Producing Cinema Inside and With Video Games: A 30-Year Festival in Milan

Produrre cinema dentro e con i videogiochi. A Milano ci fanno un festival (da 30 anni)

The Milan Machinima Festival recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of machinima, the practice of creating audiovisual works and films within video game environments. The event, curated by scholar Matteo Bittanti at IULM University, explored the medium's dual origins in 1996: the community-driven "vernacular" style seen in the Quake-based 'Diary of a Camper' and the artistic approach pioneered by Miltos Manetas in his work 'Miracle'.

Jobs in Art: Opportunities from Catania Academy of Fine Arts, MADRE Naples, Camera Austria, Teatro Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

Lavoro nell’arte: opportunità da Accademia Belle Arti Catania, MADRE Napoli, Camera Austria, Teatro Maggio Musicale Fiorentino

Several prominent Italian and international cultural institutions have launched open calls for professional roles, residencies, and artistic competitions. Key opportunities include the search for a new director at the MADRE Museum in Naples with a three-year contract, a social media manager position at the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, and various residency programs for photographers and designers at the Academy of Fine Arts in Catania and Camera Austria in Graz.

Retrofuturistic Figures Emerge from Wood in Playful Sculptures by Aleph Geddis

Artist Aleph Geddis creates intricate, hand-carved wooden sculptures that blend organic forms with retrofuturistic aesthetics. His work oscillates between abstraction and figuration, drawing inspiration from his nomadic lifestyle between Japan, Bali, and the Pacific Northwest. Currently, Geddis is exploring varying scales of production, ranging from intimate, toy-like "Littles" to a massive, immersive installation designed for the upcoming Burning Man festival.

"Restitutions": Parliament Ready to Give Everything Up

« Restitutions » : le Parlement prêt à tout lâcher

The French Parliament is moving forward with an accelerated legislative process to pass a framework law governing the restitution of cultural property to foreign states. This bill aims to streamline the return of artworks and artifacts deemed to have been illicitly acquired, fulfilling a long-standing promise made by President Emmanuel Macron to address colonial-era acquisitions and other contested heritage.

Minor Keys, Major Shifts: Sierra Leone’s Resonant Debut in Venice.

Sierra Leone has made its inaugural appearance at the 61st Venice Biennale with a pavilion titled 'Worlds of Today' located at the Liceo Guggenheim. Curated with a focus on "minor keys" rather than grand spectacles, the exhibition features Sierra Leonean artists Hawa-Jane Bangura, Ayesha Feisal, Hickmatu Bintu Leigh, and Abu Bakarr Mansaray alongside practitioners from other ECOWAS nations. The pavilion functions as a sensorial, porous space that prioritizes communal resilience and spiritual epistemologies over the commodification of identity.

MAFOLOFOLO: Sonic Cartographies of Return

The South African artist collective MADEYOULOOK has unveiled 'Mafolofolo' at Hangar – Centro de Investigação Artística in Lisbon. Curated by Margarida Mendes, the installation utilizes sound, oral histories, and liberation songs to map the complex relationships between land, memory, and dispossession in northern South Africa. The work, which originally debuted at documenta fifteen, has been reconfigured for this specific research-driven setting to explore themes of extraction and survival.

The Procession as a Form of World: Latin American Artists at the Diriyah Biennale

LA PROCESIÓN COMO FORMA DE MUNDO: ARTISTAS LATINOAMERICANOS EN LA BIENAL DE DIRIYAH

The third Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, titled 'In Interludes and Transitions,' is open until May 2nd in Saudi Arabia's historic Diriyah district. Curated by Nora Razian and Sabih Ahmed, the exhibition features 68 artists from over 37 countries and frames the world as a multitude of processions, using movement as its central theme and methodology. The exhibition design by Formafantasma encourages a fluid, nomadic journey through four thematic movements and site-specific 'arenas' within the repurposed industrial halls of the JAX creative district.

Evergreen Brick Works Art Exhibition Raises Awareness of Spotted Lanternfly

Artist Laura Fedynyszyn has partnered with the Invasive Species Centre to present "Memorial for Trees Not Yet Fallen III" at Toronto’s Evergreen Brick Works. The exhibition features wreaths made from dried riverbank grapevines adorned with prints of the spotted lanternfly, an invasive insect currently threatening Ontario’s borders. Drawing inspiration from Victorian-era mourning jewelry, the installation serves as a tangible memento for an ecosystem at risk.

Gallery openings and exhibits in Central Oregon this week

Central Oregon’s art scene is hosting a diverse array of exhibitions this week across Bend, Sisters, Sunriver, and Redmond. Notable highlights include Jana Charl’s mixed-media showcase "This is not a Love Story" at Art Adventure Gallery, Hilary Baker’s moth-themed "Prophets" at the High Desert Museum, and a collection of literary-inspired quilts at the Deschutes Historical Museum. The offerings span various mediums, from nomadic woven macramé and custom jewelry to volcanic science explorations and historic cartography.

