Lotus Kang channels desire into Bvlgari's Venice Biennale pavilion

Artist Lotus Kang has created a site-specific installation for the Bvlgari pavilion at the Venice Biennale, working across three studios including a temporary Brooklyn warehouse. Her work, which includes unfixed 35mm film on the façade of Spazio Esedra and new sculptures of plaster baby birds and rubber-wrapped tatami mats, explores themes of multiplicity, permeability, and the unfixing of meaning. Kang, known for her installations at the 2023 Whitney Biennial and Chisenhale Gallery, describes herself as a maker of objects and spaces who resists single interpretations.

Art Basel's solution to PDF pre-sales? Ask galleries to reserve works until opening day

Art Basel has announced a new initiative called Basel Exclusive for its flagship Swiss fair in June 2025, asking participating galleries to withhold their most important or expensive works from all pre-fair previews, online viewing rooms, and publicity. Instead, these "marquee works" will be unveiled for the first time during the First Choice VIP preview on 16 June. The initiative aims to restore a sense of surprise and urgency, countering the trend of galleries pre-selling works to clients before the fair opens. Around 170 galleries have already signed up, including major names like Gagosian, David Zwirner, Hauser & Wirth, Pace Gallery, and Sadie Coles HQ.

An Abandoned Shipyard in Venice Is Getting a New Life Thanks to This Congolese Choreographer

Congolese choreographer Faustin Linyekula is staging "The Galeazze Project," a performance in a 16th-century shipyard complex in Venice that has been inaccessible since World War II and never open to the public. Commissioned by the nonprofit Scuola Piccola Zattere, the work will bring up to 500 people into the 32,291-square-foot open-air ruin for two nights during the 2026 Venice Biennale preview week. The rental fee from the performance will help stabilize and restore the floors of the historic Galeazze site.

collector questionnaire yu chi lyra kuo technology art

Yu-Chi Lyra Kuo, an entrepreneur, investor, and Harvard-educated lawyer, is profiled for her pioneering work at the intersection of frontier technology and art. A former Princeton academic and one of the youngest board members of the Shed in New York, Kuo began collecting art as a child with a jade gourd from her grandfather's museum of Asian carvings. She was an early entrant into blockchain in 2011, co-founded OpenSea 2.0, and now advises frontier tech companies like Orchid Health. Kuo believes technologies such as AI and robotics can enhance human creativity, enabling individualized artworks, autonomous creations, and robot performances, rather than replacing human cultural meaning.

LA LECHUZA DE MINERVA

The Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, founded in 1926 by a small group of artists, has launched a centenary exhibition titled "La lechuza de Minerva" (The Owl of Minerva). Curated by Isabella Lenzi, the project revisits the institution's most disruptive exhibition, "El sueño imperativo" (1991), curated by Mar Villaespesa, which invited twelve artists to intervene in both exhibition spaces and transit areas, challenging traditional display logic. The new exhibition features works by artists including Dagoberto Rodríguez, Elo Vega, Rogelio López Cuenca, Isidoro Valcárcel Medina, Itziar Okariz, Los Carpinteros, María Salgado, Pedro G. Romero, Regina Silveira, Silbatriz Pons, and Tino Sehgal, who activate hidden and unexpected corners of the building through visual and sound actions. The project also restores Nancy Spero's 1991 intervention "Minerva, Sky Goddess," which had largely disappeared, through archaeological research led by restorer Rocío Casasus.

Your guide to Christie's 20/21 auction week in New York

Christie's is holding its 20/21 auction week in New York from May 9–22, 2026, featuring seven live auctions and two online sales at its Rockefeller Center galleries. Highlights include the dedicated sale "MASTERPIECES: The Private Collection of S.I. Newhouse" (led by Constantin Brancusi's *Danaïde* and Jackson Pollock's *Number 7A, 1948*), the Impressionist and Modern Art Day Sale, and "Defined Space: The Collection of Henry S. McNeil, Jr.," which focuses on Minimalist works by Donald Judd and Dan Flavin. Other consignors include prominent collectors Agnes Gund, Marian Goodman, and Joanna Carson. The public can view works for free from May 9–21.

