Meet the Canadian artists heading to Venice Biennale

Five Canadian artists have been selected for the main exhibition of the Venice Biennale, titled *In Minor Keys*, which opens to the public next Saturday. The participants are Abbas Akhavan (featured in the Canada Pavilion), Manuel Mathieu, Rajni Perera, Marigold Santos, and one additional artist. The exhibition is the first Biennale curated by a Black woman, Cameroonian-Swiss curator Koyo Kouoh, who died suddenly in May last year after a cancer diagnosis, just six months after her appointment. Despite her death, the Biennale proceeded with her plans, with her team completing the work.

Corazón Cafe’s Chingonas gallery honors ‘badass women’ through art

Corazón Cafe in downtown San Luis Obispo hosts an annual art gallery called "Chingonas" during March and April, celebrating Women's History Month. The gallery, curated by co-owner Sara McGrath, features around 20 participants ranging from ages 5 to 85, displaying works that honor "badass women"—from famous figures like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Gloria Steinem to everyday family members. The term "Chingonas" is a reclaimed Mexican-Spanish slang for strong, independent women.

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.

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.

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.

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.

How the GDR apron became Italian luxury

Wie die DDR-Schürze zum Italo-Luxus wurde

Italian luxury label Miu Miu has released dresses for summer 2026 that resemble 1980s East German kitchen aprons, with prices reaching up to €12,000 for crystal-embroidered versions. The collection debuted on the Paris runway in October, where actress Sandra Hüller opened the show in robust workwear, evoking factory workers from the former GDR. Designer Miuccia Prada, a former member of the Italian Communist Party, drew inspiration from Helga Paris's 1984 photo series "Frauen bei der Arbeit" (Women at Work), which documented female laborers in East Berlin's VEB Treffmodelle textile factory.

Gitte Zschoch wird Generalsekretärin des Goethe-Instituts

Gitte Zschoch has been appointed as the new Secretary General of the Goethe-Institut, taking over the role and chairmanship of the board on July 18. She succeeds Johannes Ebert, who has held the position since 2012 and will now lead the institute's regional office in Athens. Zschoch, currently Secretary General of the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa), previously worked for the Goethe-Institut in various roles, including founding director of its branch in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The appointment was confirmed by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul and approved by the institute's presidium.

Ivan Cheng “Casemates” at Mudam, Luxembourg

Mudam Luxembourg—Musée d’Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean will present "A Journey," a performance program running throughout 2026. The series features artist Ivan Cheng with his work "Casemates," which explores cultural memory, technological progress, and embodied interpretation through the concept of a journey as both method and metaphor.

Weekend for the arts: 'Untitled' exhibition, 'Lessons Of Silence' theatre

The article covers three events in Kuala Lumpur as part of the KL Festival and Borneo Native Festival 2026. The 'Untitled' group exhibition at GMBB creative mall features 127 artists and 329 works without labels or artist names, inviting viewers to write personal reflections. Proceeds from admission and 'gift letters' go directly to participating artists, offsetting typical financial burdens for emerging creators. The theatre piece 'Lessons Of Silence' by Indonesian artist Agnes Christina is a wordless performance exploring race, class, and parent-child dynamics during a turbulent period in Indonesian history. Additionally, the Borneo Native Festival 2026 at Central Market showcases Sabah and Sarawak's arts and culture, with a highlight being Pangrok Sulap, a woodcut collective from Ranau, presenting prints, books, and socially engaged art.

The Biennale Must Remain Open – Also for Russia

Die Biennale muss offen bleiben – auch für Russland

The article argues against calls to exclude Russia from the Venice Biennale, focusing on the controversy surrounding the Russian pavilion's planned exhibition titled "Der Baum ist im Himmel verwurzelt" (The Tree Is Rooted in Heaven). The pavilion is set to feature musicians from Russia, Argentina, Mali, and Mexico, and its theme revolves around the idea that politics is time-bound. The author contends that while the demand to exclude Russia is understandable given the geopolitical context, it is dangerous because once a biennial begins disinviting states, it undermines the very concept of the international exhibition.

Belfast’s murals are an open-air gallery of history and art

Belfast's murals, long used as tools of political expression and territorial marking during the Troubles, are gradually changing. Research shows that three-quarters of the most intimidatory murals in the loyalist Shankill area have disappeared since 1998. Newer murals commemorate figures like Queen Elizabeth II and King Charles III, while non-sectarian artistic murals—including tributes to murdered journalist Lyra McKee—are appearing across the city. However, some paramilitary-linked murals persist, and a 2024 incident saw a wall in north Belfast rebuilt and its threatening imagery repainted, reflecting ongoing tensions and the complex politics of 'conflict transformation' funding.

