Coolidge Corner art gallery relocates, brightening downtown Boston neighborhood

Praise Shadows Art Gallery, a contemporary art gallery focusing on untapped and unrecognized artists, has relocated from Coolidge Corner in Brookline to a larger 2,000-square-foot space on Kingston Street in downtown Boston. The gallery reopened in mid-March after moving in January, with founder and CEO Yng-Ru Chen citing the convenience and breathing room of the new location. The move was facilitated by the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture and the Downtown Boston Alliance, which aims to fill vacant storefronts with arts businesses and revitalize the neighborhood.

Israeli organisation threatens legal action against Canadian Museum for Human Rights over Palestine exhibition

The Israeli organization Shurat Hadin has threatened legal action against the Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) in Winnipeg over its upcoming exhibition "Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present," scheduled to open on June 27. The group sent a legal letter to the museum's board and leadership, alleging the exhibition promotes a one-sided narrative that could fuel antisemitism and violate Canadian federal law, and calling for an independent review. The CMHR is reviewing the letter but declined further comment, while supporters like Independent Jewish Voices argue the museum is right to tell the story of the Nakba from the perspective of Palestinian victims.

A sonic tribute to the act of speech on New York City’s Roosevelt Island

Sound artist Hans Rosenström has launched a site-specific sound installation titled "Out of Silence" at Four Freedoms Park on New York City's Roosevelt Island, running until 21 June. The multi-speaker work features layered voices sung by the Estonian choir Vox Clamantis, arranged across four sections of the park as an homage to Franklin D. Roosevelt's 1941 Four Freedoms speech. Rosenström, a Finnish artist based in Stockholm, developed the project during an International Studio & Curatorial Program residency in New York in 2024, after being approached by Latvian curator Alina Girshovich to mark the 90th birthday of composer Arvo Pärt. The park's memorial to FDR was designed by architect Louis Kahn, who was born in Estonia and benefited from New Deal programs.

Morocco debuts at the Biennale with an exploration of its age-old craft traditions

Morocco is debuting its first national pavilion at the Venice Biennale with a monumental installation titled "Asetta" by artist Amina Agueznay. The 300-square-meter site-specific work, located in the Arsenale, draws on centuries-old Moroccan craft traditions, including weaving, beadwork, and embroidery. Agueznay conducted field research across Morocco and collaborated with over 130 artisans, mostly women, some of whom she has worked with for decades. The installation explores the transmission of traditional craftsmanship and shared memory, and incorporates the concept of the threshold (âatba) from Moroccan vernacular architecture, offering visitors both an immersive experience and functional seating.

These Four Filmmakers Have Never Fully Gotten Their Due. The Kitchen Wants To Change That.

The Kitchen, a New York nonprofit arts organization, held its annual spring gala at City Winery to honor four female filmmakers: Cheryl Dunye, Garrett Bradley, Shari Frilot, and Catherine Gund. The event was co-chaired by prominent figures including Ava DuVernay, Julie Mehretu, and Komal Shah, and featured performances, remarks, and a crowd of artists, curators, and collectors. The gala celebrated the filmmakers' contributions to cinema, with special recognition of their work in expanding representation and narrative boundaries.

Nicole Hollander, Acerbic Feminist Cartoonist, Dies at 86

Nicole Hollander, the creator of the long-running comic strip "Sylvia," has died at the age of 86. For over three decades, she wrote and illustrated the strip, which centered on a tart-tongued, witty woman who freely expressed her many opinions, becoming a staple of feminist humor in American newspapers.

À la Biennale de Venise, le pavillon de l’Ouzbékistan fait revivre la mer d’Aral

The Uzbekistan Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale, curated around the figure of author Allayar Darmenov, brings together artists including Vyacheslav Akhunov, Zi Kakhramonova, A. A. Murakami, Zulfiya Spowart, and Nguyen Phuong Linh to explore the ecological disaster of the Aral Sea. Once the world's fourth-largest lake, it was drained by Soviet irrigation projects for cotton farming; the pavilion's installations—such as Kakhramonova's participatory salt-fish molding piece and Spowart's cradle-like sculpture—imaginatively revive the vanished sea and its endemic species.