Designs for a Better Future

Entwürfe für eine bessere Zukunft

The Rimowa Design Prize has awarded its fourth edition to Samuel Nagel and Paul Feiler from the Schwäbisch Gmünd University of Applied Sciences for their bracelet "Nura," which translates sign language into spoken language and converts speech into written text. Other finalists include Jakob Schlenker's bird-shaped device to encourage movement in the elderly, Niklas Henning's harvesting system for restoring moors, Tobias Kremer and Yannick Stilgenbauer's inflatable cooling capsule for use without electricity, and Valerio Sampognaro's lightweight furniture that can both support and lift off. The exhibition runs until May 13 at the Berlin Kulturforum.

Au Louvre, des directeurs de département entre responsabilités internes et rôle national

Maximilien Durand has been reappointed as head of the Department of Byzantine and Eastern Christian Arts at the Louvre Museum, a role that carries both internal museum responsibilities and national duties on behalf of the French state. Two decrees signed by Culture Minister Catherine Pégard formalize his renewal: one as head of the museum department, and another as head of the corresponding major heritage department, a status held by only nine of the Louvre's departments.

Parliamentary Report Outlines Major Issues In French Museums After The Louvre Heist

A French parliamentary commission released a report on May 13 detailing severe security deficiencies in French museums, following a December 2025 heist at the Louvre where French Crown Jewels worth $100 million were stolen. The report, overseen by MPs Alexis Corbière and Alexandre Portier, draws on over 20 hearings and highlights that only 25% of surveyed museums have a finalized security plan, with the Louvre itself criticized for dilapidated conditions and ignored audit warnings from 2017 and 2019 that predicted the thieves' modus operandi. Former Louvre director Laurence des Cars, who resigned in February, faced criticism for delays in implementing a security master plan.

Enter the unsettled space of Asian American abstraction

The Milton Resnick and Pat Passlof Foundation in New York is hosting the exhibition "How Asian Is It?", featuring 12 pioneering East Asian American abstractionists born between 1928 and 1955. Curated by Lilly Wei, the show includes works by Barbara Takenaga, Emily Cheng, Charles Yuen, and David Diao, among others. These artists navigated an art world where downplaying their Asian identities often felt necessary for survival, especially after the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act reshaped US immigration policy. The exhibition explores how their abstraction—marked by attention to interval, pause, and what remains unsaid—reflects a disciplined negotiation with space rather than a shared style or manifesto.

Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian Pavilions Stage Pro-Ukraine Procession During Venice Biennale

On May 6, 2026, the Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian pavilions at the Venice Biennale organized a procession in solidarity with Ukraine, walking approximately one and a half miles from the Lithuanian Pavilion in the Fucina del Futuro to the Estonian pavilion. The action honored Ukrainian cultural workers creating under war conditions and those who have died. It is one of several political protests at the contentious 2026 Biennale, including demonstrations by Pussy Riot and FEMEN at the Russian pavilion, a "Solidarity Drone Chorus" opposing Israel's inclusion, and a planned 24-hour strike by the Art Not Genocide Alliance.

Major protests take place at Venice Biennale previews

Major protests erupted during the preview days of the Venice Biennale, with multiple demonstrations targeting the Israeli and Russian pavilions. On Wednesday, the Art Not Genocide Alliance (ANGA) held a large protest outside the temporary Israeli pavilion in the Arsenale, attended by over 200 people calling for its closure. Separately, the Solidarity Drone Chorus performed a sound composition by Gazan artist Ahmed Muin, with 60 artists wearing T-shirts bearing names of artists from Gaza. Meanwhile, Pussy Riot and FEMEN protested Russian participation, forcing the Russian pavilion to shut its doors. These actions follow the resignation of the entire Golden Lion jury days before the opening, after they stated they would not consider pavilions from countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the ICC—widely seen as a reference to Russia and Israel.

