Animated Bodies

Animierte Körper

Latefa Wiersch presents her exhibition "Atlas Studios" at the Istituto Svizzero in Rome, featuring unsettling, puppet-like sculptures that resemble film sets. The works explore themes of bodily helplessness, imperfection, and geopolitical displacement, drawing on her earlier project "Hannibal" at the Dortmunder Kunstverein, which addressed post-migrant German realities and the demolition of a housing complex. The new installation references the Atlas Studios in Ouarzazate, Morocco, and the history of cinema, with figures made from rags and nylon stockings that appear as actors or set workers.

Diego Gualandris “Floralia” at ADA, Rome

Diego Gualandris presents "Floralia" at ADA gallery in Rome, an exhibition that explores themes of growth, nature, and human intervention through a poetic lens. The show features works that evoke the cycle of life and decay, using floral motifs to reflect on the fragility of existence and the tension between natural processes and external forces.

Opening Reception | 21st Annual SDSU Art Council Scholarship Exhibition | Athenaeum Art Center

The Athenaeum Art Center in San Diego is hosting the 21st Annual SDSU Art Council Scholarship Exhibition from May 16 to July 3, 2026, with an opening reception on May 16. The exhibition features new work by five graduate and undergraduate students from San Diego State University's School of Art and Design: Andrea Mendoza, Tina Mardan, Todd Bradley, Ana Saad, and Isa Ybarra. Their works explore themes of the body as a site of history, resistance, and reinvention, addressing chronic pain, immigrant memory, queerness, and colonial boundaries through diverse media including painting, metalsmithing, photography, installation, clay, fiber, and printmaking.

Between heroes, anti-heroes and pure humanity: an exhibition in Rome becomes a metaphor for the current crisis

Tra eroi, antieroi e pura umanità una mostra a Roma diventa metafora della crisi attuale

The Museo di Roma Palazzo Braschi in Rome is hosting "It's Happening Again," a solo exhibition by artist Adrian Tranquilli, curated by Studio Stefania Miscetti and running until May 24. The show presents new works including the monumental sculpture "Endsong" (2025), a black monolith inspired by Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey" covered in hundreds of Joker faces, and a large pop-up book titled "My Little White Book" (2026). Tranquilli's pieces, often built from playing cards, explore themes of power, fragility, and the instability of cultural symbols.

Maine College of Art & Design Presents the 2026 MFA Thesis Exhibition

Maine College of Art & Design (MECA&D), in collaboration with the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) at MECA&D, presents the 2026 MFA Thesis Exhibition, showcasing the culminating work of nine graduate candidates in the Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art program. The exhibition features artists Abigail G. Cloutier, Harley Ngai Grieco, Molly Knobloch, Stephen Medeiros, Darby Miller, Dylan Ouellette, Caitlin Perrigo, Jonathan Spath, and Isaac L. Stern, working across ceramics, drawings, photography, prints, sculpture, sound, and video installations. The show runs from May 7–16, 2026, at the ICA in Portland, Maine.

A giugno 2026 a Pietrasanta apre il Museo Igor Mitoraj. Opere dell’artista ma anche mostre

The article announces the opening of the Museo Igor Mitoraj in Pietrasanta, Italy, scheduled for June 6, 2026, after several years of delays. The museum is the first space entirely dedicated to the Polish sculptor Igor Mitoraj, who died in 2014 and was known for transforming Tuscan marble into works blending classical forms with fragmented, contemporary themes. Designed by OBR, Politecnica, and Studio Lumine, the museum results from collaboration between the Italian Ministry of Culture, the Municipality of Pietrasanta, and the artist's heirs, united in the Fondazione Museo Igor Mitoraj. Frank Boehm, director of the foundation, envisions the space as a research-oriented center that will engage with different artistic languages and contemporary issues, not limited to Mitoraj's work alone.

Evidence of Evolution at QUEUE Gallery, Miami

QUEUE Gallery in Miami is presenting 'Evidence of Evolution,' a two-person exhibition featuring Fharid LaTorre’s hand-carved wood and metal sculptures alongside Jamieson Pearl’s oil-on-linen paintings. LaTorre’s works, such as 'showing slivers & taking off skin for sake of dopamine layer of diophantine equations' (2026), use scavenged metal and burl wood to evoke surgical transformations and bodily stress, while Pearl’s paintings depict glitch-blocked internet microcelebrities and screenshots from LiveLeak pornos, rendered freehand in distorted blocks. The show runs at QUEUE’s new location above Tunnel Projects in Miami.

