Artists accuse Whitney Museum of censorship for cancelling pro-Palestine performance

The Whitney Museum of American Art has been accused of censorship by artists Fadl Fakhouri, Noel Maghathe, and Fargo Tbakhi after canceling their performance titled *No Aesthetics Outside my Freedom: Mourning, Militancy and Performance*, scheduled for May 14 as part of the exhibition *A Grammar of Attention*. The museum cited the work's "exclusionary and inflammatory" content, referencing a prior iteration where Tbakhi called for those who believe in Israel or America to leave the audience and valorized specific acts of violence. The artists argue the cancellation is an act of anti-Palestinian censorship, while the museum claims the decision was necessary to uphold its policies. In response, Sara Nadal-Melsió, associate director of the Whitney Independent Study Program (ISP), canceled a related critical studies symposium, and the ISP cohort alleged the museum surveilled and intervened in their work.

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.

The Berlin art legend who found his calling in sneaking into other artists’ shows

Patrick Jambon, a 58-year-old French performance artist living in Berlin, has spent the past 25 years attending gallery openings as a continuous performance piece he calls his 'gallery project.' Dressed in a bright red T-shirt, cartoonish metal-framed glasses, and carrying a yellow bike helmet, he visits dozens of galleries daily, compiling opening lists from websites and social media. His project has become so embedded in the city's art scene that his handwritten lists are now exhibited in spaces like Berlin-Weekly, and artists such as Ae Hee Lee note that 'you aren't a real Berlin artist if you don't know him.'

The World's Most-Visited Museums – and Why Germany is Falling Behind

Die meistbesuchten Museen weltweit – und warum Deutschland hinterherhinkt

The Art Newspaper's 2025 ranking of the world's most-visited museums reveals a global landscape dominated by institutions in Paris, Seoul, London, and New York. The Louvre leads with just over nine million visitors, followed by the Vatican Museums and Seoul's National Museum of Korea, which doubled its attendance to 6.5 million. Notable trends include strong post-pandemic recoveries at New York's MoMA and the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg, while London's Tate Modern and National Gallery still lag significantly behind their 2019 numbers.

The Situation of the National Museum of Natural History

La situation du Muséum national d’Histoire Naturelle

The New Museum in New York is undergoing a significant physical and institutional expansion, signaling a new chapter for the contemporary art landmark. This 'change of scale' involves architectural developments designed to increase exhibition space and enhance the visitor experience, reflecting the institution's growing influence in the global art scene.

At the Grand Palais, the Paris Book Festival Puts Comics in the Spotlight

Au Grand Palais, le Festival du livre de Paris met la bande dessinée à l’honneur

The Festival du livre de Paris returns to the Grand Palais from April 17 to 19, 2026, marking a continued transformation from a massive trade fair into a curated cultural event. This year’s edition features 450 publishers and places a significant emphasis on comic books (BD), highlighted by two thematic exhibitions on the Balcon d’Honneur and a dedicated youth village. The program also includes a culinary-themed nocturne and the "Cabaret Extra!" performance series produced in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou.

Mischief’s Genius Ads for NPR Provoke Urgent Questions About the Right to Information

In mid-2025, the Trump administration rescinded $9 billion in public media funding, including $1.1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CBP), which subsequently voted to dissolve. While NPR stated its mission would continue unchanged, the cuts disproportionately impacted rural member stations that relied on CBP for about 13% of their revenue, threatening local access to public media.

“Tohé Commaret: Mala Onda” at ZOLLAMT MMK, Frankfurt

“Tohé Commaret: Mala Onda” at ZOLLAMT MMK, Frankfurt

Chilean artist Tohé Commaret has opened her first institutional solo exhibition in Germany, "Mala Onda," at the ZOLLAMT MMK, a project space of the Museum für Moderne Kunst in Frankfurt. The exhibition features a new body of work, including large-scale paintings and a site-specific installation, that explores themes of memory, cultural displacement, and the lingering psychological effects of political violence.

Saodat Ismailova “When the Water Turns to Wind” at Portikus, Frankfurt

Saodat Ismailova “When the Water Turns to Wind” at Portikus, Frankfurt

Uzbek artist Saodat Ismailova has opened a major solo exhibition, "When the Water Turns to Wind," at Portikus in Frankfurt. The presentation features a new, immersive film installation that weaves together ancestral myths, sonic landscapes, and the ecological history of Central Asia, focusing on the region's disappearing rivers and steppes. The work continues her long-term exploration of memory and cultural preservation.