Texas Man Who Orchestrated $20 M. Crypto Scam Based on Fictitious Van Gogh and Picasso Masterpieces Sentenced to 23 Years in Prison

A Houston man, Robert Dunlap, was sentenced to 23 years in federal prison for orchestrating a $20 million cryptocurrency scam. Between 2018 and 2023, Dunlap defrauded nearly 1,000 investors by promoting a digital asset called “Meta-1 Coin,” falsely claiming it was backed by a $1 billion art collection featuring works by Salvador Dalí, Vincent van Gogh, and Pablo Picasso, as well as $44 billion in gold. He used forged legal and insurance documents to conceal that he owned neither the art nor the gold. A federal jury in the Northern District of Illinois convicted him on mail fraud charges in 2025, and US District Judge LaShonda A. Hunt imposed the sentence, also ordering restitution.

Newcastle Art Gallery unveils three new exhibitions

Newcastle Art Gallery in New South Wales, Australia, will open three new exhibitions on May 23, 2026, following its major expansion and reopening in February. The shows include the largest solo exhibition to date by Torres Strait Islander artist Brian Robinson, titled "Multiverse"; the first institutional solo show by Tiyan Baker, "Mouth Mnemonica"; and "The Mordant Family Gift," featuring 25 works donated by philanthropists Simon Mordant AO and Catriona Mordant AM. The gallery has already attracted over 80,000 visitors, surpassing its previous annual record.

Embattled US Venice Biennale Pavilion is Seeking Donations

The American Arts Conservancy (AAC), an organization founded last year by the Trump administration, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to support the United States Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. This comes amid widespread controversy and calls to exclude the US, Russia, and Israel from the event. The AAC website solicits donations starting at $100, claiming a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to restore America's artistic presence abroad. The US government has already contributed $375,000, but the State Department says the total exhibition cost far exceeds that amount. This year's pavilion will feature sculptor Alma Allen, after Barbara Chase-Riboud and William Eggleston declined to participate.

New York's Art Week 2026 is underway. A guide to all the fairs to see in the city: Frieze and the others

È in corso l’Art Week di New York del 2026. La guida di tutte le fiere da vedere in città: Frieze e le altre

New York's spring Art Week is underway in mid-May 2026, anchored by two major fairs: Frieze New York (May 13–17) at The Shed, featuring about 70 galleries from over 25 countries, and TEFAF New York (May 15–19) at the Park Avenue Armory, celebrating its tenth edition with 88 galleries. Additional fairs include Independent Art Fair at Pier 36 (May 14–17) with 76 galleries and site-specific installations, and NADA New York at the Starrett-Lehigh Building (May 13–17), promoting emerging artists. The week also involves museums, cultural institutions, and galleries citywide.

One of the most important galleries in Brazil is in Rome these weeks with an exhibition. The interview

Una delle più importanti gallerie del Brasile in queste settimane è a Roma con una mostra. L’intervista

Brazilian gallery A Gentil Carioca has brought the first Italian solo exhibition of artist Miguel Afa to the Fondazione Capitolina in Rome, in collaboration with the Rhinoceros space. Titled "Il tempo che vive in me" (The Time That Lives in Me), the show features works created during Afa's residency in Rome, exploring themes of time, memory, and light through oil paintings that blend Brazilian and Roman imagery.

James McNeill Whistler was more than just a combative ‘coxcomb’

Carol Jacobi, curator of a new exhibition at Tate Britain in London, aims to reframe the legacy of James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903), an artist often reduced in public memory to his 1877 libel lawsuit against critic John Ruskin. The show, the UK's first full Whistler survey since 1994, highlights his prolific output, evolving style, and belief that art should seek "a more fundamental beauty" beyond mere impression. It brings together many of his celebrated nocturnes and, for the first time, his sketchbooks, though the infamous Nocturne in Black and Gold: The Falling Rocket (1875) could not be loaned.

