Frieze Seoul 2026 Expands Its Reach with New Curated Sections and Over 125 Galleries

Frieze Seoul will return to COEX in Gangnam from September 2–5, 2026, with over 125 galleries from 30 countries, marking its fifth edition. The fair introduces two new curated sections—Material Practice, focusing on craft and design, and Spotlight, dedicated to overlooked 20th-century artists—alongside the returning Focus section. More than 70% of participating galleries are based in Asia-Pacific, and over 50 have permanent spaces in Seoul. The event is organized in partnership with Kiaf SEOUL and includes a city-wide Frieze Week programme with exhibitions at major institutions like Leeum Museum of Art and MMCA Seoul.

Bridging the Gap to Explore Connection and Repair Through Sculpture at Hypha South Bank

Bridging the Gap is a sculpture exhibition at Hypha South Bank in London, featuring over twenty artists who explore themes of connection, separation, and repair. Curated by Paul Carey-Kent, Hermione Allsopp, and Poppy Whatmore, the show uses the nearby Southwark Bridge as a metaphor for bridging divides, with many works incorporating locally sourced materials and responding to the urban environment. The exhibition runs from June 26 to July 26, 2026, with a private view on June 25 and accompanying events including poetry readings and artist talks.

The Future-Facing Institutional Exhibitions Not to Miss in Basel

The article highlights institutional exhibitions not to miss during Art Basel week in Basel, Switzerland, focusing on artists working in speculative, experimental realms and engaging with technology. Key shows include Cao Fei's "Testimonies to the Near Future" at Kunstmuseum Basel, the largest European survey of the pioneering Chinese digital artist, and Pierre Huyghe's highly anticipated exhibition at Fondation Beyeler, his first museum show in Switzerland. The piece also notes the return of Liste as a satellite fair for emerging galleries and the Basel Social Club's fifth edition as a casual counterpoint, while June Art Fair appears absent with no 2026 updates.

25th Biennale of Sydney, Rememory

The 25th Biennale of Sydney, titled "Rememory" and curated by Emirati curator Hoor al-Qasimi, opened in March 2026 across multiple venues including White Bay Power Station, Penrith Regional Gallery, Campbelltown Arts Centre, Art Gallery of New South Wales, and Chau Chak Wing Museum. The event faced political scrutiny before its opening, with Zionist and conservative lobby groups petitioning against al-Qasimi's appointment, accusing her of anti-Israel bias. Controversy escalated after DJ Haram's opening night tirade denouncing a "Zio-Australian-Epstein empire," prompting the Biennale to issue an institutional statement distancing itself from her remarks. The exhibition runs from 14 March to 14 June 2026.

Not on the guest list: at London Gallery Weekend 2026

The article recounts the author's experience during London Gallery Weekend 2026, starting with a dinner hosted by Gallery Rosenfeld and visits to several gallery openings. Highlights include Dale Lewis's provocative exhibition "Lost Illusions" at Edel Assanti, Patricia Piccinini's hyperrealist sculptures at Ames Yavuz, and Anne Imhof's crowded show at Sprüth Magers. The weekend also featured performances at Palmer Gallery and Thaddaeus Ropac, including an "interruption-based work" by Alice Walter, and concluded with the official LGW reception at the Serpentine Pavilion, where Hans Ulrich Obrist gave a keynote speech.

Grounds For Sculpture presents site-specific work exploring the nature of time in "Shantell Martin: Past, Present, Future"

Grounds For Sculpture (GFS) in Hamilton, New Jersey, will present "Shantell Martin: Past, Present, Future," a site-specific installation exploring the nature of time, from September 20, 2026 to July 23, 2028. The exhibition features new murals, sculptures created in collaboration with Johnson Atelier, a daily drawing project called the "Reply Card Project" with audio components, and community quilts made with the Princeton Sankofa Stitchers Modern Quilt Guild. Artist Shantell Martin will also perform at the opening reception and lead a wellness event.

