Curiosities at the 2026 Venice Biennale: the Tanzania Pavilion is full of Italian artists

Curiosità alla Biennale di Venezia 2026: il Padiglione della Tanzania è pieno di artisti italiani

The Tanzania Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, titled "Minor Frequencies: The Inner Life of a Nation," features a significant number of Italian artists alongside Tanzanian voices. Curated by Lorna Benedict Mashiba and Martina Cavallarin, the exhibition is housed across the Gervasuti Foundation, Palazzo Canova, and Supernova in Cannaregio. It includes works by 14 Italian artists such as Alice Andreoli, Christian Balzano, and Silvia Canton, as well as artists from Europe and Asia, while centering the practices of Tanzanian artists like Turakella Editha Gyindo, Lazaro Samuel, Valerie Asiimwe Amani, and Amani Abeid.

The Syrian Pavilion returns to Venice after the fall of the regime. The interview

A Venezia torna il Padiglione della Siria dopo il crollo del regime. L’intervista

The Syrian Pavilion returns to the Venice Biennale after the fall of the regime, marking the country's first participation since 2024. The pavilion, curated by artist Sara Shamma, is housed in the former refrigerated warehouses of Santa Marta at the Iuav University of Venice and runs until November 22. It features an installation inspired by the ancient funerary towers of Palmyra, combining painting, architecture, light, sound, and scent to explore cultural heritage and the restitution of looted antiquities.

The Works of Alfredo Pirri for the Very First Exhibition of the Polytropon Arts Center in Tuscany

Le opere di Alfredo Pirri per la primissima mostra del Polytropon Arts Center in Toscana

The Polytropon Arts Center, founded by Greek-born architect Maria Papadaki Badanjak, opens its inaugural exhibition "Quello che avanza" featuring works by Italian artist Alfredo Pirri. The venue, a converted former spinning mill located between Pelago and Pontassieve near Florence, hosts the show through June 21, 2025. The exhibition includes 144 cyanotypes created between 2014 and 2017, along with Pirri's "Arie" series in plexiglass, crystal, feathers, and colors. The show is accompanied by a musical program curated by artistic director Andrea Cavallari, with concerts scheduled for May 17 and June 21. Pirri and Cavallari previously collaborated in 2019 at the Museo Novecento in Florence as part of the "Firenze Suona Contemporanea" festival.

The 15th-century Ca' Giustinian Faccanon reopens in Venice. It will be a space for exhibitions and events

A Venezia riapre il quattrocentesco Ca’ Giustinian Faccanon. Sarà uno spazio per mostre ed eventi

The historic Ca' Giustinian Faccanon, a rare example of Venetian Gothic architecture in the San Marco district, has reopened in Venice after over a year of restoration work. The 15th-century palace, acquired by entrepreneur Andrea Parisotto, will now serve as a space for exhibitions and events managed by Art Events and Cultural Real Estate Studio. During the 61st Venice Biennale, it will host the Vietnam Pavilion with the exhibition "Arte nel flusso globale" curated by Do Tuong Linh, marking Vietnam's first official participation, as well as a solo show by Korean sculptor Shim Moon-Seup titled "Harnessed From Nature."

Apre a Venezia una nuova fondazione per l’arte. Il progetto dell’artista curdo Ahmet Güneştekin a Palazzo Gradenigo

Kurdish artist Ahmet Güneştekin has opened a new foundation in Venice at Palazzo Gradenigo, a 16th-century building in the Castello district. The foundation's inaugural exhibition, titled "Sessizlik/Silenzio/Silence," will open on May 6 during the Venice Biennale. The show features 11 new bronze sculptures and 11 oil paintings. The palace, closed to the public for 17 years, was purchased by the artist and is undergoing a conservative restoration led by architects Alberto Torsello and Elisa Santoro, set to complete by late 2026. The foundation, entirely self-funded through sales of Güneştekin's works and royalties, aims to provide exhibition and training opportunities for young artists, especially from Turkey, in an international context.

Elevating High Fashion. Issey Miyake and Ensamble Studio Together at Fuorisalone 2026

Valorizzare l’alta sartoria. Issey Miyake e Ensamble Studio insieme al Fuorisalone 2026

Satoshi Kondo, a director at the Miyake Design Studio, has partnered with the Madrid-based architecture firm Ensamble Studio to explore the creative potential of the Paper Log, a byproduct of Issey Miyake's signature pleating process. The collaboration will culminate in an exhibition titled 'The Paper Log: Shell and Core' during the 2026 Fuorisalone in Milan, featuring prototype furniture and sculptural forms made from the compressed paper rolls and unfolded pleated paper.