Young artists demonstrate their art pieces within Painting Week [PHOTOS]

The Azerbaijan Artists' Union recently hosted a children's art exhibition and competition titled "My Favorite Theme" as part of the national Painting Week. Held at the Fine Art Gallery of the Children-Youth Development Palace No. 1 in Baku, the event showcased 51 artworks by 48 young participants across two age categories. Winners were selected by a jury of professional artists, with top honors going to Naomi Ahmadi and Nuray Babayeva for their respective thematic interpretations.

Long-Lost Skeleton of D’Artagnan, the Fourth Musketeer, Discovered in Dutch Church

Archaeologists have discovered skeletal remains beneath the floor of St. Peter and Paul Church in Maastricht, Netherlands, which are believed to be those of the 17th-century French soldier Charles de Batz de Castelmore, the historical figure who inspired the literary character D'Artagnan. The discovery was made during repair work, and artifacts found nearby—including a French coin and musket ball fragments—align with the historical record of D'Artagnan's death during the 1673 siege of Maastricht.

Why Aguirre's works remained out of the public eye

Two Madrid galleries, Malvin Gallery and Espacio Jovellanos, have launched a dual exhibition titled 'Mi perro tiene memoria' to showcase the long-overlooked work of Spanish artist Luis Fernando Aguirre. Following his death in 2021, Aguirre’s family worked to bring his extensive archive out of his studio and into the public eye, featuring both his courtroom illustrations for El País and his evolution through expressionism and figurative painting.

First and final

The COMO Museum of Art is hosting "Traces: Drawing Practices Now," a major group exhibition curated by Hassan Sheikh featuring 19 artists. The show explores the evolution of drawing from a preparatory medium into an independent, sophisticated art form. Notable participants include Ali Kazim, Muhammad Ali Talpur, and Ghulam Mohammad, whose works range from meticulous mark-making and subverted scripts to expressive, intuitive compositions that challenge traditional linguistic and visual codes.

No Lost Generation Hosts Beautiful, Poignant Exhibition of Afghan Refugee Artists’ Work

Georgetown University’s student organization No Lost Generation (NLG) partnered with the Afghan artist collective ArtLords to host a five-day exhibition at the Intercultural Center galleria. Curated by Omaid Sharifi, the showcase featured works by three Afghan refugee artists—Abdul Hakim Maqsoodi, Mohammad Younus Qani, and Fatima Wojohat—centered around the theme of "nawroz" (new day). The collection spanned traditional Afghan miniatures, scenes of displacement, and portraits exploring the resilience of female refugees.

Opening reception at Arcata’s Fire Arts Gallery

The Fire Arts Center Gallery in Arcata is hosting a new exhibition featuring ceramic works by Madison Hunt, Kit Davenport, David Jordan, and Leah Ritter. Running through March and April, the show highlights a diverse range of techniques, from Hunt’s use of traditional Korean sanggam inlay to Ritter’s botanical sculptures influenced by her background as a pastry chef. An opening reception is scheduled for April 11, offering the community a chance to engage with the artists and their latest sculptural and functional pieces.

How do you break bad news to someone you love? With this artist’s help, it’s a piece of cake

Artist Keely O'Brien has transformed the Richmond-Brighouse SkyTrain station in Vancouver into a public gallery with her exhibition "Secret Ingredients." Part of the Capture Photography Festival, the installation features large-scale photographs of decadent, homemade cakes iced with unconventional messages like "You Snore" or "I'm So Proud of You." These images originated from a social experiment where O'Brien solicited anonymous confessions from the public and delivered them as custom-baked confections to recipients across the city.

Footballer Erling Haaland Gifts Rare Viking Saga Manuscript to Hometown Library

Norwegian soccer star Erling Haaland, along with his father Alf-Inge Haaland, purchased a rare 1594 manuscript containing Viking sagas for a record 1.3 million Norwegian crowns and donated it to his hometown. The manuscript, a first printed edition of Snorri Sturluson's chronicles translated by Mattis Størssøn, must be permanently displayed and made publicly accessible at the Bryne library in the Time municipality.

Petroglyphs and cave paintings, some more than 4,000 years old, discovered in Mexico

Archaeologists from Mexico’s Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia (INAH) have identified 16 petroglyphs and cave paintings near the Tula River in Hidalgo. The artworks span over 4,000 years, ranging from prehistoric times through the Mesoamerican Postclassic period and into the early colonial era. The discovery, which includes depictions of the rain god Tláloc and various anthropomorphic figures, was made during archaeological salvage work for a new passenger rail line connecting Mexico City and Querétaro.

Clutch City Craft at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston

The Houston Center for Contemporary Craft (HCCC) has opened the exhibition 'Clutch City Craft,' which explores the craft traditions and material cultures that define Houston. The show features a diverse range of making practices, from mosaic street signs and cowboy boot making to fiber artists involved in aerospace design, framing the city's creative density as an extension of its industrial identity.

‘The shadows, the figures playing basketball … I waited for the magic to appear – then it did’: José Luis Morales Martín’s best phone picture

Architect José Luis Morales Martín captured a photograph of two teenagers playing basketball in his Madrid apartment complex's courtyard from his living room window. He was struck by the interplay of light, shadow, and geometry, using his phone to seize the moment when the scene's 'magic' became apparent.