British Artist Antony Gormley Is On A Quest To Reconnect Us With The Physical World

British sculptor Antony Gormley presents his latest exhibition, “What Holds Us,” at Galleria Continua in San Gimignano, Italy. The show features a range of works including monumental basalt sculptures, massive terracotta forms, and a centerpiece installation titled “Innercity”—a walkable maze of 15 colossal cardboard body-buildings. This marks Gormley’s first use of cardboard and one of his most immersive creations. The exhibition runs until September 13 and includes sculptures priced between £250,000 and £975,000.

FAD NEWS: GRIMM Expands in Amsterdam and Launches Artist Residency in Provence.

GRIMM gallery is expanding its operations in its 20th anniversary year, with plans to open a new flagship space in Amsterdam in September 2026 and launch an artist residency program at Château Val Croissant in Provence. The Amsterdam gallery will occupy a 17th-century canal house in the historic center, complementing existing locations in London and New York. The inaugural exhibition will feature Dutch painter Robert Zandvliet, followed by shows with Charles Avery and Saskia Noor van Imhoff. The residency program, opening this summer, will accommodate up to five artists and their families, with no fixed time limits, allowing artists to return repeatedly.

FAD NEWS: Ugo Rondinone creates city-wide celebration of light

Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone is launching MORE LIGHT, a city-wide project in London this summer, spanning three chapters across Mayfair and the Royal Academy of Arts. The project includes a monumental rainbow poem suspended in the Royal Academy's courtyard, fifty-four flags along Bond Street featuring sunrise and sunset images, and a gallery presentation of new watercolour paintings at Sadie Coles HQ. Developed in collaboration with the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition, the installations explore light as a shared human experience through universal motifs like sunrise, sunset, sky, and horizon.

6 Standout Artists to See at Art Basel 2026

Art Basel 2026 returns to Basel from 18 to 21 June (Preview Days 16–17 June), bringing together 290 galleries from 43 countries and territories. The fair features ambitious large-scale commissions by Nairy Baghramian and Ibrahim Mahama, a newly expanded Premiere sector, and standout presentations across Unlimited, Feature, and Statements. Lee Sharrock selects seven artists generating particular excitement: Nicola Turner (Annely Juda Fine Art), Koray Ariş (Öktem Aykut), France-Lise McGurn (MASSIMODECARLO), Lily Bunney and Elleanna Chapman (Basel Social Club), and Timur Si-Qin (SOCIÉTÉ). Turner unveils three new sculptures referencing the cycle of life; Ariş debuts a suspended leather-and-wood environment; McGurn presents a pop-up exhibition DEE-TOUR at DOMUSHAUS; and Teaspoon Projects curates a collaborative presentation by Bunney and Chapman at Basel Social Club.

Society is stuck in the past

"Die Gesellschaft steckt in der Vergangenheit fest"

Lorna Simpson, the first African American woman to exhibit at the Venice Biennale in 1990, is now the subject of her first European retrospective at Punta della Dogana in Venice, titled "Third Person." In an interview with Monopol, she discusses key works including the sculpture "Woman on Snowball" (2018), which references David Hammons' "Bliz-aard Ball Sale," and "Black Totem," a column of over 700 issues of the magazine "Ebony" stacked like a totem pole to explore African American identity and history. The exhibition includes works from the past 15 years, some previously shown at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York under the title "Source Notes."

David Hockney, the celebrated British painter who revolutionized the way of looking, has died

È morto David Hockney, il celebre pittore britannico che ha rivoluzionato il modo di guardare

David Hockney, the celebrated British painter who revolutionized the way we see, has died at age 88, just weeks before his 89th birthday. Over a career spanning more than 70 years, Hockney moved from iconic California swimming pools to Yorkshire landscapes and digital experiments on iPad and tablet, constantly reinventing his practice. Born in Bradford in 1937, he studied at the Bradford College of Art and the Royal College of Art in London, later moving to Los Angeles in the 1960s. His painting "Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)" sold at auction in 2018 for over $90 million, cementing his status as one of the most sought-after living artists. He also worked in theater set design, photography, and digital media, leaving a vast and influential body of work.

