Ukraine war stories captured in powerful art exhibition

Fine artist Louise Pasterfield will open her exhibition 'Colour and Courage' at St Stephen’s Church in Saltash, Cornwall, on May 28. The show features 18 watercolour portraits from her ongoing Ukraine series, which began after Russia’s 2022 invasion and now totals 295 portraits of civilians, soldiers, and families. Among the works is a tribute to Christopher Parry, a Cornish volunteer killed in Ukraine in 2023, painted from a photograph given by his parents. The exhibition also includes botanical paintings inspired by Tresco Abbey Gardens.

An exhibition of works by Mykhailo Riasnianskyi, People’s Artist of Ukraine, is currently being held in Mykolaiv

An exhibition of works by Mykhailo Riasnianskyi, People’s Artist of Ukraine, is currently on display at the V. Vereshchahin Art Museum in Mykolaiv, marking the 100th anniversary of his birth. The show features paintings from the museum’s collection and opened with speeches from local officials and artists, including Yevhen Horburov and Dmytro Artym. Riasnianskyi, who died in 2001, was a veteran of World War II, a longtime teacher, and the first artist from the Mykolaiv region to receive the title of People’s Artist of Ukraine.

Plattsburgh art exhibition spotlights intersection of art and mental health

An ongoing exhibition in downtown Plattsburgh, titled “Holding Space: A Community Exhibition on Art and Mental Health,” is on display at the Strand Center for the Arts through May 30 for Mental Health Awareness Month. The show, a collaboration between the Strand and Behavioral Health Services North (BHSN), features artwork from individuals in BHSN’s recovery programs, including pieces by Barb Guay, who runs a recovery program and creative expression therapy group at BHSN. Guay’s watercolor self-care plan, with panels like “Pink Power Suit Barbara” and “Fruit Bat Barbara,” explores her own recovery from opioid and cocaine use since 2015, as well as her chronic illness and artistic identity.

DAB art collective venturing into Port Douglas for new exhibition

The DAB art collective, based in Mossman, has opened a new exhibition titled 'Tropical Spectrum' in Port Douglas to coincide with Carnivale week. The show features 47 local artists from across Douglas Shire, showcasing a wide range of mediums including botanicals, acrylic, watercolour, oil, sketches, pottery, glass work, mosaics, mixed media, and fibre weaving. The exhibition runs at the Port Douglas Community Hall until May 28, marking the first time DAB has exhibited in Port Douglas during Carnivale week.

Hamburg Culture Prize No Longer Named After Biermann-Ratjen

Hamburger Kulturpreis heißt nicht mehr nach Biermann-Ratjen

The Hamburg Senate has renamed the Senator-Biermann-Ratjen Medal, a prestigious cultural award, to the "Medaille für Kunst und Kultur in Hamburg" (Medal for Art and Culture in Hamburg). The decision follows a 2024 review of historical records revealing that Hans Harder Biermann-Ratjen (1901–1969), the former culture senator for whom the medal was named, was a member of the Nazi Party (NSDAP). Historian Helmut Stubbe da Luz presented evidence in June 2024 that Biermann-Ratjen had disclosed his NSDAP membership in a 1943 application to the Reich Literature Chamber when seeking to publish a novel.

Locky Morris, Liz Vitlin at Gertie

Locky Morris and Liz Vitlin are featured in a two-person exhibition at Gertie, a gallery space. The show presents a selection of works by both artists, documented through 59 images on the Contemporary Art Daily platform, though no text descriptions or curatorial statements are provided in the article.

Artist with disabilities debuts first solo exhibition in Williamsburg

Artist with disabilities debuts their first solo exhibition in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, as reported by the Brooklyn Eagle. The show marks a significant milestone for the artist, who has navigated barriers in the art world to present a body of work in a professional gallery setting.

Carnegie Hall Museum Gallery showcases textile artist Holly Lei Cole

Carnegie Hall in Lewisburg, West Virginia, has opened a new exhibition in its Museum Gallery featuring textile artist Holly Lei Cole. The show is part of the ongoing Carnegie Hall ArtWalk, a self-guided gallery experience across four spaces in the historic 1902 landmark. Cole, a Virginia-based fiber and art-quilt artist, presents works that blend drawing, painting, sewing, and mixed media, exploring themes of endangered species, animal-human relationships, and nature. Before turning to art quilting in 2016, she worked as a costume and set designer for Broadway, The Muppets, Ringling Bros. Circus, and regional theaters. The exhibition is free and runs through the end of June.