On Being American: Contemporary Artworks, Echoes of the Past

From May 13 to June 20, 2026, Lippitt House Museum in Providence, Rhode Island, will host an exhibition titled "On Being American: Contemporary Artworks, Echoes of the Past." The show features new works by five local contemporary artists—Susan Hardy, Steven Easton, Amalia Galdona Broche, Lynne Harlow, and McDonald Wright—who draw on the museum's architecture, period, and stories to explore themes of American identity. A special opening reception and artist talk will take place on May 13, with additional open house hours throughout the run.

Fashion Loves Art: All of the Exhibitions to See at the 2026 Venice Biennale

The article, published by L'Officiel Art, provides a guide to fashion-brand-sponsored exhibitions at the 2026 Venice Biennale. It highlights projects by luxury houses including Bottega Veneta, Louis Vuitton, Zegna, and Bvlgari, framing them as unmissable cultural events within the broader Biennale program.

United Asian American Alliance hosts 3rd Annual AAPI Art Exhibit

The United Asian American Alliance hosted the 3rd Annual AAPI Art Exhibit at the Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington, a month-long showcase of Asian American creativity and heritage. Curated by artist Joan Kim Suzuki, the exhibition features works in painting, mixed media, photography, and textile that explore themes of memory, identity, migration, and belonging. The opening reception welcomed distinguished guests including Tracey Edwards, New York State NAACP Vice President, and actor Lisa Yang, a Golden Horse Award nominee.

Interconnectedness through Indigenous art

Seven local Indigenous artists were featured in this year's Indigenous Art exhibition at Gallery 121 in Belleville, Ontario. The exhibition, curated by Maureen Swann, showcased works including Tyler Tabobondung Rushnell's painting "Howling into the Sunset," alongside pieces by Mohawk artists David R. Maracle, Janice Brant, and Jennifer Brant, among others. The artists emphasized personal storytelling, cultural heritage, and the use of traditional materials and themes.

Pavlina Vagioni Oikeiōsis: A Greek Artist Asks Venice to Remember How to Belong

Pavlina Vagioni's exhibition *Oikeiōsis*, presented by the Hellenic Diaspora Foundation at the Venice Biennale, takes its name from a Stoic concept about recognizing belonging and expanding care outward. The show is structured in two rooms: the first, named Neikos (strife), features a fragmented plexiglass cube that reflects visitors in multiplied form, evoking separation. The second, Philotes (harmony), contains warm rock-salt seats and a layered vocal soundscape that activates the Tartini effect—a psychoacoustic phenomenon where two frequencies produce a phantom third tone, symbolizing collective kinship. The salt seats will physically change over the Biennale's six-month run, accumulating the memory of each visitor.

A Firenze nasce la “nuova” istituzione GAMB che riunisce la Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze e i Musei del Bargello (con nuovo logo d’autore)

A new museum institution called GAMB (Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze e Musei del Bargello) has been established in Florence, unifying seven cultural sites under a single autonomous museum system. The sites include the Galleria dell’Accademia, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Orsanmichele, Casa Martelli, Palazzo Davanzati, Cappelle Medicee, and the former Church of San Procolo. A new visual identity designed by Milanese studio Migliore+Servetto features a pictogram that maps the geographic distribution of the venues, along with a custom typeface and color palette unique to each location. The launch also coincides with the start of a public restoration project for the base of Benvenuto Cellini’s *Perseo* at the Bargello, open to visitors from May 12 to September 5, 2026.

Window to the past: Worcester history on show in Denholm installation

A new public art installation titled “Uniquely Worcester: Celebrating Worcester’s Past & Present” has opened in the windows of the Denholm Building in Worcester, Massachusetts. The exhibition features work from 10 local artists across eight front windows, highlighting the city’s history through themes such as sports, the arts, and notable figures like rocket pioneer Robert Goddard, Valentine card popularizer Esther Howland, and smiley face creator Harvey Ball. One window showcases Abu Mwenye’s vibrant paintings inspired by his Kenyan and Tanzanian heritage, while another displays musical instruments spanning 250 years, including a rope drum from the American Revolution and a guitar made at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The installation runs throughout 2026 and was organized by project manager Melissa Mattson.

