Venice Biennale chief under pressure

Venedig-Biennale-Chef unter Druck

Just before the opening of the Venice Art Biennale, its president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco is facing mounting criticism after the entire jury resigned. Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli accused Buttafuoco of pursuing a form of "parallel foreign policy" by readmitting Russia to the six-month exhibition, calling him a "victim of a pacifist fantasy." The opening ceremony and the traditional Golden Lion awards have been canceled; prizes will now be decided by visitor vote at the end of the Biennale in November.

Under pressure, the Venice Biennale jury resigns and is replaced by a public vote

Sous pression, le jury de la Biennale de Venise démissionne et est remplacé par un vote du public

On April 30, just days before the Venice Biennale's public opening on May 9, the entire international jury responsible for awarding the Golden and Silver Lions resigned. The jury—comprising Solange Farkas, Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi—had been caught in a escalating controversy after Biennale president Pietrangelo Buttafuoco reinstated Russia, which had been excluded since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The European Union threatened to suspend or cancel its €2 million subsidy if Russia remained included. The jury attempted to exclude countries whose leaders face International Criminal Court arrest warrants, effectively targeting Russia and Israel, but ultimately resigned under pressure from both external diplomatic turmoil and internal institutional opposition to any discrimination between pavilions.

From Minor Keys to Uproar: The Crisis of the Venice Biennale

DE LAS MINOR KEYS AL ESTRUENDO: LA CRISIS DE LA BIENAL DE VENECIA

The 61st Venice Biennale is engulfed in a structural crisis, marked by geopolitical tensions over the inclusion of Russia (amid its invasion of Ukraine) and Israel (amid the Gaza genocide). The Biennale Foundation, led by Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, defended their participation on legalistic grounds, sparking outrage from over 200 artists, curators, and cultural workers who demanded Israel's exclusion, aligning with Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA). The international jury, chaired by Solange Farkas and including Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi, resigned collectively on April 30 after deciding not to award prizes to countries whose leaders face International Criminal Court arrest warrants. This led to the cancellation of the traditional Golden and Silver Lions, replaced by audience-voted "Visitor Lions," with awards deferred until November. The European Commission suspended a €2 million subsidy over Russia's participation, and Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli notably skipped the May 9 opening.

Experience Western’s 2026 art biennial

Western Washington University’s art department has opened its 2026 faculty and staff biennial, featuring 20 artists with works spanning painting, photography, sculpture, video, and installation. The exhibition is held in the Fine Arts Building, room 124, and runs Monday through Saturday until May 2, with free admission. New gallery director Kelly Lindner curated the show, which includes interactive pieces and collaborative works. Featured artist Jennifer Anable contributed three works inspired by Skagit Valley and dark humor, emphasizing the importance of students seeing their teachers’ professional practice.

Gallery Jupiter presents "The Immersive Landscape" - works by Christie Scheele

Gallery Jupiter in Little Silver, New Jersey, presents "The Immersive Landscape," a solo exhibition of paintings by artist Christie Scheele, running from April 30 through June 11, 2026. The show features Scheele's open vista landscape paintings and her new Place Series assemblages, which incorporate foraged natural materials like stones, bark, and seaweed. An opening reception is scheduled for April 30. In conjunction with Earth Day, Scheele also collaborated with artist Kathleen Sweeney and designer Dominick Santise on EcoAction Cards, a set of activity cards aimed at inspiring environmental action.

New Providence Artist Zenia Olesnyckyj Opens "Impressions of Alaska" Exhibition at Summit Free Public Library

Artist Zenia Olesnyckyj is presenting her exhibition "Impressions of Alaska" at the Gallery at the Summit Free Public Library from May 1 to June 30, 2026. The show features twenty mixed-media works inspired by the Alaskan landscape and the art of the Tlingit people, aiming to capture the grandeur and intimacy of the region through texture and color.

Israel Advances Bill Granting Sweeping Civilian Authority over West Bank Archaeological Sites

Israel advanced a bill on Tuesday that would grant sweeping civilian authority over antiquities and archaeology in the occupied West Bank, replacing the current military-run system. The Likud-backed legislation would create a "Judea and Samaria Heritage Authority" under the Israeli heritage minister, empowered to purchase and expropriate land, oversee excavations, and manage heritage sites across Areas B and C of the West Bank. The bill passed its first of three votes (23-14) and would be led by Amichai Eliyahu, a far-right politician who advocates for annexation. Human rights groups and the Israeli NGO Emek Shaveh warned the move amounts to de facto annexation and a violation of Palestinian rights.

