The Haight Street Art Center is hosting 'I-Beam: Disco, Dancing and Modern Rock in the Haight,' an exhibition exploring the visual culture of San Francisco's historic nightlife and music scene. Other visual art highlights in the Bay Area include 'Hot Draw!', an erotic figure drawing session at the Mark I Chester Studio, and various community exhibits hosted at the SF LGBT Center.
San Francisco’s first gallery dedicated entirely to Pan-African contemporary art, the Art of Contemporary Africa (AOCA), will open on February 12, 2026, at the Minnesota Street Project in the Dogpatch neighborhood. Founded by industry veteran Craig Mark and South African photographer Clint Strydom, the gallery represents both leading and emerging African artists working across various media. Its inaugural group exhibition, “Afropop,” features artists including Dr. Esther Mahlangu, Ayanda Mabulu, Noria Mabasa, Willie Bester, Clint Strydom, Médéric Turay, and Samuel Allerton. AOCA is the sister gallery to The Melrose Gallery in Johannesburg and has already participated in major art fairs such as Expo Chicago, 1-54 New York, the Seattle Art Fair, and the Atlanta Art Fair.
A new gallery called Art of Contemporary Africa (AOCA) will open on February 12, 2026, at San Francisco's Minnesota Street Project in the Dogpatch neighborhood. Founded by gallerist Craig Mark and artist Clint Strydom, it is the city's first and only gallery dedicated to contemporary Pan-African art. The inaugural exhibition, “Afropop,” will feature works by artists including Esther Mahlangu, Denis Mubiru, Ayanda Mabulu, Samuel Allerton, and Vusi Beauchamp. The gallery builds on the founders' decade of experience running The Melrose Gallery in South Africa, which will become AOCA's sister site.
The 14th edition of Mumbai Gallery Weekend (MGW) is underway, running until January 12, and for the first time appoints co-leads from galleries outside the city's historic art district of Colaba and Fort. Ayesha Parikh of Art and Charlie (Bandra) and Sanjana Shah of Tao Art Gallery (Worli) helm the event, reflecting the geographic expansion of Mumbai's art scene into western suburbs and financial districts. The weekend features ambitious exhibitions, including a solo show of terracotta works by Chippa Sudhakar at Tao and a group show curated by Zeenat Nagree at Art & Charlie. MGW, co-founded in 2012 by Shireen Gandhy and other South Mumbai galleries, has grown from nine to 33 participating galleries, and now includes the Midtown Arts Collective, which represents galleries from Worli, Lower Parel, and Bandra.
The sixth edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB) in Kerala, India, titled "For the Time Being," will open on December 12, 2025, and run until March 31, 2026. Curated by artist Nikhil Chopra and his collective HH Art Spaces, the biennial features 66 artists or groups, including Marina Abramović, Tino Sehgal, Otobong Nkanga, Ibrahim Mahama, and Adrián Villar Rojas. South Asian artists make up about two-thirds of the lineup, with works addressing political themes such as the Kashmir conflict and the Gaza genocide, despite a climate of censorship in India. The central venue, Aspinwall House, will be partially used after previous access issues with developer DLF.
A new public art gallery called "art house" has opened in downtown Calgary, occupying a temporary exhibition space previously used by the Glenbow Museum in the Edison office building. The gallery is a collaboration between Aspen Properties and the Alberta Arts Foundation (AFA), featuring the foundation's extensive collection of 9,600 artworks by over 1,700 Alberta artists. It opened on September 10 and is currently open Tuesday to Friday from 12 to 4 pm. The space was originally created as a museum-grade gallery during the Glenbow's renovation, and after the Glenbow vacated to prepare for its reopening as the JR Shaw Centre for Arts & Culture in late 2026, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts stepped in to keep the gallery active.