Mexico to Divert Train Route After Cave Art Discovery

Archaeologists in Mexico discovered 16 pre-Hispanic paintings and petroglyphs along the planned route of a high-speed passenger train connecting Mexico City to Querétaro. The discovery, made in the state of Hidalgo, includes rock art dating from 4,000 years ago to the Postclassic period (900-1521 CE), with imagery linked to Aztec deities and the Toltec city of Tula. In response, President Claudia Sheinbaum announced the $8 billion train project will be rerouted to preserve the ancient site.

Seeing with Heat: 5 Works Against the Thermal Camera's Gaze in Pavia

Vedere con il calore: a Pavia 5 opere contro lo sguardo della termocamera

The University of Pavia is hosting a specialized study day and exhibition on April 30, 2026, titled "Thermal Imaging and Visual Culture." The event explores how artists are reclaiming thermal imaging—a technology originally developed for military surveillance and pandemic control—to transform it into a medium for creative expression. By showcasing five specific works, the program examines the tension between the camera's role as a tool for dehumanized monitoring and its potential as a vehicle for artistic resistance.

In Lucca, the Perfect Exhibition to Rediscover the Talent of Painter Emilio Malerba

A Lucca c’è la mostra perfetta per riscoprire il talento del pittore Emilio Malerba

The Fondazione Ragghianti in Lucca is hosting a major retrospective dedicated to Emilio Malerba, a key member of the Novecento Italiano movement who died a century ago. Curated by Paolo Bolpagni and Elena Pontiggia, the exhibition marks the first solo presentation of Malerba’s work since 1931. The showcase spans his early career in commercial advertising for brands like Amaro Ramazzotti to his mature paintings that lean toward Magic Realism, featuring intimate portraits that prioritize psychological depth over narrative.

Peep the Wildest Costumes of This Year’s Easter Bonnet Parade

New York City’s Fifth Avenue was transformed into a vibrant public gallery on April 5, 2026, for the annual Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival. Participants gathered outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral to showcase elaborate, hand-crafted headpieces ranging from Eduardo Escobar’s rotating 'Trip to the Moon' hat to Shayna Strype’s hot-air balloon ensemble. The event featured a diverse array of creators, including climate-conscious artist Cristian Pietrapiana and mixed-media sculptor Gail Trunick, who utilized the street as a stage for avant-garde millinery and performance art.

Pride of place: the rise of LGBTQ+ art in Hong Kong

Hong Kong's art scene is witnessing a significant rise in the visibility and institutional embrace of LGBTQ+ art, particularly during its annual Art Week. Exhibitions like the Sunpride Foundation's 'Myth Makers—Spectrosynthesis III' at Tai Kwun Contemporary have acted as major accelerants, moving queer discourse from semi-private contexts into prominent public institutions.

CONDUCTOR Is New York’s First Art Fair Committed to the Global Majority

A new art fair called CONDUCTOR: Art Fair of the Global Majority will launch in Brooklyn from April 30 to May 3, 2026. Hosted at Powerhouse Arts, the inaugural edition will feature 27 gallery exhibitors and 17 special projects dedicated to artists from Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Oceania, and Indigenous Nations worldwide.

Magnum Gallery Celebrates the Enduring Vision of Martin Parr

Magnum Gallery in Paris is opening a solo exhibition titled "Martin Parr: In Plain View" from March 28 to June 6, 2026, dedicated to the late English photographer Martin Parr. The show features works from his three-decade tenure with the Magnum Photos cooperative, tracing his evolution from black-and-white documentary work to his influential color photography, and includes archival materials and interactive experiences.

Meet the First Cohort of Haystack’s Artist Grant Initiative

The Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, supported by the Windgate Foundation, has announced the eight recipients of its inaugural Artist Grant Initiative. Each emerging artist received an unrestricted $10,000 grant and participated in an online mentorship program with artists Vivian Chiu and Cedric Mitchell. The 2025 cohort, selected by jurors Curtis Arima and Annie Evelyn, includes Aminata Conteh, David Gutierrez, Payton Harris-Woodard, Celina Hernandez, Jason McDonald, Alex Paat, David Vuong, and Tzyy Yi (Amy) Young.

