A selective history of the moving image comes to downtown Los Angeles

The Julia Stoschek Foundation has launched its first major U.S. exhibition at the historic Variety Arts Theater in downtown Los Angeles. Curated by Udo Kittelmann, the show features over 40 time-based works ranging from early cinematic pioneers like Georges Méliès and Alice Guy-Blaché to contemporary icons such as Arthur Jafa and Doug Aitken. The exhibition utilizes the labyrinthine spaces of the 1924 Italianate theater to create a dialogue between the history of Hollywood and the evolution of media art.

US National Portrait Gallery reveals winner of its triennial portraiture award

The Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC, has announced Brooklyn-based artist Kameron Neal as the winner of its 2025 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition. Neal was honored for his two-channel video installation *Down the Barrel (of a Lens)* (2023), which incorporates surveillance footage from the 1960s and 70s obtained during his residency at New York City’s Department of Records. The work explores the relationship between police and protesters, displaying footage of Vietnam War protesters, the Black Panthers, Martin Luther King Jr., and John F. Kennedy alongside images of police filming. Neal receives $25,000 and a commission to create a portrait for the museum’s permanent collection. Second prize went to photographer Jared Soares, and third prize to painter David Antonio Cruz; the exhibition featuring all 35 finalists runs from January 24 to August 30, 2025.

Paradigm Shift and Ryoji Ikeda exhibitions at 180 Studios extended due to popular demand

180 Studios in London has extended two exhibitions—'Paradigm Shift' and Ryoji Ikeda's 'data-cosm [n°1]'—through February 1, 2026, due to popular demand. 'Paradigm Shift' presents moving-image works from the 1970s to the present by artists including Andy Warhol, Pipilotti Rist, Nan Goldin, and Arthur Jafa, exploring the evolution of screen culture across avant-garde cinema, TV, music video, and internet culture. Ikeda's 'data-cosm [n°1]' is a world-premiere, site-specific audio-visual installation commissioned by 180 Studios, charting data from particle physics to astrophysics.

Theaster Gates to create giant frieze for Obama Presidential Center

The Obama Presidential Center has announced a new commission by Chicago-based artist Theaster Gates, who will create a large frieze made of photo-printed aluminum using images from the Johnson Publishing Company archives—the publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines—and the work of photographer Howard Simmons. The installation, set to open in 2026, honors the dignity of Black life and the vibrancy of Black culture throughout the 20th century. Gates has been working with 20,000 photographs from the archive since 2016, and the frieze will be visible from Stony Island Avenue, near his own Stony Island Arts Bank. Other high-profile commissions for the center include works by Julie Mehretu, Maya Lin, Lindsay Adams, Nick Cave, Aliza Nisenbaum, Jenny Holzer, and Idris Khan.

Win pre-launch tickets to Paradigm Shift at 180 Studios

180 Studios in London will debut 'Paradigm Shift: New Dimensions in Moving Image' on October 14, 2025, during Frieze Week. Curated by Jefferson Hack and Mark Wadhwa, the exhibition features over a dozen artists including Andy Warhol, Nan Goldin, Arthur Jafa, Pipilotti Rist, and Telfar TV, tracing the evolution of moving image culture from Super 8 film to AI-powered glasses. The show is hosted in partnership with Ray-Ban Meta, and a private view on October 13 offers exclusive early access via a ticket lottery run by Dazed and AnOther.

❤️ Atlanta, with love

This article from Rough Draft's Sketchbook newsletter highlights two Atlanta-focused art stories. Painter Carlos Solis, who left Venezuela for Kennesaw nearly two decades ago, curates "In the Beginning," a group exhibition opening May 9 at the Hudgens Center's Fowler Gallery in Duluth, featuring 15 artists from around the world who now call Georgia home. Separately, designer and illustrator George F. Baker III, originally from Nebraska and shaped by Detroit, was commissioned by the Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs to create the key art for the 49th annual Atlanta Jazz Festival, and he discusses how the musical souls of both Detroit and Atlanta influenced his design.

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.

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.

