Joanna Allen at Bowman Sculpture

Bowman Sculpture Gallery in London announces "Subconscious Playground," the first solo exhibition by emerging British contemporary artist Joanna Allen, running from May 1 to May 30, 2025. The show features Allen's sculptural works that explore human psychology, moving between figuration and abstraction, with pieces like "Shadow" and "Monument" examining themes of identity, memory, and the subconscious. The exhibition includes a catalogue with a forward by art historian Dr. Jon Wood.

Indonesia Returns to Venice Biennale for 2026 Edition

Indonesia will return to the Venice Biennale in 2026 after a six-year absence. The national pavilion, titled "Printing the Unprinted," will be curated by Aminudin TH Siregar and will feature archival materials alongside works by 14 emerging artists, aiming to explore the country's cultural identity and art history.

Cultural Institutions in Beirut Suspend Operations Amid Escalating Conflict

Several major cultural institutions in Beirut have suspended public operations due to escalating regional conflict. The Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation, Sursock Museum, Dar El-Nimer for Arts & Culture, and Beirut Art Center have all paused programs following Israeli airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs and southern Lebanon, which were a response to rocket attacks by Hezbollah.

The investigation of intimacy at the center of an exhibition in a Paris gallery

L’indagine sull’intimità al centro di una mostra in una galleria di Parigi

French artist Guillaume Valenti (b. 1987) presents his solo exhibition "Système domestique" at Parliament Gallery in Paris, exploring how personal identity can be conveyed through intimate domestic spaces rather than traditional portraiture. The show centers on repeated depictions of the artist's studio bookshelf, captured from the same viewpoint and proportions, which serves both as a subject and a structural grid. Valenti's paintings investigate the interplay of light, color, and abstraction, with works such as "Grise" (2026) and "Bibliothèque blanche" (2026) using overexposure and artificial coloration to deconstruct realistic representation. Other pieces like "The florist" (2026) depict views from the studio window, further examining the boundary between interior and exterior perception.

Dismantling Orbán's 16-Year Grip on Hungary's Art World

Following the recent electoral defeat of Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz-KDNP coalition by the opposition party Tisza, the Hungarian art world faces a monumental task of institutional restoration. For 16 years, the regime’s 'System of National Cooperation' (NER) systematically co-opted cultural institutions, installing loyalists in leadership roles at major venues like the Kunsthalle and Ludwig Museum to promote an ethno-nationalist agenda. This period was marked by the exodus of independent curators, the occupation of museums by activists, and a fractured ecosystem where state funding was tied to political compliance.

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.

Ethics and Parafiction: A Conversation

Ethics and Parafiction: A Conversation

e-flux Screening Room hosted an event featuring artist and filmmaker Salomé Lamas on December 6, 2025. The program included screenings of her films 'Eldorado XXI' (2016) and 'Gold and Ashes' (2025), a presentation of her related publication, and a public conversation with curator Lukas Brasiskis. The published transcript focuses on Lamas's filmmaking process, particularly the logistical and ethical challenges of shooting in extreme locations like La Rinconada, Peru.

Russia and Israel cannot win any prizes at the next Venice Art Biennale 2026. The jury takes a stand

Russia e Israele non potranno vincere nessun premio alla prossima Biennale Arte di Venezia 2026. La giuria prende posizione

The international jury for the 61st Venice Biennale, led by Solange Farkas, has unanimously declared it will not consider countries whose leaders are currently accused of crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. This means Russia and Israel are excluded from competing for the Golden Lion awards, including Best National Participation and Best Artist. The jury's statement, published on e-Flux Notes, emphasizes the Biennale's historical role as a platform connecting art with contemporary urgencies and acknowledges the complex relationship between artistic practice and state representation.

Nobody Can Defeat Me: The Brazilian Pavilion in Venice Between Spirituality, History and Nature

NOBODY CAN DEFEAT ME THE BRAZILIAN PAVILION IN VENICE BETWEEN SPIRITUALITY HISTORY AND NATURE

The Fundação Bienal de São Paulo has revealed the curatorial project for the Brazilian Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026. Titled 'Comigo ninguém pode' (Nobody Can Defeat Me), the exhibition is curated by Diane Lima and features a major two-person presentation of artists Rosana Paulino and Adriana Varejão, who will occupy the entire pavilion with an installation-based project designed by Daniela Thomas.

