Morocco debuts at the Biennale with an exploration of its age-old craft traditions

Morocco is debuting its first national pavilion at the Venice Biennale with a monumental installation titled "Asetta" by artist Amina Agueznay. The 300-square-meter site-specific work, located in the Arsenale, draws on centuries-old Moroccan craft traditions, including weaving, beadwork, and embroidery. Agueznay conducted field research across Morocco and collaborated with over 130 artisans, mostly women, some of whom she has worked with for decades. The installation explores the transmission of traditional craftsmanship and shared memory, and incorporates the concept of the threshold (âatba) from Moroccan vernacular architecture, offering visitors both an immersive experience and functional seating.

A Theatre Group of Exiled Belarusian Artists Arrive in Venice, With an Exhibition That Shows What Repression Feels Like

The Belarus Free Theatre, an exiled underground theater group, will stage its first official collateral exhibition at the 61st Venice Biennale, titled “Official. Unofficial. Belarus.” The show, held in the historic La Chiesa di San Giovanni Evangelista di Venezia, features site-specific paintings, a sound installation, and large-scale sculptures that aim to immerse visitors in the experience of repression under authoritarian rule. This marks only the fifth time Belarus has been present at the Biennale, and the first time it appears not as a state but as a self-governing cultural body, challenging the official narratives of nations like Russia.

Co-Working Meets Art at Brooklyn’s Newest Experimental Space

Brooklyn’s newest experimental art space, The Gallery (stylized as “The Gallry”), has opened on the fourth floor of a former automobile service station in Prospect Heights, now converted into creative offices. Curated by artist Florian Meisenberg, the exhibition features site-specific works by over 40 artists installed throughout a former guitar-string manufacturer’s office, including cubicle walls, utility closets, and HVAC systems. The space also functions as a co-working hub, with free daily spots for subscribers. The show runs through May 24 and includes events like screenings, poetry readings, and satirical corporate-themed programming.

A Buddha Is Reborn on the High Line

Tuan Andrew Nguyen's sandstone and brass sculpture "The Light That Shines Through the Universe" (2026) has been installed on the High Line in Manhattan as the park's fifth site-specific commission. The 27-foot-tall work, selected from nearly 60 proposals, resurrects the destroyed Bamiyan Buddhas of Afghanistan, which were demolished by the Taliban in 2001. Nguyen sourced artillery brass from Afghanistan to cast the sculpture's mudra hand gestures, symbolizing fearlessness and compassion, and had the sandstone carved in Vietnam. The piece is on view through Spring 2027.

Perna, Cruz-Diez, Otero, Barboza: Venezuelan Focus at ISLAA

PERNA, CRUZ-DIEZ, OTERO, BARBOZA: ENFOQUE VENEZOLANO EN ISLAA

The Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA) in New York has launched its 2026 exhibition program with a major focus on Venezuelan modern and contemporary art. The season features a significant solo exhibition of Claudio Perna—his first in New York—alongside a showcase of Carlos Cruz-Diez and digital 'Spotlight' presentations on Diego Barboza and Alejandro Otero. The Perna retrospective, titled 'Idea como arte,' gathers over forty works including photography, photocopies, and conceptual cartography created between the 1960s and 1990s.

The Backlash Is Here

"Der Backlash ist da"

Kathleen Reinhardt, the curator of the German Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, has announced her concept featuring artists Sung Tieu and Henrike Naumann under the title "Ruin." The exhibition will use East Germany as a prism to explore themes of power, history, and the present. Reinhardt was invited to submit a concrete concept and specific artists for this edition of the pavilion.

History Made Material

Material gewordene Geschichte

The German Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale has been transformed by artist Sung Tieu, who clad its Nazi-era facade with millions of small marble tiles to replicate the look of a prefabricated East German apartment block—specifically the Gehrenseestraße housing complex in Berlin where she spent part of her childhood. Inside, the exhibition features glass casts of her mother's limbs, aluminum beams evoking cramped living quarters, and works by the late Henrike Naumann, all curated by Kathleen Reinhardt to explore bureaucracy, migration, and systemic violence.

I Try to Allow Chaos

"Ich versuche, Chaos zuzulassen"

Florentina Holzinger presents her exhibition "Seaworld Venice" at the Austrian Pavilion of the Venice Biennale, a spectacular underwater-themed installation that combines a theme park, sacred building, and sewage treatment plant. The work explores transformation from dirt to cleanliness, featuring water, dolphins in the lagoon, and boundary-pushing performance elements.

