Art News. Vasari Codex

article policy schedule Feb 18, 2026 visibility 18 link 3 artists

south african court rejects gabrielle goliaths bid to reinstate venice biennale pavilion

A South African high court has dismissed artist Gabrielle Goliath’s urgent application to reinstate her selection for the 61st Venice Biennale. Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie canceled Goliath’s pavilion, titled "Elegy," labeling the work "highly divisive" just days before the official submission deadline. The artist and curator Ingrid Masondo argued the cancellation was an act of censorship and a violation of constitutional freedom of expression, but the court rejected the bid without providing immediate reasons.

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person people schedule Feb 11, 2026 visibility 9 link 2 artists

x museum director you yang interview

You Yang, the director of X Museum, discusses the recent surge in new art museums, particularly those backed by tech companies in China's Greater Bay Area, including Shenzhen and Hong Kong. He attributes this boom to a strategic shift in Shenzhen's cultural policy, the city's established cultural foundations, and the region's historical role in cross-cultural exchange, which has created a demand for contemporary institutions.

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article news schedule Jan 22, 2026 visibility 14 link 5 artists

south africa venice biennale court

South Africa's culture minister Gayton McKenzie canceled artist Gabrielle Goliath's selected presentation for the country's national pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, prompting Goliath and curator Ingrid Masondo to file a constitutional court challenge on January 22. The artist's work, *Elegy*, commemorates victims of injustice including women, queer people, and victims of the Herero and Nama genocide, and was to address deaths of Gazan women and children since October 2023. McKenzie described the work as "highly divisive" and canceled the exhibition on January 2, despite an independent committee's binding selection. The minister now plans to replace it with a project by the collective Beyond the Frames titled "Shameless Rebellions: a South African Chorus."

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article policy schedule Jan 21, 2026 visibility 16 link 4 artists

gabrielle goliath legal action south africa venice pavilion

Artist Gabrielle Goliath and curator Ingrid Masondo are filing a court case against South African culture minister Gayton McKenzie after he canceled their planned pavilion for the Venice Biennale. McKenzie objected to a performance from Goliath's "Elegy" series that would address Israel’s war in Gaza, calling it "polarizing," a move Goliath described as censorship. McKenzie later attributed the cancellation to alleged interference by an unnamed foreign nation, with reports suggesting Qatar was involved, though the Qatar Museums ultimately did not purchase the work. The application, to be filed in the South African high court in Pretoria, seeks to have McKenzie's actions declared unconstitutional.

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article policy schedule Jan 13, 2026 visibility 14 link 4 artists

south african culture mp denies censoring venice pavilion

The South African Ministry of Sport, Arts, and Culture has denied censoring its 2026 Venice Biennale pavilion after canceling a proposed artwork by artist Gabrielle Goliath on December 2. The work, part of Goliath's "Elegy" series curated by Ingrid Masondo, addressed sexual assault, femicide, the killings of women and queer people in South Africa, colonial-era genocide in Namibia, and included a tribute to Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada. Culture minister Gayton McKenzie initially called the piece "highly divisive" and linked to a polarizing international conflict, but a January 10 statement reframed the cancellation as a safeguard against foreign interference, alleging a foreign country attempted to fund or purchase the work to use the pavilion as a proxy for a geopolitical message about Israel's actions in Gaza.

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article news schedule Jan 5, 2026 visibility 15 link 1 artist

artist last supper painting india kochi muziris biennale

One week after an exhibition tied to the Kochi-Muziris Biennale closed due to religious protests, the offending painting—"Supper at a Nunnery" by Tom Vattakuzhy—has been withdrawn. The work, shown in the side exhibition “EDAM” organized by the Kochi Biennale Foundation, depicts a naked Mata Hari as Jesus surrounded by nuns as disciples. Since December, Indian Christian organizations had accused the artist of insulting the faith, leading to the exhibition's closure and eventual removal of the painting after a meeting with local officials.

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article news schedule Dec 1, 2025 visibility 15 link 1 artist

sung tieu new board member kw institute

Artist Sung Tieu has sold her 2025 work *Declaration of Donation* for €25,000, with proceeds funding a five-year term for a new board member at KW Institute of Contemporary Art in Berlin. The work, created for her exhibition “1992, 2025” at KW, consists of a contract engraved on four mirrors that criticizes the institution’s €5,000 yearly board member fee, arguing it limits board diversity. Tieu nominated curator Mi You for the position, and KW director Emma Enderby expressed gratitude for the provocation.