Public Tour | Graduation Weekend Tour: Looking Back Toward the Future

The Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum at Washington University in St. Louis is hosting a public tour on May 14, 2026, as part of its Graduation Weekend programming. The tour will explore the exhibition "Looking Back Toward the Future: Contemporary Photography from China," which features over forty large-scale photographs by fourteen Chinese artists created between 1993 and 2006. The exhibition is organized into three thematic sections—The Presence of the Past, East and West, and Performance and the Body—examining how artists used photography and performance to critique China's post-1989 sociopolitical and cultural shifts. This is the first time these works are on view at the museum, and they represent a significant recent addition to its contemporary Chinese art collection.

'Father' exhibit to make US debut at Armenian Museum. When it opens

The Armenian Museum of America in Watertown, Massachusetts, will debut the exhibition “Father” by internationally acclaimed artist Diana Markosian, running from May 29 to September 13. The show uses photography, archival materials, video, and text to document Markosian’s journey to reconnect with her estranged father, exploring themes of family, memory, and identity. Curated by Anahit Gasparyan, the exhibition is co-produced by Les Rencontres d’Arles and Foam, Amsterdam, and sponsored by the JHM Charitable Foundation. A private member preview on May 28 will feature a conversation between the artist and curator.

Doosan Yonkang Foundation Backs Venice Korean Pavilion

The Doosan Yonkang Foundation has announced its sponsorship of the Korean Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale, which will take place from May 9 to November 22, 2026, at Giardini Park in Venice, Italy. The Korean Pavilion, titled "Liberation Space: Fortress and Nest," explores political events and historical transitions in Korean society from 1945 to the present, under the artistic direction of Choi Bitna. Participating artists include Noh Hyeri and Choi Goeun, along with fellows such as novelist Han Kang, farmer and activist Kim Huju, writer and singer Lee Lang, photographer Hwang Yeji, and artist Christian Nyampeta. Notably, Noh Hyeri and Choi Bitna are alumni of the foundation's support programs, Doosan Art Lab and Doosan Curator Workshop, respectively.

New film about forgers is ‘Miami Vice’ for the art-world crowd

The article reviews 'Forge', a new crime thriller directed by Jing Ai Ng, which follows Chinese American siblings Coco and Raymond Zhang who forge early 20th-century landscape paintings and sell them as authentic works in South Florida. The film features FBI agent Emily (Kelly Marie Tran) investigating the scheme, while the forgers navigate a world of wealthy collectors, a hurricane-destroyed art collection, and a family legacy of deception. The movie is described as 'Miami Vice' for the art-world crowd, with a dusky palette and pulsing soundtrack set against the backdrop of Art Basel Miami Beach's booming art market.

Spain, sculpted in sand at Tottori museum’s landmark 20th exhibition

The Tottori Sand Museum in Japan has opened its 20th anniversary exhibition, themed around Spain. The show features monumental sand sculptures recreating iconic Spanish landmarks, including several of Antoni Gaudí's structures, most notably the Sagrada Familia basilica. The exhibition began last month and will run through January 3, continuing the museum's tradition of annual themed displays that began outdoors in 2006 and moved to a dedicated indoor building in 2012.

International Museum Day: Museum of Art and Photography showcases botany, history and social media

The Museum of Art and Photography (MAP) in Bangalore, India, celebrated International Museum Day by presenting a special showcase that weaves together themes of botany, history, and social media. The exhibition highlights how plant life has been depicted in art across centuries, from historical botanical illustrations to contemporary digital works, and explores the intersection of nature, culture, and online platforms.

‘Art is story, and stories save lives’: In St. Walburg, a travelling exhibit gives voice to stories often left untold

The Susan Velder Gallery and More in St. Walburg, Saskatchewan, is hosting 'Invisible Winds: Stories You Can Not See, Journeys toward Wholeness,' a traveling exhibition curated through the Organization of Saskatchewan Arts Councils (OSAC). Featuring 19 local artists, the show explores hidden emotional realities such as adoption, PTSD, trauma, and resilience through mixed-media works, including Holly Hildebrand's textured portraits 'Ghosts and Shadows: Heather' and 'Ghosts and Shadows: Teanna.' Visitors are encouraged to scan QR codes to hear artists' stories, and many return multiple times to absorb the heavy themes.