Nasan Tur Collects Contributions for 'Archive of Feelings' for Manifesta 16

Nasan Tur sammelt Beiträge für "Archiv der Gefühle" zur Manifesta 16

Berlin-based artist Nasan Tur is calling on people from the Ruhr region and beyond to submit contributions to his "Archive of Feelings" via an online portal. The project is part of his commissioned work for the 16th edition of the nomadic biennial Manifesta, which opens on June 21 across several cities in the Ruhr area. Tur's installation, titled "Elevation," will be housed in St. Gertrud Church in Essen, where excerpts from anonymous submissions—expressing hopes, fears, wounds, ideas, wishes, and everyday observations—will be carved into old church pews.

Hedwig Fijen to Depart as Founding Director of Manifesta

Hedwig Fijen, the founding director of Manifesta, the nomadic European biennial launched in 1996, has announced she will depart on October 5. Fijen began working on the platform in 1991 under a commission from the Netherlands Office for Fine Arts, and oversaw editions in cities including Rotterdam, Palermo, Pristina, and Barcelona. The supervisory board has appointed Emilia van Lynden as general director and Catherine Nichols as artistic director to lead future editions, starting with Manifesta 16 in Germany’s Ruhr Valley this year and Manifesta 17 in Coimbra, Portugal, in 2028.

Gary Baseman fills iconic L.A. coffee shop with charming drawings on real restaurant menus

Artist Gary Baseman has opened his first hometown solo show in over a decade, titled “Off the Menu,” inside the long-shuttered Johnie’s Coffee Shop on Wilshire and Fairfax in Los Angeles. The exhibition features about 40 colored pencil drawings, mostly executed on real menus from iconic L.A. restaurants such as Musso & Frank, Canter’s Deli, and Genghis Cohen, as well as newer spots like Jon & Vinny’s. The whimsical show, which launched in conjunction with the opening of the Wilshire and Fairfax subway station, runs through June 14 and celebrates the dining culture and community of the Fairfax neighborhood.

Jenna Sutela “With each cycle” at Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation, London

Jenna Sutela's exhibition "With each cycle" at the Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation in London features a site-specific iteration of her sculptural sound installation *Pond Brain*. The work, a water-filled bronze piece forged as the artist's neuroplastic portrait, functions as both instrument and fountain, creating feedback loops of sonic vibrations and dancing droplets inspired by cybernetic ideas of ponds as self-regulating living systems.

Kazakhstan Presents “Qoñyr: Archive of Silence” at Venice Biennale

Kazakhstan has unveiled details for its national pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale, titled “Qoñyr: Archive of Silence.” Curated by Syrlybek Bekbota, the exhibition features nine artists including Smail Bayaliyev, Asel Kadyrkhanova, and Ardak Mukanova, and will be hosted at the Museo Storico Navale. The presentation utilizes the Kazakh concept of "Qoñyr"—a term encompassing specific colors, sounds, and scents—to explore themes of Soviet domesticity, nuclear trauma, and cultural heritage through sound installations, video, and archival assemblages.

What Did the Golden Lion Die Of? On Judgment and Disavowal at the Venice Biennale

The international jury of the 61st Venice Biennale announced it would exclude from prize consideration countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, specifically targeting Russia and Israel. This prompted the Italian culture minister to send inspectors to the Biennale's offices, leading the jury to resign. The Biennale then replaced the Golden Lion with "Visitors' Lions" prizes voted by ticket-holders, immediately making Russia and Israel eligible again. The article traces this crisis to the Biennale's historical structure under Mussolini's 1930 Royal Decree, which established the national pavilion system as a diplomatic concession system designed to serve state power, and notes the recent acceptance of a €50 million donation from Qatar for a new permanent pavilion in the Giardini.

Zīnah (Adornment): Oman’s Pavilion Tunes the Biennale to Resonance Over Spectacle

At the 60th Venice Biennale, the Sultanate of Oman presents "Zīnah (Adornment)," a pavilion conceived by artist and curator Haitham Al Busafi. The immersive installation, on view at the Arsenale Artiglierie from 9 May to 22 November 2026, draws on the Omani tradition of adorning horses with silver (al-zaanah) to explore themes of relation, movement, and shared presence. Visitors enter through darkness into a field of Omani sand, beneath a canopy of silver elements that respond to movement with sound. The work incorporates drawings by students and emerging artists from a workshop in Muscat, emphasizing collective authorship.