How Tony Albert’s childhood instinct became a radical art practice

Tony Albert, a Girramay/Yidinji/Kuku-Yalanji artist, has spent his life collecting Aboriginalia—kitsch household items from the mid-20th century that feature naive or racist depictions of Indigenous culture. These objects, including ashtrays, velvet paintings, and figurines, form the basis of his upcoming exhibition *Tony Albert: Not A Souvenir* at the Museum of Contemporary Art, curated by Bruce Johnson McClean. Albert's practice transforms these mass-produced artifacts into a powerful critique of colonization, displacement, and erasure.

Yu-Chi Lyra Kuo Shares a Vision for the Future of Art, Technology, and Creativity

Yu-Chi Lyra Kuo, an entrepreneur, investor, Harvard-educated lawyer, former Princeton academic, and board member of the Shed, shares her vision for integrating frontier technologies like artificial intelligence and robotics into the art world. She argues that these tools can enhance human creativity rather than replace it, drawing on her early experiences with Asian antiquities and her pioneering work in blockchain, including co-founding OpenSea 2.0. The article, based on an interview with CULTURED, traces her journey from collecting a jade gourd as a child to advising tech companies and joining the board of the Shed, a Bloomberg-backed cultural center in Hudson Yards.

Between Tropes and Treats at NADA New York

The 12th annual New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) fair opened at the Starrett-Lehigh Building in Manhattan, featuring a wide array of contemporary works. Critic Rhea Nayyar notes that while many booths felt interchangeable due to prevalent trends like zany sculptures, shiny materials, and kitschy vibrancy, several standout pieces offered genuine engagement. Highlights include Elena Roznovan's maternal ephemera embedded in concrete with bondage tape, Kelly Tapia-Chuning's deconstructed serapes addressing colonial violence, and Niniko Morbedadze's folkloric illustrations.

Discover the Mapplethorpe Snapshot of Peter Berlin Hiding in This São Paulo Gallerist’s Bedroom

Alexandre Gabriel, a partner at São Paulo gallery Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel, opens his home in the Praça da República neighborhood to reveal his personal art collection, which includes works by friends and a Robert Mapplethorpe photograph of Peter Berlin (1976). Gabriel describes how his collection began with gifts from artist friends he met while interning at a film production company in 1996, including Ivens Machado, Luiz Zerbini, Barrão, and Ernesto Neto, and emphasizes that his collection is strictly personal, guided by love and memory rather than market trends.

Here Are the Seven Booths We’re Beelining to at NADA’s 2026 New York Edition

The 12th edition of NADA New York is now open through May 17 at the Starrett-Lehigh building in Chelsea, featuring 120 galleries and nonprofit spaces from around the world. The fair emphasizes intimacy and scale, with presentations ranging from wrestling-scene paintings by Ursula Dilley to miniature landscapes stitched onto shirt cuffs by Chang Suyung, alongside collaborations rooted in regional craft traditions and psychedelic excess. Cultured magazine highlights seven must-see booths, including solo shows by Douglas Rieger and Loucia Carlier, and a transatlantic dialogue between Saenger Galería and COHJU.

Greta Thunberg, Hugh Bonneville sign letter defending Southbank Centre chair Misan Harriman

A petition signed by Greta Thunberg, Hugh Bonneville, and other prominent figures defends Misan Harriman, the photographer and chair of London's Southbank Centre, against what the letter calls a "dishonest smear campaign." The controversy stems from two incidents: Harriman shared a social media post about a stabbing attack in Golders Green, noting that a Muslim victim received less press coverage than two Jewish victims, and later posted a video reflecting on the rise of the right-wing Reform party, citing a conversation about the Holocaust. Right-wing outlets like The Daily Telegraph accused him of equating Reform's electoral success to the Holocaust, leading to widespread backlash. Harriman denies making such equivalences, and nearly 70,000 people have filed complaints with the press regulator IPSO—the largest campaign in its history.