Yuan Fang presents a new series of visceral abstract paintings at Skarstedt Chelsea, created after she was diagnosed with cancer. The works mark a shift from her earlier gestural abstraction, confronting the fragility and resilience of the body through intuitive, layered processes that evoke cycles of generation, decay, and rebirth. Fang, who gained international attention during the pandemic, joined Skarstedt last year and continues to attract collectors in Hong Kong and beyond.
Vogue India highlights 11 new art shows opening across India in August 2025, including the 8th edition of Delhi Contemporary Art Week, which brings together six women-led galleries. Notable exhibitions include 'The Personal is Mythical' at Latitude 28 featuring Gond artist Bhajju Shyam, 'Roots of the Earth' at Jhaveri Contemporary exploring marginalized histories, and a solo show of Madhvi Parekh at DAG celebrating her folk modernist works. Other shows include 'Objects May Appear Softer…' at Black Cube Gallery, focusing on Indian female artists.
The inaugural Art Week Riyadh (AWR), organized by Saudi Arabia's Visual Arts Commission, took place from April 6-13 in the Jax district of Diriyah. Though officially billed as a non-commercial curated exhibition, the event functioned much like an art fair, with 32 galleries displaying available works, price lists visible on stands, and sales conducted throughout the week. The main exhibition, titled "At The Edge," was curated by Vittoria Matarrese with associate curators Basma Harasani and Victoria Gandit Lelandais, featuring galleries from Saudi Arabia and the wider region. Standout presentations included works by Ayesha Sultana, Mohamed Bourouissa, Mohammed Al Resayes, and Miramar Al Nayyar, alongside a moving image section and a satellite program of open studios and gallery shows.
The Museum of Art and History of Sainte-Anne Hospital (MAHHSA) in Paris is presenting an exhibition titled "Masterpieces at the Heart of the Sainte-Anne Collection" from April 16 to July 26, 2026. The show features 145 works by artist-patients from the 19th century to today, including pieces by Aloïse Corbaz, Unica Zürn, Guillaume Pujolle, Maurice Blin, and Caroline Macdonald. Curated by Anne-Marie Dubois, the exhibition is organized into six thematic sections—such as "History of asylum and refuge" and "Imaginary universes"—to allow the works to dialogue without being reduced to the artists' illnesses. The museum also highlights Yayoi Kusama, who has long described her art as therapy.
"Ich habe mich schon immer zum Verachteten hingezogen gefühlt"
Irish artist Alice Maher discusses her ongoing exploration of patriarchal structures, mythology, and the symbolic power of female hair in her practice. Her current work focuses on large-scale drawings of Sibyls—ancient female prophets—whose excessive hair serves as a metaphor for identity, power, and the 'monstrous feminine.' Maher reflects on her career-long engagement with Irish history, from collecting hair during the Troubles to her collaborative textile masterpiece, "The Map," which reclaims the legacy of Mary Magdalene from Catholic institutional narratives.
The Disobedience Archive, a mobile video archive initiated by Marco Scotini in 2005, is presented in dialogue with Raqs Media Collective at the Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst in Zürich. The archive contains over one hundred documentary and art films at the intersection of art and activism, documenting forms of resistance, social struggle, and collective self-organization.
Jota Mombaça, a Brazilian multidisciplinary artist known for fusing critical theory with drawing, poetry, installation, and performance, has created a new three-act opera titled "The Muted Saints" commissioned for the Aspen Art Museum's AIR Festival. The work will premiere on July 29 at the Hallam Lake Nature Preserve in Aspen, Colorado. Inspired by Mombaça's 2023 short story about a protagonist transitioning from human to geological form, the opera explores themes of planetary interconnectedness, environmental catastrophe, and the transformation of beings into rocks, ghosts, or wind. Mombaça discusses their creative process, the influence of the local Colorado environment, and the importance of site-responsive work in an interview with CULTURED.