Nature is healing? Seagull lays eggs in the Giardini during Venice Biennale preview

During the VIP preview of the Venice Biennale, a seagull laid three eggs near the entrance of the Polish Pavilion in the Giardini. Pavilion staff built a protective barrier around the nest and warned visitors to avoid the protective bird, which one Italian collector called "the main attraction."

Metro Detroit artist set to bring mosaic art show to life

Mixed media artist Michelle Sider will showcase more than 50 colorful mosaic art pieces in her biggest solo exhibition, titled “Seeking Light,” opening Wednesday, May 20 at the University of Michigan-Dearborn’s Stamelos Gallery Center. The show highlights her work in glass mosaics and mixed media, and was previewed on the WDIV program 'Live in the D.'

Oklahoma Arts Council receives largest gift to state art collection

The Oklahoma Arts Council has received the largest gift in the history of the Oklahoma State Art Collection: ten works by influential Native artists from The Howard L. and Mary Ellen Meredith Collection, donated by America Meredith and Samonia Byford in honor of their parents. The donated works include pieces by Benjamin Harjo Jr., Norma Howard, Vanessa Paukeigope Jennings, Ruthe Blalock Jones, Shan Goshorn, Doc Tate Nevaquaya, Jane Osti, Juanita Pahdopony, Jeri Redcorn, and Dick West. The artworks are now on display in the Betty Price Gallery at the Oklahoma State Capitol, alongside two other recent acquisitions.

Manitowoc Rahr-West offers monthly summer gallery tours with experts

The Rahr-West Art Museum in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, is offering free, monthly drop-in gallery tours throughout summer 2026, led by museum staff and guest experts. Tours include sessions on the art of David Roberts, recent acquisitions, salon-style installations, and a local artists exhibition, with no registration required. Additionally, docent-led tours of the historic Vilas-Rahr Mansion will be available on Thursdays from June through September.

Norman Firehouse Art Center to open Sohail & Co. exhibition

The Norman Firehouse Art Center in Norman, Oklahoma, will present "Sohail & Co.," a summer exhibition focused on figure drawing and sculpture, on view from May 13 to August 7, 2026. The show brings together artists connected to the University of Oklahoma School of Visual Arts, exploring how the human figure evolves from observation to finished form across drawing, ceramics, and sculpture. An opening reception on May 13 will also feature the unveiling of "Rooted," a new public sculpture by undergraduate student Isabella Clark, installed in the Firehouse park as part of the Lions Park Sculpture Garden initiative.

SMC Emeritus Annual Student Art Exhibition Opens May 14

The Santa Monica College Emeritus Art Gallery will present Part 1 of its 2026 Annual Student Art Exhibition from May 14 through June 19, featuring works by student artists from SMC's noncredit Emeritus program for older adults. A free opening reception will be held May 14, and due to high participation, the exhibition is split into two parts, with Part 2 opening online on June 11. The show includes 47 artists, each contributing one piece.

Artists strike to protest Israeli participation ahead of Venice Biennale

A group of artists has announced a strike to protest Israel's participation in the upcoming Venice Biennale. The action is intended to draw attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to pressure the Biennale organizers to exclude Israel from the event, reflecting growing tensions around cultural boycotts in the art world.

This ICA Exhibition Skewers Art’s Culture of Capitalism

The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) has opened a new exhibition titled "Genuine Fake Premium Economy," featuring works by artists Jenna Bliss, Buck Ellison, and Jasmine Gregory. Curated by Nicole Leong, the show critiques the culture of capitalism within the art world, using appropriation and mimicry to highlight contradictions and hypocrisies. The artists, all born in the mid-1980s in the United States, came of age professionally after the 2008 financial crisis, and their works incorporate advertising imagery, reality television, luxury brand aesthetics, and private wealth management vocabulary. Bliss's video works include a scripted reality TV episode set in an art fair booth before the crash, while Ellison has invented a fictional private bank called Orlo & Co., and Gregory reproduces Patek Philippe advertisements with the watches erased.

Live Arts Program “1922 Revisited” Opens May 5th to Kick Off Preview Week, 61st Venice Biennale 2026

Third Space Art Foundation will present “1922 Revisited,” a live arts program curated by Dr. Janine A. Sytsma, from May 5–9, 2026 in Venice, Italy, during the preview week of the 61st Venice Biennale. The program brings together ten international artists to engage with the 1922 Venice Biennale exhibition of African sculpture through performances, a film screening, and a panel discussion, staged at venues including Hotel Monaco and the European Cultural Centre’s Marinaressa Gardens.