UPSTATE ART WEEKEND: OPEN HOURS to Return to Kaatsbaan Cultural Park

Upstate Art Weekend is bringing back its OPEN HOURS program to Kaatsbaan Cultural Park in Tivoli, New York. The event, organized by BroadwayWorld, offers extended hours for visitors to explore the park's artistic and cultural offerings, including exhibitions and performances, during a dedicated weekend in the Hudson Valley region.

24 Hours with Jewel at the 2026 Venice Biennale Festival

Singer-songwriter Jewel has transformed into a multimedia artist, presenting a solo exhibition titled '24 Hours with Jewel' at the 2026 Venice Biennale. The show features 34 new works, including paintings, sculptures, and kinetic installations, with the centerpiece 'Heart of the Ocean'—an eight-foot kinetic sculpture created in collaboration with scientists from NASA, NOAA, Stanford, and UC Berkeley that translates real-time oceanographic data into light and sound. V Magazine followed Jewel for 24 hours as she prepared for her Biennale debut, documenting her day from rooftop meditations and water taxi rides with her son to private patron tours and an opening night performance in a custom Schiaparelli dress.

Lifting Belly, Soft Bodies: Zuzanna Szary Talks with Wojciech Szymański

Polish painter Zuzanna Szary discusses her artistic journey and the intersection of queer identity, domesticity, and painting in an interview with Wojciech Szymański. Szary recounts discovering her lesbian identity in junior high and turning to painting after a period of clinical depression, eventually studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. Her work, which has evolved from portraits of partners to still lifes centered on food and home, explores themes of softness, sensuality, and the politics of the body, drawing inspiration from figures like Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas.

Why We Need Corporate Art Collections

The article traces the history and significance of corporate art collections, beginning with Deutsche Bank's acquisition of 57 early drawings by Joseph Beuys in the late 1970s, which led to the formal launch of its collection in 1980. Today, the Deutsche Bank Collection comprises over 57,000 objects displayed in 500 locations across 40 countries, and the bank sponsors events like the Frieze Art Fair. The piece also highlights the role of American banker David Rockefeller, who inaugurated Chase Manhattan Bank's Art at Work program in 1959, and notes that corporate collecting has deep roots in Renaissance banking, with institutions like Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena commissioning art for their offices.

entering tilda swinton's ongoing world of ghosts, garments, and artistic fellowship

Designboom revisits Tilda Swinton's iconic sleeping performance piece, originally staged with artist Cornelia Parker, as part of a new exhibition titled 'Flat 19' that reconstructs Swinton's former London apartment alongside filmmaker Joanna Hogg. The show also features 'A Biographical Wardrobe,' displaying garments from Swinton's films, performances, and personal archives, creating an immersive exploration of her artistic collaborations and personal history.

Five Scottish museum collections awarded national significance status

Five museum collections in Scotland have been awarded national significance status on International Museum Day, bringing the total number of recognized collections in Scotland to 56. The newly designated collections are the Linoleum Collection (managed by OnFife), the Photographic Collection (University of St Andrews), the Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design Collection (University of Dundee Museums), the Oakbank Collection (Scottish Crannog Centre), and the Art Collection (University of Stirling). The Recognition Scheme, managed by Museums Galleries Scotland, highlights collections beyond those held in national museums and galleries, spanning from Shetland to Dumfries and Galloway.

In Kyoto, a photography festival unites artists on society's fringes

Kyotographie, an independent international photography festival in Kyoto, has announced 'The Edge' as its theme for the 2026 edition, following a focus on humanity in 2025. The festival will feature exhibitions exploring fringes, darkness, and extremes of life, including a posthumous show of Fatama Hassona's 'The Eye of Gaza', a focus on South Africa with works by Lebohang Kganye, Pieter Hugo, and a peripatetic library from A4 Arts Foundation, as well as Ernest Cole's 'House of Bondage' at the Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art—his first exhibition in Japan. Other highlights include Linder Sterling's survey 'Goddess of the Mind' at the Museum of Kyoto Annex and Anton Corbijn's 'Presence' at the Shimadai Gallery.