10 reflections on the Sagrada Familia, or the last gasp of Christianity

10 riflessioni sulla Sagrada Familia, ovvero il colpo di coda del cristianesimo

The article presents ten critical reflections on Antoni Gaudí and the Sagrada Familia, challenging the celebratory narratives surrounding the 100th anniversary of the architect's death and the completion of the basilica. It argues that the Sagrada Familia is not merely Gaudí's individual masterpiece but a cooperative, generational effort built through donations, and that its beauty depends on shared participation rather than heroic authorship. The author questions the tendency to mythologize Gaudí as a saintly genius, emphasizing that the cathedral is an evolving, unfinished work shaped by its community and faith.

Artistic Freedom as the Ghost of the Palace

Die Kunstfreiheit als Schlossgespenst

Schloss Bellevue, the official residence of the German Federal President, is undergoing an eight-year renovation. Before the building closes, a pop-up exhibition titled "Freiraum Kunst" has been installed in its emptied rooms, curated by the Akademie der Künste (AdK) and its vice president Anh-Linh Ngo. The show features works by prominent artists including Wolfgang Tillmans, Jürgen Böttcher (Strawalde), Gregor Schneider, and Boris Michailov, addressing themes such as German reunification, the legacy of fascism, and the war in Ukraine. The exhibition runs until June 28 and has drawn such high demand that the reservation system temporarily crashed.

Guide to the most unusual house museums in Italy

Guida alle case-museo più particolari d’Italia

This article from Artribune explores a selection of Italy's most distinctive house museums, offering an alternative to crowded major institutions like the Louvre or the Vatican Museums. It profiles several intimate, personal spaces that were once homes or studios of artists, designers, and collectors, including Carlo Mollino's surreal apartment in Turin, Lodovico Pogliaghi's eclectic villa in Varese, Remo Brindisi's total-artwork house in Lido di Spina, and Ivan Bruschi's collection-filled palace in Arezzo. Each site reflects the unique aesthetic vision and collecting passion of its creator, turning domestic architecture into a living testament of their artistic identity.

Largest-Ever Arthur Jafa Survey Coming to New Museum

The New Museum in New York will present the largest-ever survey of filmmaker and multimedia artist Arthur Jafa, titled "I Am Tony," opening September 24 and running through January 4, 2027. The two-floor exhibition spans Jafa's nearly four-decade career, featuring iconic works such as "Love is the Message, The Message is Death" (2016) and "The White Album" (2018), alongside new works. The survey is named after jazz drummer Tony Williams and is curated by Artistic Director Massimiliano Gioni, Senior Curator Gary Carrion-Murayari, and Curatorial Assistant Calvin Wang.

Festakt für Günther Uecker in Schwerin

A memorial ceremony was held in Schwerin, Germany, on the first anniversary of Günther Uecker's death, honoring the renowned object artist known for his iconic nail pictures. The event at the Staatliches Museum Schwerin featured a speech by former Bundestag President Norbert Lammert, who praised Uecker's extraordinary career. Also present were Minister-President Manuela Schwesig and Uecker's son Jacob Uecker. The evening included a book presentation at the Landesbibliothek and a film screening at the Schwerin Cathedral, for which Uecker designed four blue-tinted glass windows inaugurated in late 2024.

Who Asked for an AI Art Museum?

Hyperallergic reports on the opening of Dataland, a new AI art museum in Los Angeles founded by artist Refik Anadol. Reporter Matt Stromberg describes a disorienting, multisensory experience of descending into a mirrored space filled with AI-generated projections, soundscapes, and forest scents that left him exhilarated but nauseated. The article also covers several other stories: the School of the Art Institute of Chicago placing graduate art therapy director Savneet Talwar on leave after assigning a case study about a hypothetical client affected by violence against Palestinian civilians; a child puncturing a René Magritte painting at the Israel Museum with a pinecone; a fire in Long Island City displacing two Queens artists; and the announcement of Philadelphia's "What Now: 2026" festival. Additionally, an interview with artist Nayland Blake on eroticism and play is featured, alongside a list of queer and trans art history books for Pride Month.