The painter who pulls light from the darkness

Toronto-based artist Laura Findlay presents *Night Vision*, a solo exhibition at Glenhyrst Art Gallery in Brantford, Ontario, featuring ethereal oil paintings of nocturnal garden scenes. Using an Old Masters subtractive technique, Findlay applies dark glazes and wipes away pigment to create luminous images of birds, blooms, and bats that appear to emerge from darkness. The show runs through the spring of 2026.

in venice, ukrainian artists reclaim joy with tender force

The article reports on 'Still Joy — From Ukraine Into the World,' a collateral exhibition at the 61st Venice Biennale presented by the Victor Pinchuk Foundation and PinchukArtCentre. The show features works by Ukrainian artists including Malashchuk & Khimei, Simone Post, and Zhanna Kadyrova, exploring themes of joy, survival, and resilience amid war. Highlights include a two-channel video juxtaposing a Kyiv rave before and after Russia's full-scale invasion, letters from Ukrainian soldiers printed on foam panels, and installations that transform everyday objects into meditations on sweetness and endurance.

'Cheaper parcel post and paintings' at 1301SW, Melbourne, Australia on 23 May–27 Jun 2026

The article describes an upcoming exhibition titled 'Cheaper parcel post and paintings' at 1301SW gallery in Melbourne, Australia, running from 23 May to 27 Jun 2026. The exhibition is listed on Ocula.com, an art platform, though the full article text is blocked by a security verification page, preventing detailed reading of the show's content or artists involved.

Photo Gallery: The artists behind UTRGV’s senior art exhibition ‘sonder’

The article is a photo gallery showcasing the senior art exhibition 'sonder' at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). It features the work of graduating art students, highlighting their individual projects and creative processes as part of their final academic showcase.

Creativity as Curation

Yalin Hu, a Creative Director, has led several international exhibition projects over the past year, including "Infinite Weave" during New York Design Week (NYCxDESIGN Festival), the online exhibition "Unraveling" during London Design Festival, and "Touching the Void" at The Blanc Gallery in New York. In May 2026, she will lead "Becoming" at Artech Space in New York. Hu approaches each project as a complete creative system, focusing on theme development, spatial structure, audience journey, and cross-media integration, blending art, design, digital technology, and public experience.

Before We Knew Better or We Should All Know Better

The article reviews "Before We Knew Better," a group exhibition at Elise Seigenthaler Gallery featuring artists Sarah Bedford, Day Brièrre, Josiah Ellner, and Léa LeFloc'h. The critic reflects on the show's thematic framing around narrative, folklore, and personal mythology, while expressing frustration with its open-endedness and lack of clear intent. Specific works are discussed, including Ellner's psychedelic unicorn paintings, LeFloc'h's enigmatic works on paper, Bedford's nocturnal flowers, and Brièrre's intricate ceramics, though the critic notes the installation does not always serve the pieces well.

The Venice Biennale of Art has begun! The pavilions you should not miss this year

The Venice Biennale of Art has officially opened, showcasing national pavilions and exhibitions from around the world. The article highlights key pavilions that visitors should prioritize this year, offering a curated guide to the most notable presentations at the prestigious international art event.

'Optical debris': Be transported to a world of light and shadows at unique art exhibit

Two Vancouver-based artists, Emilie Fantuz and Gillian Richards, are showcasing their work in a joint exhibition titled "Liminal City" at the Pendulum Gallery in downtown Vancouver. The show explores the effects of light and shadow in painting, with Fantuz focusing on what she calls "optical debris"—bursts of light and shadows that fracture contemporary vision—while Richards highlights transitional urban spaces and functional architecture, elevating overlooked everyday scenes. Fantuz, who is completing her MFA at Emily Carr University, has shifted from detailed neighborhood paintings to abstract studies of light and perception, often filtered through windows and screens. Richards, a former scenic artist in the film industry, uses photography as a starting point to capture intimate views of utilitarian structures.

Sonoma Valley Museum of Art opens two new exhibits celebrating the queer identity

The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art has opened two new exhibitions celebrating queer identity, memory, and community. "John Paul Morabito: Dancing in the Night" features large-scale woven works by transdisciplinary artist John Paul Morabito, using linen, cotton, gold-leaf threads, and beadwork inspired by queer history, resistance, and celebration. The second exhibition, "Norma I. Quintana: Paradise of Memory / Paraíso de la Memoria," presents a portrait series by photographer Norma I. Quintana that examines memory, identity, and cultural heritage, recreating hand-painted backdrops from her family's photographs to honor her community. Both exhibitions run through September 6.