Fractured Horizons Returns to NYCxDesign 2026 with Imaging After Images, Marking Its Second International Spotlight at the Festival

Fractured Horizons: Imaging After Images, the second edition of VSDesign's international exhibition series, returned to the NYCxDesign Festival in 2026, running for a week in New York. Organized by VSDesign in partnership with RAC Studio and Asia Design Week, the exhibition featured 60 works by artists and designers from across Asia and North America, spanning architecture, urbanism, product design, visual communication, and interactive media. The show explored how images no longer simply depict space but actively produce, operate, and regulate it, treating the image as a spatial mechanism rather than a neutral surface.

AlUla Arts Showcases More than 20 Artists at 61st Venice Biennale

A contemporary art fair called "This is Normal" has been held in Kyiv, Ukraine, during wartime, organized by the Art Kyiv fair. The event features over 20 Ukrainian artists and galleries at the Lavra Gallery, deliberately avoiding any direct reference to the war in its booths or artworks. Organizers and participants describe the fair as a space for cultural continuity and psychological respite, where art helps people make sense of a reality shaped by missile strikes and loss.

Ukrainians seeking cultural escape from war’s brutality find comfort and resilience at Kyiv art fair

The Art Kyiv fair, titled "This is Normal," has been held in Kyiv, Ukraine, as a contemporary art event designed to help society cope with the realities of war. Organized by director Anna Avetova, the fair features hundreds of works by Ukrainian artists at the Lavra Gallery, deliberately avoiding any booths dedicated to the war itself. The event aims to provide cultural continuity, emotional sustenance, and a boost to the domestic art market, which has struggled since the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion.

Soft Power: When Textiles Become Compelling Storytellers

The article reviews 'Threading Inwards,' an exhibition at the Centre for Heritage, Arts and Textile (CHAT) in Hong Kong, curated by Wang Weiwei, Eugene Hannah Park, Kurosawa Seiha, and Wang Huan. It features 14 artists from across Asia who use textile as a medium to explore themes of spirituality, memory, and cultural heritage. Works include Han Sang A's 'Threshold' series, Hu Yinping's 'Soul Bottle' series, and pieces by Aziza Kadyri, Mooni Perry, Citra Sasmita, IV Chan, and Chen Zhe, among others.

1990s pop icon Jewel is the protagonist in Venice with an exhibition that rewrites the geographies of the feminine

L’icona pop Anni ‘90 Jewel è protagonista a Venezia con una mostra che riscrive le geografie del femminile

Singer-songwriter Jewel, a 1990s pop icon with four Grammy nominations, is presenting her largest exhibition to date in Venice. Titled "Matriclysm: An Archaeology of Connections Lost," the immersive show runs from May 6 to November 22, 2026, at the Salone Verde, coinciding with the 2026 Venice Biennale. Curated by Joe Thompson, the exhibition blends painting, textiles, sculpture, sound, and installation to explore themes of femininity, motherhood, care, and intergenerational knowledge, drawing on forgotten rituals and marginalized mythologies.

Writer-artist Nia Zera's work draws parallels between Africa countries and Dravidian communities

Writer-artist Nia Zera recently opened her exhibition "Cobalt Blue" in Chennai, featuring 31 paintings on shaped wooden panels that draw parallels between Dravidian communities in south India and African cultures. The works explore shared histories of resource wealth and colonial exploitation, inspired by Karen Blixen's 'Out of Africa' and Zera's own upbringing near the Muthuvan Kudi community in Munnar, Kerala. The exhibition took one year and one month to complete, using a predominantly blue palette referencing cobalt and blue-green algae from Africa.

Gunjan Tyagi Selected for Women’s History Month Exhibition in NYC

Gunjan Tyagi, a multidisciplinary visual artist based in Schenectady, New York, has been selected to exhibit at Pen + Brush, one of New York's oldest nonprofit galleries, during Women's History Month. Tyagi's work spans painting, sculpture, site-specific installation, nature art, video, photography, and mixed media, often incorporating unconventional materials like cow dung and found objects to explore identity, cultural exchange, and humanity's relationship with nature. She also serves as organizer of the India chapter of the Global Nomadic Art Project and as a jury member at the Biennale of Seychelles.

Art show reflects on human experience, aspiration

A group of nine young artists, all alumni of the Government College of Fine Arts in Chennai, have formed a collective called Continuum and will present their first exhibition, 'Between Becoming & Being,' starting May 15 at Lalit Kala Akademi. Initiated by artist couple Preethi Umapathy and Prithiviraj, the show features works in painting, printmaking, sculpture, and ceramics by Deepika, Ganesh, Jagath Ravi, Padmapriya, Prithiviraj, Preethi, Ramesh, Saran Mathi, and Sarath Kumar, exploring themes of identity, aspiration, human existence, and lived experiences.

The Angular Festival blurs lines between art and music, opening Chennai’s galleries to new audiences

The Angular Festival, curated by Focus Group Radio, takes over four spaces at Palomar by Crossway in Chennai, blending music stages, an art gallery, listening sessions, artist installations, and a makers market. Five artists—Arya, Poorvaja Rathi, BVS, Sasithar, and co-curator Rhea Fabian—present works across painting, sculpture, installation, and film, while musical acts like Komododo, CDV, and The Dipshit Ladies perform on two stages. The event also features listening sessions curated by non-musicians and interactive installations by Television Dust and Abhishek Jayaprakash.