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article news schedule Nov 17, 2025 visibility 11 link 1 artist

christoph buechel art mosque iceland pavilion venice biennale shut down

Authorities in Venice have shut down the working mosque installed by Swiss artist Christoph Büchel in the city center as part of his presentation for the Icelandic Pavilion at the 2015 Venice Biennale. The closure followed an evaluation by a public safety committee, citing overcrowding during Friday prayers that exceeded the legal limit of 90 people, as well as security concerns due to the mosque's location near a pedestrian bridge. The Venice Biennale expressed hope that solutions could be found to reopen the pavilion, while the Icelandic Art Center's director published a letter detailing the fraught negotiations with Italian authorities leading up to the installation.

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museum exhibitions schedule Oct 28, 2025 visibility 11 link 3 artists

riyadh art tuwaiq sculpture 2026 launches open call

Riyadh Art has launched an open call for the seventh edition of Tuwaiq Sculpture, scheduled for January and February 2026 under the theme 'Traces of What Will Be.' The open call runs from August 27 to October 1, 2025, inviting sculptors worldwide to submit proposals for a live sculpting experience in Riyadh. Twenty-five artists will be selected to create original works that will be permanently installed across the city. An international curatorial team has been announced: U.K.-based Sarah Staton, German-born Rut Blees Luxemburg, and Saudi artist Lulwah Al Homoud. The edition introduces two new sculpting categories—Granite + Stainless Steel Integration and Reclaimed Metal—and selected artists receive an honorarium plus travel and accommodation support.

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article news schedule Oct 15, 2025 visibility 19 link 8 artists

parties marilyn minter artist documentary

On Saturday, the art world gathered in East Hampton for a special screening of the documentary *Marilyn Minter: Pretty/Dirty*, which chronicles the artist's life from addiction to icon. The invite-only event included appearances by Jeff Koons, Jane Fonda, Monica Lewinsky, Cindy Sherman, and other notable figures, followed by a dinner at the home of co-producer and collector Debi Wisch. The film explores Minter's unflinching feminist commentary and her decades-long challenge to conventional beauty and desire in contemporary art.

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museum exhibitions schedule Sep 23, 2025 visibility 15 link 3 artists

chinese collector to open new non profit art space in londons bloomsbury district

Chinese collector and philanthropist Yan Du will open Yan Du Projects (YDP), a new nonprofit art space in London’s Bloomsbury district this October. Housed in a Grade I-listed 18th-century Georgian townhouse on Bedford Square, YDP will host site-specific commissions, exhibitions, artist residencies, and public events focused on artists from Asian backgrounds. The opening show features Chinese painter Duan Jianyu, and the first artist-in-residence is Bangkok-based Harit Srikhao. Hong Kong-based BEAU Architects designed a modular "suitcase project" interior to respect the building’s listed status.

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candle obituary schedule May 16, 2025 visibility 14 link 5 artists

koyo kouoh curating venice biennale died

Curator Koyo Kouoh, the first African woman appointed to curate the Venice Biennale, has died suddenly. Her death was confirmed by the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) in Cape Town, where she served as executive director and chief curator. The Venice Biennale issued a statement mourning her loss, noting she had been working on the conception and development of the Biennale Arte 2026. Kouoh, born in Cameroon in 1967, was a prominent figure in contemporary African art, having curated for documenta 12 and 13, co-founded the Raw Material Company art center in Dakar, and organized the landmark exhibition "When We See Us: A Century of Black Figuration in Painting" at Zeitz MOCAA.

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article news schedule May 21, 2026 visibility 5 link 4 artists

Open Letter in Support of the Artist Asel Kadyrkhanova

An open letter initiated by members of the Kazakhstani and international art community protests the removal of artist Asel Kadyrkhanova's work *Machine* (2013) from the Kazakhstan pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale. The mixed-media installation, which addresses Stalinist repression through a vintage typewriter, arrest warrants, and red threads, was dismantled on May 5, 2026, reportedly by order of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Culture and Information, just before the pavilion's opening. The artist and curator were allegedly pressured to alter the work beforehand, and the ministry initially cited restrictions from the Italian side, but the Italian Ministry of Defense denied involvement.

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article events schedule Mar 30, 2026 visibility 27 link 17 artists

Two Thousand Seasons: A Conversation

The African Film Institute at e-flux launched its 2026 program with an event titled "Two Thousand Seasons: A Look Into 2026 and Beyond." The evening featured a screening of a curated playlist of film clips and works by artists like Ayesha Hameed, Ousmane Sembène, and John Akomfrah, compiled by Christian Nyampeta, followed by a conversation with Nyampeta, KJ Abudu, and Kaneza Schaal.