À Florence, une touriste poursuivie pour avoir endommagé la fontaine de Neptune

In Florence, Italy, a 28-year-old tourist is being prosecuted for damaging the historic Neptune Fountain during a bachelorette party on the night of April 18-19. She allegedly climbed the monument on Piazza della Signoria after a dare from friends to touch the statue's intimate parts, causing an estimated €5,000 in damages to the horses' legs and a decorative frieze. This follows a similar incident in September 2023, when a 22-year-old German tourist caused €5,000 in damage to the same fountain while posing for photos.

parties kidsuper dinner cultured nyfw

Colm Dillane, designer and artist behind KidSuper, co-hosted an intimate dinner with CULTURED magazine at his 10,000-square-foot Williamsburg studio during New York Fashion Week. Guests toured the brand's headquarters—featuring a recording studio and rooftop soccer field—before enjoying an Italian dinner prepared by Eric Madonna of Bar Madonna. Attendees included fashion tastemakers, gallerist Hannah Traore, curator Zoe Lukov, and musician Gashi, and each received a tote bag with the inaugural CULTURED at Home interiors issue and KidSuper's new book with Rizzoli, *The Misadventures of KidSuper*.

author rob franklin great black hope interview

Rob Franklin, a professor, poet, critic, and co-founder of Art for Black Lives, has released his debut novel "Great Black Hope" on June 10. The book follows Smith, a queer Black Stanford graduate, who is arrested for cocaine possession in the Hamptons after his best friend's death, leading him through New York's nightclubs, courtrooms, and recovery meetings. The novel is described as a satirical, intellectually incisive, and mournful addition to the canon of New York party literature, blending social commentary with a bildungsroman and elegy.

“Not for Sale”: Jingyi Yu’s New Exhibition Questions What Happens When Art Stops Trying to Be Useful

Photographer and curator Jingyi Yu, who earlier this year served as sole juror for the group exhibition "New Year, New [Me]ntal Issues" at A Space Gallery, now presents a new exhibition titled "Not for Sale," co-curated with Qi Ling and opening May 24. The show features work selected from an international open call that received nearly one hundred submissions from artists across the United States, China, Korea, and Europe, including London-based artist and animator Marian Obando. The exhibition centers on pieces made without strategic intention or commercial ambition—private, impulsive, or emotionally driven works that were never intended for public circulation.

Exhibition | Anna Freeman Bentley, 'Conduits' at Lehmann Maupin, 501 West 24th Street, New York, United States

British painter Anna Freeman Bentley presents 'Conduits,' a solo exhibition of new works at Lehmann Maupin's 501 West 24th Street location in New York. The show features her signature architectural interiors and liminal spaces, rendered in vibrant, gestural oil paintings that explore themes of transition and perception.

New Seoul art fair HIVE drops booth fees in market experiment

The inaugural HIVE Art Fair in Seoul, opening May 21 at COEX Magok, is testing an alternative business model that eliminates fixed booth fees. Instead, galleries can choose which services and installations to pay for through a "selective purchase system," with the fair relying on ticket sales, corporate partnerships, and promotional lounges for revenue. The fair features 48 galleries (36 South Korean, 12 international) and 158 artists, with no overlapping artists between galleries, and will display exhibition titles and curatorial statements alongside gallery names.

Where to see art in Singapore this week (Oct 24 to 31)

South-east Asia's largest art book fair, the Singapore Art Book Fair (SGABF), returns from October 31 to November 2, 2025, with over 120 exhibitors—its largest edition yet. The fair moves to a larger venue at New Art Museum Singapore and Whitestone Gallery, with ticket prices unchanged from 2024 ($6 online, $8 on-site). About half the exhibitors are first-timers, including Saigon-based studio WEDOGOOD, Cairo-based Rizo Masr, and local participants like graphic design trio Hause, Con-Temporary Art Editions, and visual artists Chin Lew and Isabell Hansen. The pilot Thing Books Residency Programme presents three new artist books by musician Yuen Chee Wai, filmmaker Seth Cheong, and vocalist Nur Wahidah. Visitors can also register for bookmaking workshops at additional cost.