French-Lebanese artist Ali Cherri, in collaboration with the International Federation for Human Rights, has filed a civil complaint in a French court regarding a 2024 Israeli airstrike in Beirut. The strike, which occurred in the Noueiri neighborhood just hours before a ceasefire, destroyed Cherri’s family home and killed seven civilians, including his parents and their domestic helper. The legal action, submitted to a specialized war crimes unit, alleges that the targeting of a civilian residence constitutes a war crime under both French and international law.
The 16th edition of Chile Arte Contemporáneo (Chaco), Chile's only international contemporary art fair, is underway in Santiago, featuring over 50 galleries. The fair emphasizes representation of the entire country, from the Atacama Desert to Patagonia, and includes galleries from 11 countries, with a focus on Chilean contemporary artists. Notable presentations include immersive installations by artists like Fernando Andreo Castro and politically engaged displays, such as a composite flag by Brazilian gallery Hermès and a stand by Mnwal, a space for artists from the Palestinian diaspora.
The article presents nine open calls for visual artists to apply to during summer 2025, including the Form Photo Award and the Arte Laguna Prize. The Form Photo Award, organized by Form institution, offers winners free participation in Scope Miami Beach 2025 and publication in Form Magazine, with a €35 submission fee and deadlines through July 30. The Arte Laguna Prize, now in its 20th edition, features an exhibition at the Arsenale Nord in Venice and special prizes including residencies at MoCA Art Residency, BigCi, Artorale, LITIX, and NY20+, with a €97 entry fee and a July 31 deadline.
The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) at the University of Pennsylvania has opened two new exhibitions. "Mavis Pusey: Mobile Images" (through December 7, 2025) is the first major museum survey dedicated to Jamaican-born geometric abstractionist Mavis Pusey (1928-2019), featuring over 60 works from her 50-year career, including her "Broken Construction" series. Co-organized with the Studio Museum in Harlem and curated by Hallie Ringle and Kiki Teshome, the show includes archival materials. The second exhibition, "Entryways: Xenobia Bailey" (through August 9, 2026), continues ICA's collaboration with textile studio Maharam, featuring a window installation by Philadelphia-based fiber artist Xenobia Bailey, curated by Denise Ryner.
The Orillia Museum of Art & History (OMAH) has opened submissions for the 24th annual Tradition Transformed juried exhibition, inviting Canadian artists to reinterpret the Canadian landscape through the theme of travel or daydreaming. The exhibition runs concurrently with John Gould: Travels of the Body and Mind and honors Group of Seven member Franklin Carmichael. Artists may submit works in all mediums, with entry fees and deadlines through August 22, 2025. Prizes include the Jurors’ Prize ($1,500), Kevin J. Batchelor Emerging Artist Award ($1,000), new Philip Jackman Photography Prize ($500), and Norma Duggan Award ($250). Jurors are Carol-Ann Ryan and Erin Vincent.
The African Film Institute at e-flux launched its 2026 program with an event titled "Two Thousand Seasons: A Look Into 2026 and Beyond." The evening featured a screening of a curated playlist of film clips and works by artists like Ayesha Hameed, Ousmane Sembène, and John Akomfrah, compiled by Christian Nyampeta, followed by a conversation with Nyampeta, KJ Abudu, and Kaneza Schaal.
India has announced its artist lineup for the 61st Venice Biennale, featuring Alwar Balasubramaniam, Sumakshi Singh, Ranjani Shettar, Asim Waqif, and Skarma Sonam Tashi. The national pavilion, located in the Arsenale, will showcase a diverse range of installations that explore themes of architectural memory, environmental sustainability, and the physical processes of nature. From Tashi’s recreations of Ladakhi homes using recycled materials to Singh’s spectral thread-based architectural fragments, the works collectively examine the fragility of heritage and the shifting relationship between humans and their environments.
The Complex, a major multi-artform venue in Dublin, was evicted from its warehouse building in January 2026 after its lease expired. A public campaign to save it, supported by politicians and cultural officials, failed due to a lack of legal mechanisms to protect grassroots cultural organizations. This closure follows a pattern of similar artist-led spaces folding in Ireland, most recently Ormond Studios.