'Balance in Motion' at P21, Seoul, South Korea on 14 May–4 Jul 2026

P21 gallery in Seoul, South Korea, presents 'Balance in Motion,' an exhibition running from May 14 to July 4, 2026. The show takes place at the gallery's Itaewon district space, which features two separate facades (P1 and P2) designed for site-specific works. P21, founded in 2017 by Soo Choi, opened with an inaugural exhibition by Choi Jeong Hwa and continues to promote international contemporary art.

Urban Art Biennale: Rust, dust and decay revamps Germany's Völklingen ironworks

Dozens of urban artists from 17 countries have gathered at Germany's Völklinger Hütte (Völklingen Ironworks), a UNESCO World Heritage site, for the Urban Art Biennale 2026 opening this Saturday. The exhibition features 50 artists including Tomas Lacque, Boris Tellegen (Delta), Vortex-X, Ampparito, Remi Rough, and Anders Reventlov, who have created site-specific installations that engage with the industrial landmark's sprawling spaces, rust, dust, and sense of decay. Works range from a van covered in ash-like paint to a massive wooden sculpture and a rooftop text piece visible from 45 meters high.

Aude Herledan | Black Venus (2015) | For Sale

This is a sales listing for Aude Herledan's bronze sculpture "Black Venus" (2015), an editioned work from her series "Faithful To My African Roots." The piece is offered by 1831 Art Gallery in Paris, with a certificate of authenticity and price available on request. The listing also provides a biography of Herledan, a French-born artist raised in Kinshasa who studied at the École Estienne, Parsons School, École des Beaux-Arts, and École du Louvre, and who has shown at major fairs including TEFAA and Art Paris.

Reggie Burrows Hodges Debuts First European Solo Exhibition at Malta’s MICAS

The Malta International Contemporary Art Space (MICAS) has opened "Mela," the first European solo exhibition by American artist Reggie Burrows Hodges. Running from May 9 to August 30, the show features 30 newly created works inspired by Malta, including the monumental painting "Mamajamma" (over 14 feet high and 26 feet wide), which responds to Caravaggio's "The Beheading of St. John the Baptist." Hodges relocated his studio to Malta to develop the exhibition, engaging with the island's coastline, architecture, labor traditions, and communities.

Urban Art Biennale returns to UNESCO industrial site in Germany | Daily Sabah

Dozens of urban artists from 17 countries have gathered at the Völklinger Hütte (Völklingen Ironworks) in Germany, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and former ironworks, for the Urban Art Biennale 2026. The exhibition features 50 artists, including Tomas Lacque, Boris Tellegen, Ampparito, Remi Rough, Anders Reventlov, and the collective Vortex-X, who have created site-specific installations, murals, and sculptures that engage with the industrial ruins and history of the 15-acre complex, which ceased production in 1986.

SCST: Celebrating Cultural Exchange Through Art at the Opening Reception of "Fermata: Hong Kong in Venice" Collateral Event of 61st International Art Exhibition - La Biennale di Venezia (Venice Biennale)

At the opening reception of "Fermata: Hong Kong in Venice," a Collateral Event of the 61st Venice Biennale, Hong Kong's Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Miss Rosanna Law, delivered a speech celebrating the exhibition. The event marks Hong Kong's 25th year of participation in the Biennale, featuring artists Kingsley Ng and Angel Hui, who present five new site-specific installations that explore stillness and overlooked rhythms of everyday life, in resonance with the Biennale's theme "In Minor Keys." For the first time, the Hong Kong Museum of Art co-organized the exhibition with the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, curating a dialogue between the two artists.

See what's new for the Shelburne Museum's free community day

Shelburne Museum will host a free community day on May 9, 2026, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., celebrating its 2026 season. The event features three new exhibitions: "Varied and Alive - New and Rarely Seen Treasures from the Collection" (19th to mid-20th century folk art, circus posters, textiles, and more), "On Point - Needlework from the Garthwaite Family Collection" (Vermont schoolgirl needlework and women's education), and "Big River - Ogden Pleissner in Wyoming" (sketches and paintings of the American West). Activities include curator-led tours, artmaking sessions, live music by Marie Hamilton, Owen Leavey, and Deja Nous, a seed swap, and garden talks. The day is organized in collaboration with the Vermont Community Foundation.

No One Understood the 2026 Met Gala Theme Quite Like Bad Bunny

At the 2026 Met Gala, Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny arrived in a transformative look that made him nearly unrecognizable. He wore a black pussy-bow blouse, wrap blazer, and trousers, with prosthetics and makeup by Mike Marin turning him into an old man, accessorized with a cane. The gala's theme, inspired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art's 'Costume as Art' exhibition, had a dress code of 'Fashion is Art,' and Bad Bunny's choice specifically highlighted the aging body, aligning with the exhibition's focus on the body at all stages.