Merritt Wins Best Of Show At Spring Juried Art Show

Wesley Dallas Merritt won Best of Show at the Lakeland Art Association's 22nd annual Spring Juried Art Show, held at the Lakeland Art Gallery in Warsaw, Indiana. The show featured 53 works by 19 artists from Fort Wayne, North Manchester, and surrounding counties, including paintings, photographs, metal sculptures, and ceramic works. Judge Andrew Tomasik, a Warsaw Community High School visual arts teacher, also awarded first place to Brenda Stichter, second place to Merritt, and third place to Sherri Johnson, along with six honorable mentions.

Fabio Adani investigates the perception of reality in his exhibition at Salamon Fine Art

Salamon Fine Art gallery in Milan is hosting Fabio Adani's solo exhibition 'Silentium fin che parli' from May 16 to June 4, 2026. The show explores the perceptual transformation of reality through painting, graphite, and the written word, emphasizing allusion over direct representation. The exhibition includes a critical text by Beatrice Gardella and prose and poetry by Elisabetta Amaini, featuring works inspired by natural environments that invite viewers to engage in an open-ended process of interpretation.

Daura Museum of Art exhibits work of local artists this summer

The Daura Museum of Art at the University of Lynchburg is exhibiting works by local artists Laura Reed Howell and the late Georgia Weston Morgan through July 17. Morgan, a pioneering female painter from Lynchburg who studied in Paris and had her portrait accepted into the Paris Salon, is honored in Gallery I with a curated exhibition by museum assistant Thomas Canard. Howell’s award-winning plein air paintings are displayed in Gallery II, and she will give an artist talk on May 22.

‘Remembering’ Exhibition Revives Cham Culture Through Art

The 'Remembering' exhibition at Kiripost in Phnom Penh showcases contemporary artworks that revive and celebrate Cham culture, a minority ethnic group in Cambodia. The show features paintings, sculptures, and mixed-media pieces by local artists who draw on Cham traditions, textiles, and historical narratives to preserve and reinterpret their heritage.

Artspace Gallery presents ‘Dissonance’ exhibition

Artspace Gallery in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, has opened a new exhibition titled “Dissonance,” featuring works by member artist Jermaine Johnson. The show is dedicated to Johnson’s late mother, Tanya, who passed away in 2023. A public reception will be held on Saturday, May 30, from 4-6 p.m. at the gallery, located at 221 Center St., where the artist will be present to discuss his work. Johnson, an oil painter, wire weaver, and fiber artist educated at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, explores themes of media, spirituality, race, history, and popular culture through mixed-media pieces that incorporate water-mixable oils, paper, natural and synthetic fibers, semi-precious stones, and copper wire.

23rd Annual Student Art Show Celebrates Students’ Connection to the Santa Barbara Channel

On May 7, the community gathered at Jodi House Gallery for a reception and awards ceremony hosted by Santa Barbara Channelkeeper, celebrating the 23rd Annual Student Art Show. High school students from Carpinteria to Goleta submitted 120 pieces interpreting the Santa Barbara Channel, with 50 selected for the show. Awards were juried by Meagan Stirling, Associate Professor of Art at Westmont College. First place went to Aricin Marshall for his ceramic sculpture *Tide Bound – Hollister Ranch*, second to Josefa Olivio for *Channel Islands Fox*, and third to Jocabed Carranza for *After the Tide*. The Environmental Ethic Award was given to Maria Rojo for *Insufferable Freedom*, and the Juror’s Choice Award to Madeline Adler for *Sea Life vs. Pollution: The Ongoing Battle*. Honorable mentions included Sophia Lam, Alejandro Miranda, and Camila Sandoval.

Venice Biennale: Is art ever separate from politics?

The article, published by DW, examines the ongoing debate about the relationship between art and politics, using the Venice Biennale as a case study. It highlights how the 2024 edition of the Biennale has become a platform for political statements, particularly regarding Russia's exclusion from the event following its invasion of Ukraine, and the broader question of whether cultural institutions can remain neutral in times of geopolitical conflict.

Two new exhibitions opened at Fort Smith Regional Art Museum

Two new exhibitions have opened at the Fort Smith Regional Art Museum in Arkansas. The shows feature works by local and regional artists, highlighting diverse media including painting, sculpture, and mixed media. The exhibitions are part of the museum's ongoing effort to engage the community with contemporary visual art.