Almine Rech reopens in London with downsized gallery

International dealer Almine Rech is reopening in London with a downsized first-floor space in Mayfair, near Sotheby's on George Street, after closing her former London gallery in August and putting the UK business into voluntary liquidation. The new venue, roughly a quarter of the size of the previous one, will operate by appointment starting next month, showcasing curated presentations of 20th- and 21st-century works. A new company, Almine Rech Advisory, was registered on 30 September, with Rech as the controlling person and Maximilian Lefort as director. The liquidation was described as a technical step to restructure a lease that no longer aligned with the gallery's plans; Companies House filings showed a deficit of £6.3m, mostly from intercompany and shareholder loans, with no unpaid obligations to artists, employees, or suppliers.

Tariqa Waters' 'Venus is Missing' at the Seattle Art Museum Tasks Visitors With a Galactic Mission

Tariqa Waters' immersive installation 'Venus is Missing' has opened at the Seattle Art Museum, running through January 5, 2026. The exhibition, which won Waters the museum's Betty Bowen Award in 2023, invites visitors to 'beam' into a futuristic cosmic world via a transporter beam of light. The gallery features a pink retro-futuristic spaceship, an 8-foot-tall ball-barrette sculpture, and a vinyl image of Waters' daughter, all set to staticky music blending Herbie Hancock and Luther Vandross. The installation draws from science fiction, music, and Waters' childhood memories, exploring themes of vulnerability and connection through her signature humor and pop art sensibility.

A pink rocket ship and other sci-fi elements fuel Seattle artist’s latest exhibit

Seattle artist Tariqa Waters presents her first solo exhibition with sci-fi elements, titled "Venus is Missing," at the Seattle Art Museum from May 7, 2025 through January 5, 2026. The show features a retro-futuristic pink rocket ship and oversized glass sculptures of ball barrettes—elastic hair ties from the 1970s and '80s—arranged as constellations. Waters won the Betty Bowen Award in 2023, which led to this exhibition, and she used the extra preparation time to create an immersive narrative about vulnerability, nostalgia, and escape. The exhibition also connects to her upcoming book "WHO RAISED YOU? A Martyr Sauce Guide To Etiquette," published by Minor Matters Books.

Final Ivan Wheale art exhibition and sale at Perivale Gallery attracts large crowd

The Perivale Gallery in Spring Bay, Ontario, hosted the final exhibition of renowned Manitoulin artist Ivan Wheale, titled 'THROUGH IVAN’S EYES - A NORTHERN VISION LIVES ON.' Wheale, who passed away in September, had been a fixture at the gallery for over four decades. The opening featured his last works, including 'Tranquility,' his final completed painting, which he finished from his hospice bed. An unfinished piece sat on his custom easel, marking the end of a long tradition of annual shows.

Reba Hore’s centenary exhibition in Kolkata spotlights her art of dizziness of the daily

The Waypoint café in Kolkata is hosting "Spring Time," a centenary exhibition dedicated to the late artist Reba Hore, in association with Seagull. The show features Hore's vibrant, abstract canvases that capture what is described as the 'dizziness of the daily'—scenes of ordinary life rendered with hurried, furious strokes and deep emotion. The exhibition runs until May 24, offering visitors a chance to view her work in a relaxed café setting.

Serakai Studio unveils dreamedcore, a multi-sensorial exhibition exploring digital nostalgia in Hong Kong

Serakai Studio presents 'dreamedcore', its second exhibition at GOLD in Hong Kong's Wong Chuk Hang district, running from June 6 to August 1. Curated by Shirley Lau and Tobias Berge, the show blends an art exhibition, concept store, and runway format to explore digital-age nostalgia through the lens of 'dreamcore' aesthetics—drawing on 1990s and early 2000s visual textures. Featuring 22 emerging multi-disciplinary artists and creative practitioners from across Asia, including Li Shuang, Wong Ping, and Peng Ke, the exhibition is divided into two chapters: 'The Lure' and 'The Twist', with a central runway stage, ambient lighting, and a mini cinema screening a video by Wong Ping.

Night and Day — Thai and Norwegian street art collide in Bangkok

Thai street artist MUEBON (Danaiphat Lertputtarakarn) and Norwegian stencil artist Martin Whatson have opened a joint exhibition titled "Night and Day" at Sphere Gallery in Bangkok. The show, running from April 28 to May 12, 2026, features a collision of their distinct styles—MUEBON's playful, socially charged cartoon characters and Whatson's layered stencil work with a signature "decay" aesthetic—presented through graffiti, sculpture, and immersive installations. The project took two years to prepare, with the artists exchanging works across time zones in a process akin to sending letters.

