-old pioneer of the 'are-bure-boke' aesthetic, showcasing over 200 images, 400 magazines, and 100 books. Also featured are British artist Linder Sterling, known for her punk-era feminist photomontages and album art for Buzzcocks, and Kenyan photographer Thandiwe Muriu, this year's African artist in residence, who uses patterned kitenge fabric to explore identity and female empowerment.

Read a book, flip off a Nazi: when reading meant resistance – in pictures

A new exhibition at Poster House in New York, titled "Reading Under Fire: Arming Minds & Hearts During Wartime," showcases vintage posters from World War I and World War II that promoted reading and book donations to support troops. The posters, drawn from the collections of the American Library Association, the YMCA, and other organizations, encouraged the public to supply soldiers with reading material as a form of morale-boosting and education. The exhibition runs until 1 November and is curated by Molly Guptill Manning.

Monk football and sperm whales: All About Photo awards winners 2026

The 11th edition of the All About Photo awards – The Mind's Eye has announced its 2026 winners, with first place awarded to Matt McClain for his image of an intern working in a historic millinery shop at Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. The competition features a diverse range of winning photographs, including conceptual self-portraiture by Brooke Shaden, a street scene at the Benin-Togo border by France Leclerc, a train sleeping in Tunisia by Javier Arcenillas, freedivers with sperm whales by Khaichuin Sim, and young monks playing football in the Himalayas by Andrew Newey. Winners receive $5,000 in cash prizes.

Venice Biennale jury ‘will not award artists from countries facing war crimes charges’

The jury of the Venice Biennale has announced it will not award prizes to artists from countries whose leaders face charges of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, a decision widely seen as targeting Russia and Israel. The five-member jury, appointed by the late curator Koyo Kouoh, stated its commitment to human rights and will exclude artists from nations whose governments are under ICC investigation when selecting winners of the Golden and Silver Lion awards for the 2026 edition, which opens on 9 May. The move follows controversy over Russia’s participation in the biennale, with the European Commission threatening to suspend a €2m grant due to Russia’s involvement, and Italy’s far-right government opposing the decision.

World Press Photo 2026 winners – in pictures

The World Press Photo 2026 winners have been announced, with Carol Guzy awarded the top honor for her image of distraught girls clinging to their father as ICE agents detain him after an immigration hearing in New York City. Finalists include Saber Nuraldin’s photograph of Palestinians scrambling for aid in Gaza, Victor J Blue’s image of Achi women outside a Guatemala City court, and other powerful works documenting climate displacement in Mexico, a wedding during a typhoon in the Philippines, police detaining a priest at a pensioners’ protest in Argentina, and a social robot in Europe.

‘They tore up everything’: the wolf hunters of Kyrgyzstan – in pictures

Photographer Luke Oppenheimer traveled to the remote Kyrgyz village of Ottuk in 2021 for a short assignment on wolves preying on livestock, but ended up staying for four years. His project, titled 'Ottuk' and published by Aliens in Residence, documents the lives of shepherds who hunt wolves to protect their herds in the Tien Shan mountains, capturing their ancient way of life, harsh winters, and the legends that shape their community.

‘We’re attached to this land like a tree is rooted in soil’: unexpectedly timely exhibition speaks up for the people of south Lebanon

An exhibition titled 'Forget Me Not: South Lebanon in Memory and Motion' was held at London's Palestine House earlier this month. It featured archival news footage from 2000, photographs, audiovisual materials, and children's drawings to document the history, culture, and resilience of southern Lebanon, a region experiencing renewed conflict.

Emma the joke-telling robot cracks up the care home: Paula Hornickel’s best photograph

Photographer Paula Hornickel captured a moment between an elderly care home resident named Waltraud and a social robot named Emma in Albershausen, Germany. The robot, designed for companionship in settings with staff shortages, engages residents in conversation, tells jokes, and discusses topics like favorite flowers, simulating social interaction.

Bow Arts launches open call for 2027 East London Art Prize

Bow Arts has announced an open call for the 2027 edition of the East London Art Prize, now entering its third cycle. The prize will support 12 shortlisted artists with exhibitions, mentoring, and career development, awarding one artist £15,000 and a solo exhibition at Nunnery Gallery, and another a year-long studio residency. The judging panel includes Brendan Cormier, Alex Needham, Marine Tanguy, and artist Michelle Williams Gamaker, with submissions open from 14 May to 16 August 2026.

Ray Burgoyne obituary

Ray Burgoyne, a self-taught painter, carpenter, and musician, has died at the age of 80. After a career as a carpenter and set builder, he began exhibiting his paintings in the late 1980s and spent the next three decades organizing numerous exhibitions along the Essex and Suffolk coastline. His work, characterized by thick oil paint, abstract forms, and deep colors, drew on carnivalesque characters and forgotten landscapes. He also played drums in the 1960s mod band the Flowerpots, which opened for the Animals and the Who.