Royse Contemporary to present solo exhibition by Gennaro Garcia

Royse Contemporary in Scottsdale, Arizona, will present "UNTITLED," a solo exhibition by Mexican American artist Gennaro Garcia. The show features recent works across multiple media, including paintings, monosilk prints, giclée works, and sculpture, drawing on Garcia's childhood in Mexico and blending traditional and contemporary techniques. The exhibition runs through May 24, 2026, at the gallery in the Scottsdale Arts District.

Stuart Robertson’s latest works derive from the art of ophthalmology

British artist Stuart Robertson's solo exhibition 'Through The Artist’s Eye' at Bikaner House in Delhi showcases works created during an 18-month residency at Dr Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital in Daryaganj. The show features photography, drawings, bronze sculptures, and cyanotype prints capturing the daily life of the hospital, its patients, staff, and the surrounding Chandni Chowk neighborhood. Robertson initially sold two watercolor works to a Delhi-based eye surgeon, donated the earnings to the hospital, and was subsequently invited to become an artist-in-residence.

Art exhibit is about ‘Completing the Journey.’ It offers window into hospice through patients’ eyes

Masonicare Hospice & Palliative Care has launched "Completing the Journey: The Art of Hospice Care," an art exhibit featuring works created by patients in hospice care across its senior living communities in Connecticut. The exhibit, the first of its kind from Masonicare in over 15 years, includes small artworks on self-standing screens, accompanied by portraits of the artists and brief statements about their creative process. It opened at the Hartog Activities Center in Wallingford on April 28 and will travel to other Masonicare facilities, including Rocky Hill, after previous stops in Chester and Mystic. The project was funded by the Masonic Charity Foundation of Connecticut.

Venice Biennale jury resigns amid row over Russian entry

The international jury of the Venice Biennale resigned en masse just nine days before the opening of the world's oldest contemporary art fair, amid a dispute over Russia's participation and the panel's decision to bar prizes for countries accused of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. The jury, comprising president Solange Farkas and members Zoe Butt, Elvira Dyangani Ose, Marta Kuzma, and Giovanna Zapperi, stepped down without explanation, following tensions that also involved Italy's Culture Ministry cutting €2 million in EU funding over Russia's presence and sending inspectors to the Russian Pavilion.

LMDC’s ‘Chance 4 Change’ program partners with Portland Museum to display inmates’ art

Louisville Metro Department of Corrections (LMDC) has partnered with the Portland Museum to display artwork created by inmates in the 'Chance 4 Change' program, a voluntary 90-day substance abuse treatment initiative. The exhibition, titled 'Human, Too,' features paper-based works by at least ten inmates and will run through the end of August, with a public reception scheduled for Friday evening.

Accused of Harassing Staff, Martha Ortiz Steps Down as Director of Bogotá’s MAMBO

Martha Ortiz has stepped down as director of Bogotá’s Museo de Arte Moderno (MAMBO) amid allegations of harassing staff and fostering a toxic work environment. The museum announced her retirement and will begin a search for a successor, with board president Ángela Royo and financial manager Francy Hernández assuming interim leadership. Ortiz, who had no prior museum management experience, took the role in March 2024. Her departure follows the ousting of artistic director Eugenio Viola less than three months earlier, after he raised concerns about deteriorating working conditions.

In che modo la rigenerazione sta provando a cambiare l’Italia? Risponde la newsletter Render

Artribune's newsletter "Render" is set to release its 57th issue on May 11, featuring stories on urban regeneration projects across Italy. Highlights include a new library under construction in Latisana near the train station, a square-shaped island in the Venice lagoon transformed into an exhibition space after decades of abandonment, participatory tactical urbanism initiatives in Torre Annunziata funded by a Ministry of Social Policies and Labor grant, and a post-war complex in Rome poised to become a cultural hub. The issue will also profile the Peruvian architecture duo Barclay & Crousse ahead of their exhibition at the Politecnico di Milano and include a reflection on contemporary green spaces inspired by a visit to a private English park.