California Art Dealer Esther Kim Varet Falls Short in House Bid

California art dealer Esther Kim Varet, who runs Various Small Fires gallery, failed to advance to the general election in California’s 40th Congressional District. With 85% of votes counted, she placed third behind Republican incumbents Ken Calvert and Young Kim, who will face off in the general. California’s non-partisan “jungle primary” system allowed only the top two candidates to advance, despite Varet being the highest-ranking Democrat. The race was complicated by a mid-decade redistricting that consolidated Republican votes in the heavily Democratic state.

7 Art Books You Should Read This Pride Month

Hyperallergic has published a Pride Month reading list featuring seven art books that highlight queer and trans artists, past and present. The selection includes a joint biography of Peter Hujar and Paul Thek, a catalog on Martin Wong's Chinatowns, Catherine Opie's portraiture, and a compendium of queer nightlife photography. Notable titles include 'Cancelled Confessions (Or Disavowals)' by Claude Cahun, 'Vaginal Davis: Magnificent Product' edited by Hendrik Folkerts, and 'The Wonderful World That Almost Was: A Life of Peter Hujar and Paul Thek' by Andrew Durbin. The article also mentions a retrospective of Vaginal Davis at MoMA PS1.

My Queasy, Forest-Scented Stroll Through LA’s New AI Art Museum

Hyperallergic critic Matt Stromberg reviews Dataland, a new AI art museum in Los Angeles co-founded by media artist Refik Anadol and Efsun Erkılıç, opening to the public on June 20. The inaugural exhibition, "Machine Dreams: Rainforest," is an immersive audio-visual-olfactory experience synthesizing 1.2 billion data points about the natural world, using a "Large Nature Model" trained on datasets from partners including the Smithsonian Institution and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Visitors wear a scent-dispensing device and receive a Data.Token wristband as they navigate a 25,000-square-foot space in the Frank Gehry-designed Grand LA tower, with ticket prices ranging from $49 to $129.

Child Punctures Magritte Painting With Pinecone at Israel Museum

A young child visiting the Israel Museum in Jerusalem punctured René Magritte's painting "The Castle of the Pyrenees" (1959) with a pinecone taken from the museum's garden. The painting has been removed from display and is undergoing restoration at the museum's conservation lab, where director Sharon Tager explained the multi-step process to repair the canvas and oil paint layers. The incident occurred despite the presence of a museum guard, and the child was reported to be five or six years old.

A First Look at the Art in the New Obama Presidential Center

The Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, a $850 million campus designed by Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, is set to open later this month in Jackson Park. The center features over 28 commissioned works by contemporary artists including Idris Khan, Theaster Gates, Lorna Simpson, María Magdalena Campos-Pons, and Maya Lin, alongside a basketball court, a Chicago Public Library branch, gardens, and civic spaces. Curators Virginia Shore, Crystal Moten, and Louise Bernard assembled the collection to intertwine art with the Obama legacy and the broader public art landscape of Chicago's South Side.

Steinmeier: Art is not a luxury

Steinmeier: Kunst ist kein Luxus

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has emphasized the importance of art for democracy during the opening of a two-week exhibition at his official residence, Schloss Bellevue. The exhibition, realized by the Akademie der Künste, transforms the already empty rooms of the palace into a pop-up show from June 13 to 28, before the building closes for several years of renovation. Steinmeier stated that art is not a luxury but an essential part of democratic debate, making different experiences and realities visible. The exhibition includes a 3D scan of Steinmeier himself at 1:5 scale, created by artist Karin Sanders.