‘Street culture is about revolution’: Brazilian ‘hip-hop’ painter Paulo Nimer Pjota

Brazilian artist Paulo Nimer Pjota, now 37, is preparing for his first UK institutional exhibition, 'Encantados (Enchanted),' at the South London Gallery. The show features 11 new paintings on canvas alongside a large wall drawing, drawing on imagery from ancient civilizations, Brazilian folklore, art history, and children's literature. Pjota, who began painting at age 12 and sold his first work at 15, describes his process as akin to a hip-hop producer sampling diverse sources. His background includes graffiti and hip-hop culture in São José do Rio Prêto, where he trained at a local hip-hop school and collaborated with renowned Brazilian graffiti artists like Os Gêmeos, Ise, and Nunca.

Uri Aran “Untitled (I love you)” at Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Donnaregina – MADRE, Naples

The Fondazione Donnaregina per le arti contemporanee – museo Madre in Naples presents "Untitled (I love you)," the first retrospective in an Italian museum dedicated to American artist Uri Aran (born Jerusalem, 1977). Curated by museum director Eva Fabbris, the exhibition opens on Thursday, February 12, at 6 pm, with President Angela Tecce and the director in attendance.

Kumu to unveil Kristi Kongi's largest solo exhibition 'Chromatic Drift'

Estonian painter Kristi Kongi's largest solo exhibition, 'Chromatic Drift,' will open at the Kumu Art Museum on May 22. The exhibition fills the museum's great hall, courtyard, and windows with new works featuring earthy tones like purple, brown, and burgundy, described by curator Ann Mirjam Vaikla as reflecting the aesthetics of the Anthropocene. The show is accompanied by a book with essays by Sara Garzón, Sirje Helme, and Vaikla, and includes works created during Kongi's residency at Cerámica Suro in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Looking for art, culture? See the latest Central Illinois exhibits

A roundup article highlights current and upcoming art and cultural exhibitions across Central Illinois, featuring venues such as the McLean County Museum of History, Krannert Art Museum, Prairie Aviation Museum, Peoria Riverfront Museum, Eaton Studio Gallery, Illinois Art Station, Illinois State Museum, McLean County Arts Center, Main Gallery 404, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Dickson Mounds Museum, and David Davis Mansion State Historic Site. Specific shows mentioned include "Material Memory" fiber arts show at Brandt Gallery, "Goya's Ghosts" at Armstrong Gallery, "Arts Alive!" auction at Dolan Gallery, "Lincoln: Sight, Sound & Touch" at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, "Ken Kashian Botanical Photography Exhibit" at IAA Credit Union, and "Kelly Pile Pyrography Pop-up Sale" at Main Gallery 404.

Threshold Art Gallery and the Hermitage Museum Present Landmark Exhibition of Contemporary Indian Art

Threshold Art Gallery and the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, are presenting a landmark exhibition of contemporary Indian art titled "Sediments of Becoming: Fossilised Present, Summoned Pasts." Opening on 4 June 2026 and running until 4 October 2026, it is the first dedicated presentation of contemporary Indian art in the Hermitage's 260-year history. The exhibition features works by eleven Indian artists—including Afrah Shafiq, Anindita Bhattacharya, Debashish Mukherjee, Gargi Raina, Lakshmi Madhavan, Manjunath Kamath, Maya Krishna Rao, Pushpamala N., Ravinder Reddy, Sumakshi Singh, and V. Ramesh—several of whom created new commissions after a 2025 residency at the Hermitage. Curated by Marina Schulz and Tunty Chauhan, the show places contemporary works alongside historical objects from the museum's vast collections, fostering a dialogue across time and geography.

Cultural Compass: Cello takes centre stage, Antwerp galleries open their doors and wartime art

This week's cultural agenda in Belgium highlights three major events: the 75th anniversary of the Queen Elisabeth Competition, which focuses on cello for only the third time since 2017, featuring 64 young cellists from over 20 countries; the 12th edition of Antwerp Art Weekend, spanning 88 venues with a strong emphasis on emerging talent and politically engaged works; and a new exhibition at the Permekemuseum exploring Constant Permeke's formative years in wartime England. The competition includes a world premiere of 'Caffeine' by Belgian composer Harold Noben, and the winner will receive the use of Pablo Casals' historic 1733 Goffriller cello.