D'Ette Nogle at Kunstverein Braunschweig

Kunstverein Braunschweig is presenting 'Let it R.I.P.', a solo exhibition by American artist D'Ette Nogle, curated by Junia Thiede and running from March 21 to May 31, 2026. The exhibition features 69 images documenting Nogle's work, with press releases available in both English and German, along with a booklet and venue website links.

Dyani White Hawk: LISTEN at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University

Dyani White Hawk's eight-channel video installation "LISTEN" (2020–ongoing) is on view at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. The work features Indigenous women speaking in their native languages on their tribal homelands, with no subtitles or explanatory text, encouraging viewers to physically move closer to each screen to hear and engage with the speakers' voices and surrounding environments.

'Preserving the art of Utah culture': Utah-artist museum opens in Salt Lake City

A new art museum, the Salt Lake Art Museum, is opening in the historic B'nai Israel Temple in downtown Salt Lake City, dedicated to preserving and celebrating Utah culture through visual art. Founded by art historian Micah Christensen and led by executive director Chris Jensen, the museum is the first new art museum to open in the city in over 40 years. It has already begun programming, including an interactive 'Make Your Mark' installation and a Utah Master Series highlighting influential local artists such as Galina Perova, Stanley Wanlass, and Ben Hammond. Opening exhibitions will feature works by Albert Bierstadt, Pilar Pobil, and a show on Julia Reagan billboards, alongside a gallery on the temple's history.

Meet the artists behind the women’s Western art exhibition at Southwest Art Gallery and Science Center

The Southwest Art Gallery and Science Center in Dickinson, North Dakota, hosted a public artist reception on May 14 for its women’s Western art exhibition, featuring regional female artists whose work depicts the landscapes, wildlife, and culture of the Northern Plains and American West. The exhibition includes paintings, sculptures, and mixed-media works centered on ranching, farming, and rural life, and will remain on display through June 12. Featured artists include Daphne Clark, Afton Ray Rossol, Barb Kalenze Kraft, Oksana Zvyagelskiy, Trish Stevenson, and Kelsey Jacobson, each sharing personal stories of how art became a creative outlet and source of healing.

Gaby Hurtado-Ramos: Last Night and Tomorrow

Gaby Hurtado-Ramos presents "Last Night and Tomorrow" at BOX 13 ArtSpace in Houston from May 22 to June 27, 2026. The exhibition explores queer social spaces—dance parties, gay bars, karaoke—through layered drawings, photographs, and prints, imagining futures of acceptance and connection. Hurtado-Ramos is an artist and educator whose practice includes risograph publishing under Rear-View Press, and they have exhibited and taught widely across the U.S.

May art guide: Exhibitions in Dayton, Cincy, Columbus and more

May’s art guide highlights several exhibitions across Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus, including "The Future of Female" at the Dayton Society of Artists, a juried show exploring women-identifying artists' perspectives; "At This Moment" at the Main Library's 2nd Floor Gallery, reflecting on contemporary life; "Teresa Olavarria: Lichen" at The Contemporary Dayton, featuring works in vitreous enamel and bronze; and a color-themed collaborative exhibition at the Edward A. Dixon Gallery in partnership with Dayton Collaboratory. The guide also features a 35mm film series by photographer Jake Schneider documenting Greenville’s Swinging 8’s Square Dance Club.

Art diary: Generations of Indian art converse at this showcase in Delhi | Hindustan Times

An ongoing group exhibition titled 'Echoes of Past and Future' at Divine Art Gallery in Delhi brings together 48 artworks by 48 artists, spanning generations of Indian modern and contemporary art. The show features works by masters such as Anjolie Ela Menon, Manu Parekh, and Himmat Shah alongside contemporary voices like Ashok Bhowmick and Bhaskar Rao, aiming to create a dialogue between past and present artistic expressions.

‘Embrace of the Earth’: Rajib Ahasen’s debut solo exhibition opens at AFD

Rajib Ahasen's debut solo exhibition, 'Embrace of the Earth', opened on April 24, 2026, at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD). The show features around 36 works in watercolour and acrylic, rooted in the artist's memories of rural Bangladesh and his transition to urban life. Scenes of earthen roads, canals, riverbanks, and agrarian life dominate the collection, reflecting a personal narrative shaped by observation and recollection. Ahasen, who earned a Mawlana degree from a Qawmi madrasah in 2014 without formal fine arts training, has previously participated in national and international exhibitions including the Friendship Art Exhibition and Kahal International Art Fair.