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museum exhibitions schedule Jan 16, 2026 visibility 14 link 8 artists, 3 galleries

FSU's Museum of Fine Arts presents exhibit examining humanity through things we collect, keep and carry

Florida State University's Museum of Fine Arts (MoFA) will present the exhibition "Like everything alive that we try to hold forever" from January 29 to June 27, 2025. Curated by Elizabeth Diggon, Naomi Potter, and Shauna Thompson of Esker Foundation and produced by Independent Curators International (ICI), the show features seven international artists—including Larry Achiampong & David Blandy, Diane Borsato, Stephanie Dinkins, Bridget Moser, Sondra Perry, and Miya Turnbull—whose work in photography, sculpture, and video examines the complex relationship between humans and non-human objects, touching on themes of identity, colonialism, artificial intelligence, and digital technologies.

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article local schedule Sep 25, 2025 visibility 11 link 3 artists, 1 gallery

Annual Open Art Exhibition to be held at Beverley Art Gallery

Beverley Art Gallery in the East Riding of Yorkshire will launch its 24th annual Open Art Exhibition on 27 September 2025. A record 300+ artists submitted works, with 126 pieces selected by jurors Sarah Howard of Hull Museums and Ferens Art Gallery and Andrea Martin of Lincoln Museum and Usher Gallery. The show features a range of mediums from professional and amateur artists, with prizes awarded by the Friends of Beverley Art Gallery and a People's Choice Award voted by visitors. Many works are available for purchase, and the exhibition runs until 18 December.

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museum exhibitions schedule Aug 14, 2025 visibility 12 link 2 artists, 1 gallery

Young artists show their talent

The Young Artists’ Project (YAP) exhibition returns to the KZNSA Gallery in Durban, South Africa, from August 22 to September 21. Initiated in 2002 by then-curator Storm Janse van Rensburg, the annual project mentors emerging artists in producing their first solo exhibitions. This year features two artists: N’lamwai Luntha Chithambo, a Malawian-born painter who earned degrees from Rhodes University and has shown at the National Arts Festival and Sasol New Signatures; and Zama Mwandla, a South African surrealist painter whose work confronts sexual violence and healing, with exhibitions at the African Feminisms show and the 54th Art & Antique Fair in Salzburg.

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candle obituary schedule Apr 29, 2026 visibility 14 link 1 artist

A Curator Died Suddenly. Could the Venice Biennale Be Saved?

Koyo Kouoh, the curator of the Venice Biennale’s centerpiece exhibition, died suddenly of cancer at age 57, just months into her tenure. She left behind a detailed plan for the exhibition, which her assistants are now working to realize in her absence.

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candle obituary schedule Apr 18, 2026 visibility 20 link 1 artist

Paul Waldman, Creator and Curator of Art Museum for Birds, Dies at 89

Paul Waldman, a multifaceted artist known for his transgressive paintings and unique architectural birdhouses, has died at the age of 89. After overcoming childhood dyslexia and a stint as a competitive bodybuilder, Waldman established a significant career in the New York art scene, characterized by his meticulous technique and a fascination with the human form and avian structures.

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article news schedule May 12, 2026 visibility 19 link 7 artists

Somali artists and culture workers express concern over Somalia Pavilion in Venice

Somali artists, cultural workers, and organizations have published multiple open letters and statements expressing concern over the Somalia Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. The pavilion, announced in March for the 2026 edition, is titled 'SADDEXLEEY' and features Somali-Swedish artist Ayan Farah, Somali-Danish poet and filmmaker Asmaa Jama, and Somali-British writer Warsan Shire, curated by Stockholm-based Mohamed Mire and Italian project manager Fabio Scrivanti. Critics, including the Somali Arts Foundation and the queer collective Warbixinta Cidda, allege that the pavilion was organized without meaningful consultation of artists and organizations based in Somalia, and object to the appointment of an Italian co-curator given Italy's colonial history in Somalia. An anonymous open letter further alleges intimidation and coercive pressure against critics, and demands Scrivanti's removal, calling for a boycott if demands are not met.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 3, 2026 visibility 16 link 4 artists

Margaret Whyte on Representing Uruguay at the 61st Venice Biennale

Margaret Whyte, an artist from Uruguay, is set to represent her country at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026, with her pavilion located in the Giardini. In an interview with ArtReview, Whyte discusses her exhibition, which builds on her earlier show "Tiempo de Escuchar" at the National Museum of Visual Arts in Uruguay, curated by Patricia Bentancur. Her work is inspired by Nassim N. Taleb's book "Antifragile" (2012), exploring themes of chaos, uncertainty, and resilience. She sees her antifragile approach as complementary to the Biennale's theme, "In Minor Keys," curated by Koyo Kouoh, emphasizing emotional depth, silence, and healing.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 3, 2026 visibility 17 link 5 artists

Bugarin + Castle on Representing Scotland at the 61st Venice Biennale

ArtReview published a questionnaire response from Bugarin + Castle, the artist duo representing Scotland at the 61st Venice Biennale (2026). Their exhibition, titled "Shame Parade" and curated by Mount Stuart Trust, explores charivari—medieval public shaming rituals involving sound, costume, and cross-dressing. The work draws on the artists' research into how noise and music have been used as tools of control, with particular attention to the Filipino legal definition of charivari as a punishable public disturbance. The exhibition includes sculpture, print, moving image, and a musical score created with Manila-based band Kalye Teresa, and is housed at the Olivolo, Castello pavilion.