Young artists take over Slidell's city gallery

Student artists from across St. Tammany Parish participated in the 35th annual Salad Days Juried Exhibition of Student Art at the George Dunbar Gallery in Slidell. The event featured an opening reception and awards ceremony, with 80 artists submitting 174 works, of which roughly 30% were selected for display. Artist and arts advocate Joshua Wichterich served as the juror for the competitive show.

The Porn Effect

Der Porno-Effekt

Maja Malou Lyse received a bizarre phone call nearly three years ago from the CEO of the world's largest sperm bank, who offered her 20 liters of discarded sperm for artistic purposes. She accepted and created an installation for the Danish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, working with porn stars to explore how images shape bodies and desire.

Ella Maillart, intrepid photographer of the 1930s, highlighted in an exhibition in Lausanne

Ella Maillart, photographe baroudeuse des années 30 mise en lumière dans une exposition à Lausanne

Ella Maillart, a Swiss photographer and adventurer from the 1930s, is the subject of a new exhibition in Lausanne. Born in Geneva in 1903, Maillart was an Olympic sailor and champion skier before turning to travel and photography. She journeyed across the Soviet Union, Central Asia, and China, often by train, ski, or camel, documenting remote cultures and political landscapes. Her travels included a 6,000-kilometer trek from Beijing to Kashmir with British writer Peter Fleming, and a road trip from Geneva to Kabul with friend Annemarie Schwarzenbach. The exhibition highlights her photographs and writings, which blend geographical exploration, political chronicle, and personal meditation.

literature wayne koestenbaum books my lover the rabbi

Wayne Koestenbaum, a leading figure in New York's queer and literary scenes since the 1980s, is releasing his first novel in nearly two decades, *My Lover, the Rabbi*, in March. The 464-page book centers on an unnamed narrator's psychosexual affair with an aging rabbi, exploring themes of desire, repulsion, internalized homophobia, and the lingering aftermath of the Holocaust. Koestenbaum, known for his confessional prose and genre-straddling criticism—including his 1993 book *The Queen's Throat*—discusses the novel's intellectual filth, the conflation of desire and disgust, and his literary role models such as Samuel Delany and Jean Genet.

Mexican President Calls for Stricter Gun Control After Deadly Shooting at Teotihuacán Pyramids

A gunman opened fire on tourists at the Teotihuacán archaeological site in Mexico, killing a Canadian woman and injuring at least 13 others. The shooter, identified as Julio César Jasso Ramírez, acted alone and later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound after planning the attack over multiple visits to the site.

zapotec tomb unearthed oaxaca mexico 600 ce 1234771635

Archaeologists in Oaxaca, Mexico, have discovered a remarkably well-preserved Zapotec tomb dating to around 600 CE. The tomb, found in San Pablo Huitzo, features intricate carvings, including a sculpture of an owl with a human head in its beak, and multicolored murals depicting a procession of figures.

Saudi pavilion at Venice Biennale turns fractured heritage into monumental art installation

Saudi Arabia has unveiled a large-scale installation by artist Dana Awartani at the 61st Venice Biennale, held at the Arsenale. Titled "May your tears never dry, you who weep over stones," the work covers the entire floor of the Saudi national pavilion and incorporates over 29,000 sunbaked clay bricks and mosaic patterns inspired by Islamic geometric art. The installation references 23 heritage sites across the Arab world that have been damaged or destroyed by conflict, and was produced over nearly 30,000 artisan hours with 32 craftspeople at a studio outside Riyadh. Curated by Antonia Carver with assistant curator Hafsa Alkhudairi, the piece emphasizes traditional craftsmanship and collective skill-sharing.

LeMoyne Arts's star-studded exhibition sings nature's songs

LeMoyne Arts in Tallahassee has unveiled "The Nature of Kinship and Its Artful Connections," a major group exhibition running from April 9 to May 9, 2026. The show features the work of four acclaimed painters—Mifflin Hollyday, Lilian Garcia Roig, Alexa Kleinbard, and Mark Messersmith—whose works explore the symphonic and interconnected relationships within the natural world. A unique aspect of the exhibition is its community-driven origin, organized by a group of nearly 30 local art supporters to celebrate the return of Hollyday’s work to the public eye.