New art exhibition to open at town gallery

A new solo exhibition titled 'Make Light of It' by artist Anna Simmons opens at The Little Gallery in Marlborough. The show features oil paintings depicting bus stops and escalators, focusing on the interplay of light and darkness in everyday urban settings.

Palma: The Conference of the Palm Trees. Artist Mehdi-Georges Lahlou and curator Virginie Puertolas-Syn.

French-Moroccan artist Mehdi-Georges Lahlou opened his first solo exhibition in Singapore and Asia, curated by Virginie Puertolas-Syn. The exhibition, conceptually linked to the 12th-century Sufi poem 'The Conference of the Birds,' uses the palm tree as a central motif to explore themes of displacement, colonial history, and constructed landscapes.

Art-in the-Park in Uvongo draws crowd

The South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal is experiencing a surge in artistic activity this holiday season, anchored by the popular monthly Art-in-the-Park event in Uvongo. Local art club Art by the Sea, which has fostered South African talent for over 50 years, is holding a season-long exhibition at the Southcoast Mall, while the Margate Art Museum and Sands Gallery are hosting concurrent showcases of regional painting and sculpture.

Art Leven to open new Woolloomooloo gallery featuring First Nations works

Art Leven, formerly known as Cooee Art, has officially opened its new multi-level, purpose-built gallery space in Woolloomooloo, Sydney. The relocation marks a significant new chapter for one of Australia’s oldest fine art galleries dedicated to First Nations artists. The inaugural program features a major solo exhibition of paintings by Pintupi artist Mitjili Napanangka Gibson titled "The Places That Know Us," alongside "Gatherings," a group exhibition of bronze and aluminium sculptures produced in collaboration with Urban Art Projects.

2026 MFA Thesis Exhibition

The University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa is hosting its 2026 MFA Thesis Exhibition from March 7 to March 29 at The Art Gallery. The showcase features the culminating work of five Master of Fine Arts candidates: Diane Chen, Ashley Jeneé Collins, Caroline Holmes, Sheldon Wong, and Mia Zheng. The exhibition represents the final requirement for the terminal degree in visual arts, highlighting a diverse range of practices from personal narratives to broader contextual explorations.

Emma Donnersberg to open Paris gallery

Interior designer Emma Donnersberg will open her first Paris gallery on 20 October 2025 in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The inaugural exhibition will feature paintings by Mexican artist Ileana García Magoda alongside new furniture pieces by Donnersberg, including the Marigold sofa and chairs from her Cloud and Rainbow collections. Donnersberg, who studied at Tulane University and Parsons School of Design, began her career at Christie’s in New York and Paris before founding E. Donnersberg Interiors in Manhattan in 2008.

Berlin Museum to Return Almost 600 Skulls

Berliner Museum will fast 600 Schädel zurückgeben

The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation in Berlin has announced plans to repatriate hundreds of human skulls to West African nations following a multi-year provenance investigation. The research identified the origins of 574 skulls, with 336 linked to present-day Cameroon, 151 to Togo, 23 to Ghana, and one to Nigeria, while 63 could not be precisely located. The skulls were part of a historical anthropological collection transferred from Berlin's Charité university hospital in 2011.

What You Shouldn't Miss at Art Düsseldorf

Das sollten Sie auf der Art Düsseldorf nicht verpassen

The eighth edition of Art Düsseldorf is set to launch at the Areal Böhler with its most diverse lineup to date, featuring 119 galleries. This year's iteration marks a significant organizational shift with the appointment of Gilles Neiens as the fair's first Artistic Director, a role created to oversee the event's curatorial and programmatic direction. The fair continues to balance its strong regional roots in the Rhineland with an increasingly international selection of painting, sculpture, and experimental works.

La tour Perret, premier gratte-ciel en béton armé d’Europe, renaît à Grenoble après 60 ans de fermeture

The Tour Perret in Grenoble, Europe's first reinforced concrete skyscraper, will reopen to the public on July 11, 2026, after being closed since the 1960s. Designed by Auguste Perret in 1925 for the International Exhibition of White Coal and Tourism, the 95-meter tower has undergone a complex restoration led by heritage architect François Botton, addressing water infiltration and corrosion while preserving its original character.