Post-War & Contemporary Art

Freeman's auction house is presenting a 'Post-War & Contemporary Art' sale featuring 83 lots that span eight decades of art history. The auction includes notable works such as a Richard Mayhew landscape, an Andy Warhol text-based canvas, a Robert Rauschenberg solvent transfer, a Peter Halley abstraction, and monumental outdoor sculptures by Allan Houser. Other highlights include pieces by Caio Fonseca, Jamie Nares, Beverly Pepper, and a range of contemporary voices like Ann Craven, Bunny Rogers, and Sterling Ruby.

Arts Listings: Week of May 21, 2026

This article is a local arts listings roundup for the week of May 21, 2026, in Ventura County, California. It announces theater productions including "Firebringer," "Mrs. Doubtfire," "Zapalooza," and "The Wolves," along with art exhibitions at venues such as the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts, Camarillo Art Center, Dama Gallery, the Mexican Consulate in Oxnard, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, and UBS. It also includes a call for artists from the Arts Council of the Conejo Valley and an open call from Dama Gallery.

Ronald Rose-Antoinette is the new Max Stern Curator at the Ellen Art Gallery

Ronald Rose-Antoinette has been appointed the new Max Stern Curator at Concordia University’s Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery. A Concordia graduate with a BFA, MA in film studies, and PhD in humanities, Rose-Antoinette has over 20 years of experience studying, working, and collaborating at the university. His role includes curating the SIGHTINGS exhibition series, developing public programming, and overseeing the gallery’s permanent collection of more than 1,800 works, primarily by Canadian artists. He describes his return as a "homecoming" and emphasizes a curatorial vision focused on decolonial practices, cross-cultural work, and intersectional approaches.

Indigenous Artist Honors Grandmothers at All My Relations Arts

Danielle SeeWalker, a Húŋkpapȟa Lakȟóta artist from the Standing Rock Sioux Nation, presents her solo exhibition *Uŋči Said So* at All My Relations Arts in Minneapolis, running through June 6. The show features vibrant expressionist portraits of grandmothers and matriarchs, neon signs with Lakȟóta words, and painted buffalo-hide drum heads, all inspired by memories, stories, and the artist's own heritage. SeeWalker incorporates distinctive motifs such as obscured faces with one realistic eye, braided hair symbolizing Native identity, and censored sections representing the repression of Native voices.

Jersey Arts TV: Exploring Native Knowledge and Art at Montclair Art Museum

Jersey Arts TV has released a new episode exploring Native knowledge and art at the Montclair Art Museum. The episode highlights the museum's commitment to showcasing Indigenous perspectives through its collections and exhibitions, featuring interviews with curators and artists who discuss the cultural significance and contemporary relevance of Native American art. The segment aims to educate viewers on the intersection of traditional knowledge and modern artistic expression.

Review | An abruptly postponed Smithsonian show of African LGBTQ+ art is now open

The Smithsonian's National Museum of African Art has opened "Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art," its first major exhibition dedicated to African LGBTQ+ artists. The show, which was abruptly postponed earlier, features works that celebrate queer life through themes of joy, family, and belonging, while also addressing the darkness and loss faced by LGBTQ+ communities globally.

Geological encounters

Wadi Finan Art Gallery presents "Geological Encounters," an exhibition running from April 25 to May 14, 2026, at its Jabal Amman location in Amman, Jordan. The show features the work of Jordanian artist and architect Ammar Khammash, whose multidisciplinary practice engages directly with Jordan's terrains, responding to their geological, social, and cultural conditions.

“Huang, Jackson, & Terry,” May 8 through June 19

A trio of Midwest photographers—Qingjun Huang, Natalie Jackson, and Matthew Terry—will showcase their latest works at the Quad City Arts Center in Rock Island, Illinois, from May 8 through June 19. The exhibition, titled "Huang, Jackson, & Terry," features Huang, a Peoria-based freelancer born in China with international exhibition credits including Christie’s London and the Benaki Museum; Jackson, a portrait and fine arts photographer from Peoria who serves on the board of the Contemporary Art Center of Peoria; and Terry, a Davenport-based contemporary photographer and Academy of Art University graduate whose work has been shown in galleries across the U.S. and Europe.