On View in the RSM Art Gallery: Ideas to Postpone the End of the World by Julia Csekö

The RSM Art Gallery is presenting a solo exhibition titled "Ideas to Postpone the End of the World" by artist Julia Csekö, running from March 19 to May 5, 2026. The show features her text-based works, including wearable welcome dresses, storied flags, and paintings from her 'Speaking Truth to Power' series. An opening reception and artist talk are scheduled for March 19.

Graduating art students explore change within and around through the senior studio

Six senior art students at the University of Idaho presented their Bachelor of Fine Arts capstone works at the Ridenbaugh Gallery in an exhibition titled "Senior Studio," running from November 18 to December 12. The students—Kieran Heywood, Adelia Hopper, Sofia Nuss, Tyler Ready, and Austin Eike—each explored personal and societal themes through various media, including watercolor, felt, ceramics, and 3D printing. Heywood's work addressed grief and loss of a parent, Hopper's felt creatures examined gender non-conformity, Nuss painted nostalgic childhood memories, Ready critiqued militarism and fascism, and Eike focused on pharmaceutical addiction. Associate professor Aaron Johnson mentored the students to ensure their portfolios met professional gallery standards.

‘I want to haunt people’: Palestinian artist's London exhibition interrogates myth, history and the erasure of heritage

Palestinian artist Dima Srouji's exhibition *A Cosmogram of Holy Views* opens at London's Ab Anbar Gallery, presenting a decade of research into the built heritage of Palestinian Christians. The show juxtaposes European Renaissance depictions of the Holy Land with the reality of life under Israeli occupation, using media such as tinted glass collages, blown glass, carved stone, and mother-of-pearl objects. Works like *Return to Nazareth* overlay biblical scenes with personal childhood memories, while *Phantom Votives* offers wax votive forms as a response to the destruction in Gaza.

UNC Asheville hosts post-Helene symposium, storytelling event with local NC media

UNC Asheville will host the Post-Helene Symposium from September 24-26, 2025, to commemorate the anniversary of Tropical Storm Helene, which caused historic flooding in Western North Carolina in September 2024. The free, three-day event includes panels, concerts, art exhibitions, and a storytelling collaboration with NC Local titled "The Heart of the Mountains," featuring 12 news organizations including the Asheville Citizen Times. Highlights include the art exhibition "Looking Back to Move Forward" in the S. Tucker Cooke Gallery and a music faculty showcase concert "Hard Times, No More."

Philadelphia museum sues Trump administration over lost federal funding

The Woodmere, a museum in Philadelphia, sued the Trump administration after an executive order revoked a $750,000 federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The museum had already received roughly $195,000 of the funds, but the order targeting "unnecessary" federal bureaucracy cut the remainder. On September 4, the IMLS reinstated the full grant, leading to the dismissal of the lawsuit, which had been scheduled for a first hearing on September 12. The grant, part of the Save America's Treasures program, was intended for conservation, catalog updates, and digitization projects.

The Dutch Pavilion at the Venice Biennale is a political protest (also against the Biennale itself)

Il padiglione dei Paesi Bassi alla Biennale di Venezia è una contestazione politica (anche della Biennale stessa)

The Dutch Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, titled "The Fortress" by artist Dries Verhoeven and curator Rieke Vos, transforms the modernist Rietveld Pavilion into a fortress-like enclosure. Inside, a rotating group of thirteen international performers will stage a series of performances throughout the Biennale, focusing on themes of geopolitical uncertainty, social disorder, and the search for stability in an unbalanced world. This marks the first time the Netherlands has used the Rietveld Pavilion for a performance-based project.

Artists sought for binational Border Biennial art exhibit

The El Paso Museum of Art (EPMA) and the Museo de Arte de Ciudad Juárez (MACJ) have launched an open call for the eighth edition of the Border Biennial/Bienal Fronteriza. Scheduled to open in September 2026, the exhibition invites artists living within 300 miles of the El Paso-Juárez border to submit works under the theme "Imagining the Border." This iteration will expand its scope to include multi-sensory art, poetry, and spoken word, with 30 selected artists displaying works across both international venues.