Hall Art Foundation Opens Season With Three Major Exhibitions

The Hall Art Foundation is reopening its Vermont campus for the 2026 season with three major exhibitions running through November 29. The centerpiece, "A Farewell to the Western World," is a group show of roughly 70 works exploring global power shifts and political instability, featuring artists such as Ai Weiwei, Aleksandra Mir, and Philip Guston. Also on view are Christian Marclay's video installation "Made To Be Destroyed," which compiles film scenes of artworks being damaged or destroyed, and Piotr Uklański's photographic installation "The Nazis," examining how film and popular culture have shaped representations of the Third Reich. The campus, set on a former dairy farm in Reading, includes converted gallery buildings and outdoor sculptures by Olafur Eliasson, Antony Gormley, Richard Long, and Marc Quinn.

Lucas Museum of Narrative Arts Adds ‘Star Wars in Motion’ Exhibit to Opening Lineup

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art has announced a new exhibition titled "Star Wars in Motion" as part of its inaugural lineup, set to open on September 22, 2026, in Los Angeles's Exposition Park. The showcase will feature vehicle designs, props, costumes, and illustrations from the first six Star Wars films, including iconic items like Luke's Landspeeder and General Grievous's Wheel Bike. The museum, co-founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, will open with over 30 exhibitions and more than 1,200 objects spanning visual storytelling from ancient sculptures to modern cinema.

Brussels, Russia and the Venice Biennale

The jury of the 61st Venice Biennale Art Exhibition has resigned en masse to protest the decision to allow Russian participation for the first time since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The jury stated it would refuse to consider artists from countries whose leaders face International Criminal Court warrants, specifically Israel and Russia, citing a commitment to human rights. The Biennale organizers defended the re-admission as consistent with openness and dialogue, while Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas condemned the move, with the EU threatening to cut funding. The Italian government distanced itself, calling the Biennale autonomous.

Internationally acclaimed glass artist makes return to Meijer Gardens with 'deeply personal' exhibition

Internationally acclaimed glass artist Dale Chihuly has returned to Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for the first time in over a decade with the exhibition "Chihuly at Meijer Gardens," running from May 2 to November 1, 2026. The show spans 12 outdoor locations and includes an indoor component, "Chihuly: Radiant Forms," making it the largest Chihuly exhibition in the venue's history. The artwork was built in Chihuly's Seattle studio, disassembled, shipped, and reassembled on site over two weeks.

Guntersville Museum Welcomes ARTS Works

The Guntersville Museum hosted a recognition ceremony for the 18th annual ARTS Works All-County Student Art Exhibit, organized by the nonprofit Artists Responding to Students (ARTS). The exhibit featured around 100 artworks from K-12 students across Marshall County, including Boaz, Grant, Guntersville, and Albertville. For the second year, the show included special needs artists, with the Kamryn HeART Award presented in memory of a young artist. Additionally, the Lakeview Community Civic Organization displayed posters from its Black History Month contest. Winners were announced across multiple grade categories, judged by two National Board Certified Teachers from Decatur.

New exhibition at Buxton reveals insights into Chinese conceptual art

The University of Melbourne's Buxton Contemporary has opened a new exhibition titled "Poetry goes no further than language," which examines the emergence of conceptual art in China during the mid-1980s and early 1990s. Featuring works by the Beijing collective New Measurement Group and Shanghai artist Qian Weikang, the show also includes a new commission by Victorian College of the Arts graduate Darcey Bella Arnold. Curated by Dr. Carol Yinghua Lu, Director of Beijing's Inside-Out Art Museum, together with artist Liu Ding, the exhibition brings previously inaccessible or little-known works to Australia for the first time.

Lucas Museum of Narrative Art reveal inaugural exhibition schedule

The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art (LMNA) has announced its inaugural exhibition schedule, curated by founder George Lucas himself. Opening on September 22, the museum will feature over 30 galleries and more than 1,200 works, exploring human history and the human condition through narrative art forms including illustration, sequential art, and cinema. The exhibitions will showcase production designs, props, and costumes from the Lucas Archives, alongside works by iconic artists such as Frank Frazetta, Boris Vallejo, Maxfield Parrish, N.C. Wyeth, Beatrix Potter, Jack Kirby, Alison Bechdel, Frank Miller, and Mœbius, spanning adventure, fantasy, sci-fi, children's literature, and comics.