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museum exhibitions schedule Apr 22, 2026 visibility 17 link 2 artists

Watch: Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino in Conversation

Artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino discuss their project 'conference of one’s self' for the Australia Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale. Sabsabi explains how the work draws on the twelfth-century Sufi poem 'The Conference of the Birds' by Farīd al-Dīn ʿAṭṭār, mapping its seven spiritual valleys and adding an eighth level of 'wholeness and completeness'. He also reflects on his childhood in Lebanon, migration to Australia, and how his return to Lebanon in 2002 reconnected him with his Sufi lineage, which informs his artistic practice focused on memory, displacement, and social justice.

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article news schedule May 12, 2026 visibility 18 link 6 artists

Somali Cultural Organizations Unhappy With Somalia Pavilion at the Venice Biennale

Somali artists and cultural organizations are protesting the Somalia pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale, arguing it excludes artists based in Somalia and relies on diaspora figures and an Italian co-curator, which they view as colonial. The Somali Arts Foundation issued a statement condemning the lack of consultation, while the queer arts collective Warbixinta Cidda criticized the appointment of Italian curator Fabio Scrivanti. Somali American poet Ladan Osman boycotted the pavilion, calling it "anti-indigenous."

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museum exhibitions schedule Apr 30, 2026 visibility 20 link 5 artists

Portland’s Converge 45 Triennial Announces Participating Artists

Portland, Oregon's Converge 45 triennial has announced the participating artists for its upcoming exhibition titled “Here, To you, Now.” Curated by Lumi Tan, the triennial draws inspiration from Ursula K. Le Guin's 1985 novel Always Coming Home, which explores the impermanence of spoken language. Featured artists include Trisha Baga, Ricky Bearghost, Aaron Cunningham, Jacqueline Kiyomi Gork, and sidony o'neal, among twenty-three others, with seventeen new commissions. Venues include Barn Radio, the Hoffman Gallery at Lewis & Clark College, the Native Arts and Cultures Foundation, Oregon Contemporary, and the Pacific Northwest College of Art.

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article news schedule Apr 23, 2026 visibility 17 link 2 artists

Nations Charged With Crimes Against Humanity Will Not Be Considered for Venice Biennale Awards

The jury for the 2026 Venice Biennale announced it will not consider contributions from countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity for the Golden and Silver Lion awards, effectively excluding Israel and Russia. The decision, framed as a commitment to human rights and aligned with curator Koyo Kouoh's vision, comes amid broader controversy over participating pavilions, including American artists declining to represent the US and the EU withdrawing a $2.3 million grant over Russia's involvement.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 16, 2026 source 3 sources visibility 18 link 2 artists

M+ in multi-year strategic partnership with Centre Pompidou

M+, Hong Kong's premier art museum, has signed a multi-year strategic partnership with Paris's Centre Pompidou. The agreement, signed on May 15, 2026, by Centre Pompidou President Laurent Le Bon and M+ Museum Director Suhanya Raffel, covers joint curatorial research, exhibition development and sharing, co-commissions and artwork displays, and collection exchange. A major co-curated exhibition will be presented at both venues, with a series of jointly developed exhibitions staged at M+ from 2027 onwards, featuring works from both institutions' collections.

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person people schedule Apr 21, 2026 source 3 sources visibility 17

Smithsonian American Art Museum Names a New Director

Lynda Roscoe Hartigan has been appointed as the new director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. She is a former chief curator of the museum and most recently served as executive director of the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.

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rate_review review schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 13 link 1 artist

‘In Minor Keys’ Review: Its Best Moments Live in the Institutions Koyo Kouoh Built

Andrew Durbin reviews the national pavilions at the 2026 Venice Biennale, contrasting a vacuous US presentation with incisive and moving installations from Britain and Germany. The review highlights how the best moments of the exhibition live in the institutions built by curator Koyo Kouoh, who organized the Biennale's main exhibition.

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museum exhibitions schedule May 6, 2026 visibility 5 link 1 artist

In Pictures: Opening-Day Action From Frieze New York

Frieze New York opened with a flurry of activity, drawing collectors, curators, and art enthusiasts to the fair's latest edition. The event featured a wide range of contemporary galleries and presentations, with notable early sales and strong attendance signaling a vibrant start to the fair season in New York.

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