‘In Mali, When Animals Dance’ – Inside the Pulse of Sogo Bò

Yoann Cormier curates 'In Mali, When Animals Dance' at the Musée des Confluences, an exhibition dedicated to sogo bò, a Malian performance tradition blending theater, dance, music, and community. Rejecting static displays, Cormier uses immersive scenography—light, sound, film footage from the early 2000s by Sonia and Albert Loeb, and reconstructed masks made with the Lyon Opera costume workshop—to evoke the festive atmosphere of sogo bò, moving visitors through a simulated Malian day from afternoon to night.

fashion courreges nicolas di felice anniversary

Nicolas Di Felice, creative director of Courrèges, discusses his fifth anniversary at the fashion house in a conversation with actress Juliette Binoche. Di Felice, who does not consider himself an artist, shares his process of creating cohesive runway shows that begin with a single flash of inspiration, while Binoche reflects on her own artistic journey, including her directorial debut documentary "In-I In Motion." The dialogue explores themes of trust, collaboration, and the balance between creative vision and business reality.

‘An entertainment pavilion on bones’: new Russian museum opens in occupied Mariupol

A new museum called Pole Bitvy (Battlefield) has opened in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, glorifying Russia's full-scale invasion and linking it to the Soviet Union's victory in World War II. Russian officials, including senator Vladimir Yakushev and project head Sergei Ladochkin, presented the museum as a symbol of liberation from 'neo-Nazis,' while Ukrainian officials condemn it as an 'entertainment pavilion on bones' in a city where tens of thousands died during the 2022 siege.

Kazakh art exhibition opens in Baku

An exhibition of Kazakh art has opened in Baku, organized by the culture ministries of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. Featuring 30 paintings from the Abylkhan Kasteyev National Museum of Art, the show includes works by masters such as Abylkhan Kasteyev, Moldakhmet Kenbayev, and Kanafiya Telzhanov, as well as contemporary artists exploring tradition, spirituality, and national identity. The exhibition will run for four months at an unspecified venue in Baku.

Seoul Museum of Craft Art opens two exhibitions centered on brief but ambitious Korean Empire

The Seoul Museum of Craft Art opens two special exhibitions on Tuesday, both centered on the Korean Empire (1897-1910), a brief period when Korea sought to modernize through craft and industrial innovation. The larger exhibition, “The Hybrid,” marks 140 years of diplomatic relations between Korea and France, gathering 24 objects from European collections—23 from France and one from Germany—some not displayed in Korea in over 120 years. The second, “Folded Time, Unfolded Memory: Andong Palace,” focuses on the royal women who lived on the museum’s grounds, particularly Empress Sunjeonghyo and Princess Kim Deok-su. Museum director Kim Soo-jung described the two shows as “almost like an omnibus,” connected through the Korean Empire period.

Bondi exhibition ‘Holding Light’ turns grief into collective response

Four months after the Bondi Beach terror attack that killed 15 people during a Chanukah celebration, a major exhibition titled 'Holding Light' has opened at Bondi Pavilion Art Gallery. Curated by Shalom Collective and supported by Waverley Council, the show brings together 29 artists and 28 works selected through a community call-out, spanning visual art, installation, and digital media. Artists including Ella Dreyfus, Munganbana Norman Miller, Beck Feiner, Bibi Solimani, and David Solomons respond to themes of loss, memory, courage, and hope, with works such as Dreyfus's 'Nature Morte – Zikaron' documenting the spontaneous memorial near the beachfront.

Highlanes Gallery opens 2026 with first solo exhibition by emerging artist James Moonan

Highlanes Gallery in Drogheda, Ireland, has opened its first exhibition of 2026 with 'Once Upon a Page', the debut solo show by emerging artist James Moonan. The exhibition features award-winning recent works alongside pieces Moonan created throughout his childhood, tracing his artistic journey. Moonan, a young creative with autism, has received national recognition in the Credit Union Art Competition. The opening was attended by the Mayor of Drogheda Michelle Hall, gallery director Aoife Ruane, representatives from Drogheda Credit Union, and members of the local community.