Al Musée d’Orsay ci sono due grandi mostre per scoprire e riscoprire Renoir

The Musée d'Orsay in Paris has opened two major parallel exhibitions dedicated to Pierre-Auguste Renoir, marking the artist's return to the museum after forty years. Inaugurated on March 17, "Renoir and Love: A Joyful Modernity" and "Drawings by Renoir" offer fresh perspectives on the Impressionist master's work. The first exhibition, curated by Paul Perrin, focuses on Renoir's early career and his depictions of modern life through themes of love, friendship, and conviviality, featuring masterpieces such as "Luncheon of the Boating Party" (1880-81) and rarely seen works from private collections. The second exhibition is the first ever dedicated to Renoir's drawings, highlighting the importance of graphic techniques in his artistic evolution and including around one hundred works from international collections, some never exhibited before.

Vénus revient à Arles

The Louvre has loaned the iconic "Vénus d'Arles" statue to the Musée départemental Arles antique for a new exhibition that reexamines the ancient Roman sculpture through modern and contemporary art. Co-curated by Romy Wyche and Ludovic Laugier, with contributions from art historian Jean de Loisy, the show features nearly 80 works that juxtapose ancient artifacts with pieces by artists such as Serena Carone, Chantal Akerman, Michelangelo Pistoletto, and Annette Messager, exploring themes of the female gaze, bodily vitality, and the enduring power of the Venus archetype.

The Louvre, "Grand Design" of Napoleon III

Le Louvre, « Grand Dessein » de Napoléon III

The article draws a historical parallel between the current "Nouvelle Renaissance" renovation project for the Louvre, announced in January 2025 by French President Emmanuel Macron with a budget exceeding one billion euros, and the monumental "Grand Dessein" undertaken by Napoleon III in the 19th century. It details how Napoleon III completed the centuries-old ambition of uniting the Louvre and Tuileries palaces, inaugurating the transformed Louvre on August 15, 1857, a date chosen to coincide with the Feast of the Assumption and the imperial Saint-Napoleon holiday. The article traces the long history of the Louvre's expansion from Henri IV's Grande Galerie through Louis XIV's contested colonnade, Napoleon I's interrupted plans, and finally Napoleon III's decisive completion under architect Louis Visconti.

Julien Neutres, l’énarque aux manettes de « La Caverne du Pont-Neuf » de JR

Julien Neutres, a senior French civil servant and graduate of the prestigious École nationale d'administration (ENA), is the discreet force behind JR's ambitious public art project "La Caverne du Pont-Neuf" on the Pont-Neuf bridge in Paris. The project, a homage to Christo and Jeanne-Claude's 1985 wrapping of the same bridge, faced multiple setbacks including a torn canvas and inflatable envelope due to strong winds just days before its planned June 2 opening, forcing an indefinite postponement. Neutres created a dedicated endowment fund, L'Amicale des Ponts de Paris, in March 2025 to provide the legal and financial framework for the project, which has an estimated budget of 10 to 12 million euros.

Khoo Sui Hoe, 1939–2026

Malaysian painter Khoo Sui Hoe died on May 31, 2026, at his home in North Little Rock, Arkansas, at age 86. Born in Baling, Kedah in 1939, he studied at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts under Cheong Soo Pieng, Georgette Chen, and Chen Chong Swee, and gained prominence in 1965 with the commission "Children of the Sun" for the Singapore Conference Hall. Over a six-decade career, he developed a distinctive style of stylized figures in flattened landscapes, and his works entered major collections including the National Gallery Singapore, Singapore Art Museum, and National Gallery of Victoria. He also co-founded Alpha Gallery in Singapore (1971) and Alpha Utara Gallery in Penang (2004), and initiated the Utara Group.

Video: José González's enchanting concert at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm

En vidéo : l’envoûtant concert de José González au Moderna Museet de Stockholm

The article covers a special concert by Swedish-Argentine folk musician José González at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, part of Arte's "Sounds Like Art" series. The series invites musicians to perform within museum collections, with previous editions featuring Tom Odell at Musée Bourdelle and Sting at the Rijksmuseum. González's intimate set includes songs from his new album "Against The Dying of The Light" (2026) and a walk through the museum's galleries, highlighting works by Carsten Höller and Maya Deren.