PRESS RELEASE: OK Arts Council announces historic gift of artworks for the Oklahoma State Art Collection

The Oklahoma Arts Council has announced a historic gift of artworks for the Oklahoma State Art Collection. The donation, described as one of the largest in the collection's history, includes a significant number of works by Oklahoma artists and will be formally added to the state's holdings.

Los Angeles Sees Cultural Explosion: AI Art Museums, Immersive Exhibits, and Iconic Festivals Set to Redefine US Tourism

Los Angeles is undergoing a major cultural expansion in 2026, with several high-profile museum openings and immersive art experiences set to debut between June and December. Key developments include Dataland 3.0, the world's first dedicated Museum of AI Arts, created by Refik Anadol Studio at The Grand LA; the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, a 100,000-square-foot gallery in Exposition Park designed by MAD Architects; and a new permanent installation by the art collective Meow Wolf. These are joined by recurring events such as LA Pride 2026, Cali Vibes 2026, the German Currents Film Festival, the Hollywood Christmas Parade, and the L.A. County Holiday Celebration, creating a dense cultural calendar.

Exhibition at La Jolla’s Tim Bessell gallery to showcase surf-inspired art

An upcoming exhibition at Tim Bessell's surfboard shop and gallery in La Jolla will showcase surf-inspired works by a group of artists connected by their shared love of surfing and the ocean. The show, expected to open in the first week of June, features painter, sculptor, photographer, and mixed-media artists, including Joel Pessoa, Tim Bessell, Robin Bessell, Shaun Donovan, and Steve Sherman. Pessoa will display wood carvings from Portugal and paintings from his time in La Jolla, while Bessell—an internationally known surfboard maker and artist—will also exhibit his own works, alongside his wife Robin's floral mixed-media pieces and informal contributions from his daughter Natalie.

The Art of Performing Maintenance

This article explores the work of artist Mierle Laderman Ukeles, who in 1969 wrote her "Manifesto for Maintenance Art" after experiencing a crisis of meaning following the birth of her first child. She proposed that routine maintenance tasks—like cleaning, cooking, and laundry—could be redefined as art when performed in public, particularly in museums. The article traces her early exhibitions at the Wadsworth Athenaeum, where she swept and mopped as performance, and her later projects interviewing passersby on New York City sidewalks and embedding herself in a Manhattan office building, where she invited workers to declare their maintenance tasks art.

The weird, wiggly universe of Icelandic artist Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir

The article profiles Icelandic artist Ásta Fanney Sigurðardóttir, whose multidisciplinary practice spans visual art, performance, music, poetry, and filmmaking. It describes a recent performance at Reykjavik's Mengi venue where the audience was invited onstage to be stirred with an imaginary spoon, and highlights her upcoming project 'Pocket Universe' representing Iceland at the Venice Biennale, installed in a former shipyard. The piece also explores her fluid relationship with time, her admiration for artists like Meredith Monk and Laurie Anderson, and the tight-knit, artist-run creative ecosystem of Reykjavik that shapes her work.

Anti-Russia Protests Spread Beyond the Biennale and Into Venice

Protests against the reopening of the Russian pavilion erupted at the Venice Biennale and spread across the city on the second day of the 61st edition. Visual artist Shalva Nikvashvili, who grew up in post-Soviet Georgia, began a silent performance wearing a muzzle-style mask and carrying a chair, holding a sign reading “La Biennale di Venezia” and “violence.” Shortly after, a group of about 20 protesters led by Pussy Riot co-founder Nadya Tolokonnikova gathered outside the Russian pavilion, chanting against Vladimir Putin, waving Ukrainian flags, and releasing a pink smoke flare. The protests followed the Biennale's decision to allow Russia to participate for the first time since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, despite calls from artists and politicians to exclude the country.

Das alles bin ich! Christoph Müller’s gift, part 4

Art collector Christoph Müller has gifted approximately 200 works on paper—drawings, prints, and watercolours—to the Kupferstichkabinett (Museum of Prints and Drawings) in Berlin. The gift is being presented in four successive exhibitions at the Gemäldegalerie under the title "Das alles bin ich" (I am all that!), with the final installment, "Leaf by leaf – A life with art," running from 10 March to 14 June 2026. The works span five centuries and originate from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and France, covering themes such as nature, portraits, landscapes, history, and everyday life.