‘Every child wants to find joy’: the scheme designing playground equipment for disaster zones

Photographer Alexander Meininger, inspired by his children and the war in Ukraine, has launched the charity Playrise. The organization designs and produces flatpack, modular playground equipment made from iroko hardwood for children living in refugee camps and disaster zones. Its first set will be sent to the Aysaita refugee camp in Ethiopia next month.

Parades, art installations and ruined rooms filled with rubble: photos of the day – Monday

The Guardian's picture editors curated a global selection of photographs from March 30, 2026. The images depict a wide range of events, including a carnival parade in Mexico City, a Palm Sunday procession in Madrid, an art installation at California's Bombay Beach Biennale, scenes of conflict and its aftermath in Gaza, Tehran, and Lebanon, and political moments like Donald Trump showing renderings onboard Air Force One.

At a Difficult Time, a Minnesota Museum Offers Respite to Somalis

The Somali Museum of Minnesota has emerged as a vital cultural sanctuary and community hub for Somali immigrants in Minneapolis. By preserving traditional nomadic artifacts, textiles, and contemporary artworks, the museum provides a space for the diaspora to reconnect with their heritage and find solace amidst social and political challenges.

Golden Foundation Welcomes Public To 'Made In Paint' Art Gallery Opening In New Berlin

The Sam & Adele Golden Foundation for the Arts is launching its 13th annual 'Made in Paint' exhibition at the Sam & Adele Golden Gallery in New Berlin, New York. The show features over 20 works created by the foundation’s 18 artists-in-residence from the 2025 cycle, who traveled from global locations including Chile and Puerto Rico. This year’s opening is notable for the high attendance of participating artists and the inclusion of digital art for the first time, alongside sculpture, textiles, and mixed-media works.

‘Like a Rising River’ explores Nepali women through art

The art exhibition ‘Like a Rising River: Stories of Women and Change’ recently opened in Nepal, showcasing the results of a collaborative project between Srijanalaya, UN Women Nepal, and the Government of Finland. The initiative sent 15 Nepali artists to four provinces—Sudurpaschim, Bagmati, Sarlahi, and Madhesh—to document the lived experiences, social struggles, and resilience of local women through various artistic mediums, including textiles, mixed-media animation, and storytelling.

These Tiny "Joy Spots" Are Turning Chicago Sidewalks Into Free Art Galleries — And You Can Find Them All On This Secret Map

Chicago is experiencing a surge in "Sidewalk Joy Spots," miniature art-sharing stations modeled after the "Little Free Library" concept. These small, community-maintained boxes allow residents to exchange handmade jewelry, miniature paintings, and sculptures, effectively turning residential sidewalks into decentralized public galleries.

12,000 Years Ago, Native Americans Were Playing Games of Chance with Handmade Dice

Archaeologists have discovered that Native Americans were engaging in games of chance using handmade dice as far back as 12,000 years ago, during the Late Pleistocene. A new study by researcher Robert Madden reveals that these artifacts, found in sites across Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico, predate the previously oldest known dice from Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley by over 6,000 years. These early dice, often made of bone and decorated with pigments, were used by the hunter-gatherer Folsom culture.

700 square meters of a luminous street-art exhibition! The Colors Festival is back in Paris.

The Colors Festival has returned to Paris with a new immersive exhibition titled "Colors Light," located in the 15th arrondissement. Running from April 16 to July 26, 2026, the show features over 35 artists who have transformed a 700-square-meter building into a sensory playground using blacklight, fluorescence, and phosphorescence. The works are designed to shift and reveal hidden compositions as visitors move through the darkened space, marking a technical evolution for the festival toward light-based urban art.

A collective lunch is organized in Milan to discuss the problems of the cultural sector. Here is how to participate

A Milano si organizza un pranzo collettivo per discutere dei problemi del settore culturale. Ecco come partecipare

The nomadic assembly "OMTU – Organized Meals for Times of Uprising" is heading to Milan on April 19, 2026, coinciding with the miart art fair. Organized by a coalition of independent spaces including terzospazio, Osservatorio Futura, Parsec, and Arts of the Working Class, the event features a collective lunch followed by a public discussion at the Baséll space. The gathering aims to address the systemic precariousness of the cultural sector, focusing specifically on the scarcity of affordable social and cultural spaces in Milan.

Withdrawing from Intense Labor: 'Quiet Quitting' Discussed in a Milan Exhibition

Sottrarsi al lavoro troppo intenso. Si parla di ‘quite quitting’ in una mostra a Milano

Artist Niccolò de Napoli explores the phenomenon of "quiet quitting" in his solo exhibition, "I’m here, but not entirely yours," hosted at Studio Lombard DCA in Milan. The exhibition, produced by PROGETTO LUDOVICO, utilizes the unconventional setting of a strategic consultancy firm to showcase works that critique modern labor expectations. Key pieces include a blue neon sign mimicking corporate aesthetics, a sound installation referencing the 1983 film "Vieni avanti cretino," and monochromatic cases made of switchable glass that obscures itself as viewers approach, symbolizing the withdrawal of the self from the workplace.