'Emergence' exhibition at Galerie Myrtis features artists telling powerful stories

The 'Emergence: Stories in the Making' exhibition at Galerie Myrtis in Baltimore features 12 artists, including Maxwell Pearce—an artist and Harlem Globetrotters player—and Linnea Poole. Pearce uses sports equipment like shoelaces and basketballs to create portraits of loved ones, responding to the 'shut up and dribble' narrative he faced after a traumatic incident. Poole's work focuses on mourning and grief, dedicated to Black women. The exhibition includes artists from Nigeria and the Caribbean, aiming to preserve personal and collective histories through uncensored storytelling.

Painting through trauma

Israeli artist Ilan Adar, whose Jaffa studio was a cultural hub before October 7, found himself unable to paint after the attacks as tourism and daily visitors vanished. Encouraged by collector Josh Liberman, Adar created 'Echoes of the Tribe,' an exhibition now showing in Melbourne, Australia. The works, built from red pigment and layered with emotion, explore themes of shared human connection, memory, and resilience. The exhibition was organized with the help of Alexandra Pyke to support Israeli artists facing discrimination and economic hardship post-October 7.

Venice Biennale previews in chaos as war follows art into world's oldest exhibition

The Venice Biennale previewed its 61st edition in chaos on Tuesday, marked by the unprecedented resignation of its jury over the participation of Israel and Russia. Ukrainian artists displayed a statue of an origami deer from the war-torn eastern front, while Russian pavilion participants danced to house music and Palestinians marched wearing the names of artists killed in Gaza. The jury had stated it would not award prizes to countries under International Criminal Court investigation, singling out Russia and Israel, and its resignation has thrown the exhibition's structure into question.

Could TikTok become the place to buy and sell works of art?

TikTok potrà diventare il posto dove comprare e vendere opere d’arte?

TikTok Shop has launched a new "Fine Art" category, allowing users to buy and sell artworks directly within the app. The initiative was spearheaded by British artist-influencer Sophie Tea, who sold a series of 20 oil paintings titled "Bric-a-Brac" during a three-hour live stream that combined performance art, studio visits, and televised sales. Each piece sold for around £2,800, with TikTok taking a 9% commission. The move applies discovery commerce—where products find users through social feeds rather than active searches—to the art market, bypassing traditional gallery intermediaries.

Guide to cultural festivals in Italy at the end of May 2026: Spring Attitude, Aura, Buongiorno Ceramica!, URBAPHONIA, CYFEST

Guida ai festival culturali in Italia di fine maggio 2026: Spring Attitude, Aura, Buongiorno Ceramica!, URBAPHONIA, CYFEST

A guide to cultural festivals in Italy at the end of May 2026 highlights several events across the country, including Spring Attitude in Rome (May 29-30), Aura Festival in Palermo (June 1), Hypermaremma in Maremma (through September 30), Emulsioni in Ferrania (May 22-24), and Caorle Sea Festival in Caorle (May 23-June 7). These festivals cover diverse themes such as electronic music, club culture, analog photography, ceramics, media art, street art, and outdoor practices, often set in historically or culturally significant locations like La Nuvola in Rome, the Palazzina Cinese in Palermo, and an ex-film factory in Ferrania.

Al Padiglione Emirati della Biennale di Venezia l’ascolto passa dall’architettura

At the Venice Biennale, the UAE Pavilion at the Arsenale presents 'Washwasha,' a project curated by Bana Kattan that focuses on sound as an invisible infrastructure crossing cultures, memories, and identities. Featuring artists Tala Safié, Farah Al Qasimi, and Ala Younis, the pavilion eschews visual shock and political slogans for an immersive, auditory experience that prioritizes listening, proximity, and disorientation. Architect Koray Duman, who designed the space, explains in an interview that the pavilion is a deliberate counter to the contemporary culture of hyperstimulation and monetized attention, using architecture not as a container but as a system that organizes perception and emotional tension.