In Kyoto, a photography festival unites artists on society's fringes

Kyotographie, an independent international photography festival in Kyoto, has announced 'The Edge' as its theme for the 2026 edition, following a focus on humanity in 2025. The festival will feature exhibitions exploring fringes, darkness, and extremes of life, including a posthumous show of Fatama Hassona's 'The Eye of Gaza', a focus on South Africa with works by Lebohang Kganye, Pieter Hugo, and a peripatetic library from A4 Arts Foundation, as well as Ernest Cole's 'House of Bondage' at the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art—his first exhibition in Japan. Other highlights include Linder Sterling's survey 'Goddess of the Mind' at the Museum of Kyoto Annex and Anton Corbijn's 'Presence' at the Shimadai Gallery.

Meet the Canadian artists heading to Venice Biennale

Five Canadian artists have been selected for the main exhibition of the Venice Biennale, titled *In Minor Keys*, which opens to the public next Saturday. The participants are Abbas Akhavan (featured in the Canada Pavilion), Manuel Mathieu, Rajni Perera, Marigold Santos, and one additional artist. The exhibition is the first Biennale curated by a Black woman, Cameroonian-Swiss curator Koyo Kouoh, who died suddenly in May last year after a cancer diagnosis, just six months after her appointment. Despite her death, the Biennale proceeded with her plans, with her team completing the work.

Heard Museum to open exhibition pairing artists’ work with letters to their younger selves

The Heard Museum in Phoenix has opened a new exhibition titled "Wisdom from the Future," which pairs artwork by 28 Indigenous artists aged 55 and older with personal letters they wrote to their younger selves. The letters offer reflections on creativity, identity, and lived experience, with participating artists including Kay WalkingStick, Norbert Peshlakai, Preston Singletary, and others. The exhibition was developed in connection with the museum's Creative Aging program, which supports older adults in developing artistic skills.

Corazón Cafe’s Chingonas gallery honors ‘badass women’ through art

Corazón Cafe in downtown San Luis Obispo hosts an annual art gallery called "Chingonas" during March and April, celebrating Women's History Month. The gallery, curated by co-owner Sara McGrath, features around 20 participants ranging from ages 5 to 85, displaying works that honor "badass women"—from famous figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Gloria Steinem to everyday family members. The term "Chingonas" is a reclaimed Mexican-Spanish slang for strong, independent women.

New exhibits start at Public Works Art Center

The Public Works Art Center in Summerville, South Carolina, opens five new exhibitions on May 21 with a reception from 5:30-8:30 p.m. The shows include "GODBODY: THE FEMME," a group exhibition celebrating Black women artists; Amy Stewart's "Intersections" exploring interconnectedness; Nick Cerrato's "Our Society Needs To…" featuring abstract works created with his feet; Sarah Mitchell's "Wildlife in Wool" with needle-felted animals; and the Summerville Artist Guild's annual "All Members Show." During the reception, guild members will create collaborative paintings for sale to benefit the Summerville Rocks Scholarship Fund.

Curiosities at the 2026 Venice Biennale: the Tanzania Pavilion is full of Italian artists

Curiosità alla Biennale di Venezia 2026: il Padiglione della Tanzania è pieno di artisti italiani

The Tanzania Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, titled "Minor Frequencies: The Inner Life of a Nation," features a significant number of Italian artists alongside Tanzanian voices. Curated by Lorna Benedict Mashiba and Martina Cavallarin, the exhibition is housed across the Gervasuti Foundation, Palazzo Canova, and Supernova in Cannaregio. It includes works by 14 Italian artists such as Alice Andreoli, Christian Balzano, and Silvia Canton, as well as artists from Europe and Asia, while centering the practices of Tanzanian artists like Turakella Editha Gyindo, Lazaro Samuel, Valerie Asiimwe Amani, and Amani Abeid.

MFA students featured in exhibition at AD&A Museum

Graduating Master of Fine Arts students from UC Santa Barbara are presenting their work in the exhibition “Fault Lines” at the Art, Design & Architecture Museum from May 23 to June 7. The show features seven artists—Tiffany Aiello, Alexis Childress, Hope Christofferson, Emily d’Achiardi, Negar Farajiani, Vivek Karthikeyan, and KeyShawn Scott—whose works explore physical and conceptual boundaries through installations, sculpture, video, painting, and public art. Themes include queer and neurodivergent identity, systemic racism, consciousness, and the interplay of fact and fiction.