Beyond the Mona Lisa: MOSI’s Leonardo da Vinci exhibit showcases the ‘original innovator’ in Tampa

MOSI (Museum of Science & Industry) in Tampa, Florida, is hosting an exhibition titled "Machines in Motion" that features 20 working machines built from Leonardo da Vinci's 15th-century designs. Created by Italian engineers using period-appropriate materials, the interactive display includes inventions such as ball bearings, an olive oil press, a printing press, and wartime weapons. MOSI President & CEO John Graydon Smith describes da Vinci as "the original innovator" and notes the exhibit aims to inspire creativity in both children and adults. The temporary exhibition runs until May 3.

Arts Center donates works for library sale

The Davis Arts Center (DAC) has donated approximately 100 artworks from its permanent collection to the Friends of the Davis Public Library for a sale starting this weekend. The works, mostly from the 1960s-1980s, include pieces by notable Davis-area artists such as Richard Nelson, Robert Arneson, Margery Mann, and Roland Petersen, and are priced under $100. The donation follows DAC's 2019 transformation from an exhibition space to a studio-focused nonprofit offering classes and camps, which led to most of its collection being placed in storage. DAC executive director Sam King enlisted Davis High School art teacher Luke Turner—a former museum professional—to help curate and place select pieces with institutions like the Mills College Art Museum and the Manetti Shrem Museum, while the remaining works are now being offered to the community at bargain prices.

The multimedia odyssey of Laurie Anderson: “All in Your Head” at SCAD MoA

The Savannah College of Art and Design Museum of Art (SCAD MoA) is presenting "All in Your Head," a comprehensive exhibition of multimedia works by pioneering artist Laurie Anderson. The show spans Anderson's five-decade career, featuring installations, performances, and interactive pieces that explore themes of language, technology, and perception.

MKFA Awards Grants: Supporting innovation and community engagement

The Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts (MKFA) has announced the recipients of its 2026 Infinite Expansion Grants (IEG), awarding funding to nine contemporary arts organizations across Los Angeles County. This year marks the tenth anniversary of the grant program, with six of the nine organizations receiving MKFA funding for the first time. The grantees include Art in the Park, Clockshop, and Color Compton, among others, each undertaking projects that explore themes of place, memory, diaspora, and community resilience through exhibitions, installations, and public programming. The grants were selected by a jury of five arts professionals including Tiffany Barber, Jibz Cameron, Justen Leroy, Jenny Lin, and Rodrigo Valenzuela.

Korea’s art market grows, but working conditions for entry-level workers do not

A 20-something intern at a small Seoul gallery, identified as Park, accepted a job paying 1.35 million won ($910) per month after taxes—below South Korea's minimum wage—because she believed early experience was essential for career advancement in the art world. The article, based on interviews with the Korea JoongAng Daily, reveals that many entry-level workers face low pay and precarious conditions, exacerbated by a severe oversupply of arts graduates (48,000 annually) versus only about 3,523 job postings per year on the industry site Art More, leading to reliance on personal connections and informal hiring.

Birthday-Celebrating Sculpture Exhibitions

Richard MacDonald, the internationally acclaimed figurative sculptor known for his bronze works of dancers, athletes, and performers, is celebrating his 80th birthday with a two-day event on June 5 and 6, 2026, in Monterey, California. The celebration takes place at his studio and foundry, featuring a private invitation-only evening on June 5 for close friends, family, and leading collectors, followed by a public cocktail event on June 6. Activities include live performances, guided studio and foundry tours, a live bronze pour demonstration, and the unveiling of new sculptures, including a commissioned piece for the Weaver of Change Foundation in Singapore.

In Dancehall and Reggaetón’s Evolution, MCA Chicago Charts a Global Awakening

The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago has opened "Dancing the Revolution: From Dancehall to Reggaetón," an ambitious exhibition exploring the historical evolution of dancehall and reggaetón as cultural movements and their influence on contemporary art. Curated by Carla Acevedo-Yates, the show features over 40 international artists including Isaac Julien, Edra Soto, Alberta Whittle, Carolina Caycedo, supakid, and Lee "Scratch" Perry, tracing the genres' roots from Afro-Caribbean traditions through their emergence in Jamaica, Panama, and Puerto Rico to global mainstream dominance by figures like Daddy Yankee and Bad Bunny.