In Tuscany a new festival brings contemporary art to agricultural estates with exhibitions and artist residencies

In Toscana una nuova rassegna porta l’arte contemporanea nelle aziende agricole con mostre e residenze d’artista

The first edition of CARMI.CO 2026 – Carmignano Contemporanea will take place from May 15 to 24, 2026, in the Carmignano area near Prato, Tuscany. The festival features five exhibitions and five artist residencies hosted by local wineries and agricultural estates, alongside talks, workshops, and studio visits. Exhibitions are staged at venues including the Rocca di Carmignano, Museo Archeologico di Artimino, and Museo delle Maioliche di Bacchereto, with works by artists such as Marco Bagnoli, Qiu Yi, Gola Hundun, Rachel Morellet, Fargo, Marco Ulivieri, Serena Fineschi, and others. Residencies take place at Tenuta di Capezzana, Colline San Biagio, Tenuta Le Furre, Tenuta di Artimino, and Fattoria Il Grumolo, involving artists Max Magaldi, Ronaldo Fiesoli, Vittorio Cavallini, Graziano Riccelli, and Gola Hundun.

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.

Delicacy as Resistance. Interview with the Curator of the Turkey Pavilion at the Venice Biennale

La delicatezza come resistenza. Intervista alla curatrice del Padiglione Turchia alla Biennale di Venezia

For the 2026 Venice Biennale, the Turkey Pavilion, commissioned by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), will present "A Kiss on the Eyes" by artist Nilbar Güreş, curated by Başak Doğa Temür. The exhibition takes its title from a Turkish expression conveying affectionate closeness without intrusion, and features a mix of new productions and earlier works spanning sculpture, installation, painting, and works on paper and fabric. In an interview, curator Temür explains that the project avoids a retrospective or didactic approach, instead creating a spatial rhythm of approach, pause, and slight withdrawal, where intimacy, politics, irony, and fragility press against one another.

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.

Israeli Pavilion Artist Made Legal Threats Before Venice Biennale Jury Resigned

New reports reveal that Israeli Pavilion artist Belu-Simion Fainaru issued legal threats against the Venice Biennale, alleging antisemitism and discrimination after the awards jury decided to exclude Israel and Russia from consideration due to human rights charges. The jury, which included Elvira Dyangani Ose, Zoe Butt, Marta Kuzma, Giovanna Zapperi, and Solange Farkas, initially stated on April 22 it would not consider nations whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court. Fainaru filed legal warnings with the Biennale, the Italian Ministry of Culture, and the Prime Minister's office. The jury abruptly resigned eight days later, leading the Biennale to scrap the Golden Lion awards and institute "Visitor Lions" decided by public vote. Reports indicate the Biennale's legal department warned jurors could be personally liable for damages, and Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli promised to promote Fainaru's work.

Il Padiglione Italia alla Biennale? “Deve essere uno spazio di possibilità”. Intervista alla curatrice

The article announces Chiara Camoni's project "Con te con tutto" for the Italian Pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026, curated by Cecilia Canziani. The project emphasizes relational and communal practices, rejecting the identity-driven rhetoric of national representation. It stems from a fifteen-year dialogue between artist and curator, incorporating workshops, shared readings, and collaborative works like "La Giusta Misura." The pavilion is conceived as an ecosystem of artworks, texts, and activations rather than a linear exhibition, with a catalog designed as a critical reader.

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.

Venice Biennale Scraps “Golden Lion” Awards as Turmoil Continues

The 61st Venice Biennale has scrapped its traditional Golden Lion awards, replacing them with public-voted “Visitor Lions” after the entire award jury resigned on April 30. The jury had previously announced its intention to exclude countries whose leaders are charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, effectively targeting Russia and Israel. The Biennale Foundation, however, stated that all official national pavilions—including Russia and Israel—will be eligible for the new Visitor Lions, citing principles of inclusion and equal treatment. The awards ceremony has been moved from May 9 to November 22, the final day of the Biennale, to allow ticket holders to vote throughout the event.