Leslie Powell Gallery to open multiple art exhibitions in May

The Leslie Powell Gallery in Lawton, Oklahoma, will open two art exhibitions in May 2026. "Beauteous Maximus" features paintings by New Zealand-born Polynesian artist Tania Landers, whose work explores memory, identity, and generational storytelling through vibrant colors and collage. "Between the Front Door and the Kitchen Sink" showcases artwork by Texas artist Abigail Rainey, focusing on themes of home, inheritance, and the sacred within the mundane. Both exhibitions open with a reception on May 16 and run through June 26.

Maintenance Work Brings Together Artists Examining Care as Process

Maintenance Work: Practices of Care, an exhibition opening at The Good Rice Gallery, brings together artists working across installation, performance, video, and sculpture. Curated by Berenice Berlan and Sowon Kim, the show features works from 18 artists including Abeer Al-Tamimi, Flavia Carolina D’Alessandro, and Jieyi Chen, exploring maintenance not as a finished act but as an ongoing process shaped by care, repetition, and attention. The exhibition runs from 21st to 24th May 2026, with a private view on 21st May.

Photos | Artists go ‘beyond the frame’ at Pajaro Valley Arts printmaking exhibit

The Pajaro Valley Arts gallery in Watsonville is hosting a new exhibition titled "Over the Edge: Printmaking Without Limits," curated by Jane Gregorius and Katherine Levin-Lau. The show features works by 30 local artists using techniques such as woodcut, linocut, screen printing, etching, monotype, and jelly prints, with an emphasis on pushing prints beyond traditional flat formats through cutting, folding, layering, and installation. The exhibition runs from May 26 to July 11, with a public reception on May 30, and includes free workshops like Kitchen Table Printmaking and Trace Monotype.

An exhibition of works by Mykhailo Riasnianskyi, People’s Artist of Ukraine, is currently being held in Mykolaiv

An exhibition of works by Mykhailo Riasnianskyi, People’s Artist of Ukraine, is currently on display at the V. Vereshchahin Art Museum in Mykolaiv, marking the 100th anniversary of his birth. The show features paintings from the museum’s collection and opened with speeches from local officials and artists, including Yevhen Horburov and Dmytro Artym. Riasnianskyi, who died in 2001, was a veteran of World War II, a longtime teacher, and the first artist from the Mykolaiv region to receive the title of People’s Artist of Ukraine.

From Ashes to Light, Brooklyn Arts Group Rebounds After a Fire

After a fire destroyed its home base in Red Hook in September 2025, the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition (BWAC) is presenting its first in-person exhibition, "Unmoored / Unbound," at Powerhouse Arts in Gowanus, Brooklyn. The juried group show features 40 artists working across various mediums, exploring themes of loss, transition, liberation, and resilience. The exhibition runs from May 22 to August 9, 2025, with an opening reception on May 21.

New shows in the spotlight at museum’s New Look Weekend

The Minnesota Marine Art Museum (MMAM) will host its Spring New Look Weekend from May 15-17, 2026, celebrating the opening of two new exhibitions: “Gordon Coons: Gidibaajimomin / We Tell Stories” and “Myths & Legends of Minnesota: An Exhibition of the Minnesota Plein Air Collective.” The weekend features a Friday dinner at Nosh Scratch Kitchen with a marine-themed menu by Chef Greg Jaworski, and a full Saturday of programming including a Paint-Along Demonstration with Nelia Harper French, drop-in printmaking with Gordon Coons, a Meet the Artist tour, a plein air paint-out, and a social gathering. Both exhibitions run through August and September 2026.

Student artists shine in RAM exhibition

TIA KI hosts Flower Moon art exhibition in Dimapur

TIA KI – Nagaland Art Space in Dimapur is hosting 'Flower Moon: May Special', a week-long art exhibition running from May 2 to 9, 2026. The exhibition features 12 participating artists and brands from Nagaland, including KINTEM, Hues of Hills, and Smallshop by Jason Anshu, with works spanning poetry, spoken word, textiles, drapery, dance, and performance. The opening on May 1 featured a performance art piece written by Anungla Zoe Longkumer, performed by Virieno Christina Zakiesato and Carol Humstoe, with styling by Imchatsung Imchen.

In Venedig findet Lotus L. Kang Schönheit im Vergänglichen

Canadian artist Lotus L. Kang has opened an exhibition titled "The Face of Desire Is Loss" at the new Bvlgari Pavilion in Venice. The show features her fluid, changeable works that explore themes of desire, loss, absence, and impermanence, with the artist describing the experience as a charged, chaotic, yet focused pursuit of something elusive.