Ministry of Culture inspectors present report on Biennale: Russia pavilion will remain closed

Gli ispettori del Ministero della Cultura in Biennale presentano relazione: il padiglione Russia resterà chiuso

Italian Ministry of Culture inspectors have submitted a report to the Prime Minister's office regarding Russia's participation in the 2026 Venice Art Biennale. The report concludes that Russia did not receive a formal invitation from the Biennale Foundation to participate, nor did it sign the participation agreement—a situation shared by other countries with permanent pavilions. While Russia submitted a project and appointed a commissioner, its pavilion will remain closed to the public due to EU sanctions, though a private vernissage may proceed. The report finds no serious violations that would cancel Russia's participation, but notes critical issues that warranted more caution. The international jury resigned en masse after announcing it would not consider countries whose leaders are accused of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, including Russia and Israel, and after an Israeli artist threatened a discrimination lawsuit.

AKKA Venice Project: Beyond the Exhibition

Lidija Khachatourian, founder of AKKA Project, discusses her gallery's evolution from Dubai to Venice, where it remains the only gallery dedicated to African and diasporic artists. In an interview with ART AFRICA, she explains her shift from a market-driven model toward a research-led, custodial approach that prioritizes long-term relationships and slowness over high-volume programming. The gallery, established in Venice in 2019, operates with a deliberate resistance to market pressures, focusing on care, continuity, and direct material support for its artists.

Booth Western Art Museum Names New Director

Dr. Eric Singleton has been appointed as the new director of the Booth Western Art Museum, set to assume the role in mid-July. He was selected after a nationwide search led by Georgia Museums President and Board Chair Lorri McClain, who praised his extensive experience, creativity, and collaborative leadership style. Singleton currently serves as the McCasland Chair of Cowboy Culture and Curator of Native American Art and Ethnology at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, bringing over 25 years of museum experience to the Booth. He has previously worked at the Gilcrease Institute of American History & Art and the Philbrook Museum of Art, and holds a Ph.D. from Oklahoma State University.

Elizabeth Hawes exhibition shows how forgotten designer influenced radical fashion

The Cincinnati Art Museum will host "Elizabeth Hawes: Radical American Fashion," the first major museum exhibition dedicated to the early 20th-century designer, running from April 24 to August 2. Curated by Cynthia Amnéus, the show features over 50 garments from the 1920s through the 1960s, drawn largely from the museum's collection of 23 Hawes pieces—the second-largest after the Met's Costume Institute. Hawes, a Vassar graduate who worked as a Paris copyist before becoming disillusioned with the fashion industry, advocated for comfort, personal identity, and gender-fluid clothing, and wrote nine books critiquing fashion's commercial cycle.

New exhibits open during First Friday reception at Ocean City Center for the Arts

The Art League of Ocean City will host its May First Friday reception on May 1, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Ocean City Center for the Arts. Highlights include Patrick Leib's participatory "Little Free Art Gallery" installation, a new utility box mural by Brandon Bell, and several gallery exhibitions: "Saltwater Taffy" (fiber arts) at the Thaler Gallery, "Flora and Fauna" (juried photography) at the Sisson Gallery, "Celebrating the Year of the Horse" by Joanne Guilfoil and Lynn Yockelson at Studio E, and mosaic works by William Camelio at the Spotlight Gallery. Satellite exhibits are also on view at The Princess Royale and The Coffee Beanery.

Leonhard Center and Bellefonte Art Museum seek submissions for art exhibition

The Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education at Penn State is partnering with the Bellefonte Art Museum for Centre County (BAM) to organize an exhibition titled “Making Connections: Art, Engineering and Community.” Students, faculty, and staff are invited to submit original works exploring the intersection of art and engineering. Submissions from the College of Engineering will also be entered into the second annual Leonhard Center Art–Engineering Competition. The exhibition will be curated by Sarah Zappe, Joseph Cusumano, and Benjamin Fehl, who previously curated a related show at the Palmer Museum of Art. Applications are open through October 15, 2026, with the exhibition running from January 1 to February 28, 2027.

Cannabis Art Exhibition Comes to Fort Collins

A traveling art exhibition called Hear/Say, part of the Tea on THC campaign, will open May 27 at the Center for Creativity in Fort Collins, Colorado, and run through May 31. The exhibition combines scientific research with visual art—including painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, and installation—to spark public conversations about the health impacts of high-potency cannabis. It is organized by the Colorado School of Public Health and Initium Health following Colorado House Bill 1317, which mandated research and public outreach on high-potency THC products. A free opening reception is scheduled for May 29, with additional events planned in Colorado Springs in June.