The 2026 BFA Exhibition at the Krannert Art Museum, featuring work from University of Illinois School of Art & Design students, emphasizes interactivity, inviting visitors to physically engage with the displays. Highlights include Dhanvi Puttur's "The Third Showing," which explores film communities through an interactive prompt, and Venya Naidu's "The Last Maharaja of Mysore," a vibrant piece blending history and vintage advertising aesthetics. The exhibition runs through May 16, 2026, and is free to the public.
Palestinian photojournalist Samar Abu Elouf has won the 2025 World Press Photo award for her image of Mahmoud Ajjour, a 9-year-old Gazan boy whose arms were mutilated by an Israeli airstrike. The photo, taken for the New York Times, was honored at a ceremony in Amsterdam. Abu Elouf, herself from Gaza and now living in Qatar, captured the boy in a shaft of sunlight that gives the image the quality of a classical bust. The award, now in its 70th year, drew nearly 60,000 entries from 4,000 photographers across 141 countries.
The Newport Art Museum is set to host "Voices of Springboard" on April 16, a moderated panel discussion featuring four artists from its current members' juried exhibition. Led by juror and art consultant Julie Keyes, the event features artists Karin Gielen, Tas Mahr, Saberah S. Malik, and Janice Smyth. The discussion will explore the transition from emerging to professional status, the impact of branding on artistic careers, and how contemporary practices engage with historical museum collections.
Alexandria Contemporary Art Days launches from October 9th to 16th, 2025, transforming the Egyptian city into an open-air gallery. The festival features site-specific works by local and international artists across venues including the French Institute, Behna Warehouse, El Garage Cultural Space, and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Highlights include a performance connecting breath and sound by dancer Salma Salem and trombonist Simon Petermann, a drawing-based installation by Mohamed Adel Dessouki, and Tiana Kader's evolving participatory installation 'The House of the Fat Lady'. The programme also includes exhibitions, live performances, workshops, talks, and guided walks such as 'Art on Foot'.
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is celebrating Museum Month and International Museum Day (May 18) by highlighting the Phoenix Airport Museum's exhibitions. The museum, which began as an art program in the 1960s with Paul Coze's mural "The Phoenix" and officially became a museum 38 years ago, has presented over 500 exhibitions focusing on Arizona's culture. It now houses more than 1,000 artworks across 40 display areas, including architecturally integrated pieces and portable works. Current exhibitions include "Spectral Alchemy" (15 local artists exploring light), "Fluoresce" (blacklight paintings), "Time & Place" (paintings by Martin Dimitrov), "Runway Fashion" (vintage flight attendant uniforms), and several others in Terminals 3 and 4, both pre- and post-security.
BB&M gallery in Seoul presents "When Space Becomes Painting," a solo exhibition of leading Korean architect Byoung Cho, organized in partnership with Jiyoon Lee of SUUM Project. The show traces Cho's 30-year engagement with space across painting, installation, maquettes, and drawing, exploring how his architectural thinking translates onto canvas. Central to the exhibition is Cho's concept of "mahk," inspired by Korean traditional ceramic maksabal, embracing spontaneity and imperfection as a guiding philosophy. The exhibition shifts from viewing artworks to experiencing them, with paintings that function as performative inquiries into existence rather than static images.
Francis Dosoo, a self-taught Scottish artist now based in Vienna, is mounting his first solo show at Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA) titled "Portrait Of Dorothy Gale." Dosoo began his career in nightlife, running club nights and DJ sets that blended into performance and installation art. His practice spans sound, film, and visual art, with past collaborations including Joanne Dawson, Aniela Piasecka, and Alberta Whittle, and commissions from the Glasgow Film Festival and Edinburgh Art Festival. The DCA exhibition draws on the 1978 film *The Wiz*, reimagining *The Wizard of Oz* with an African-American cast, focusing on star Diana Ross's career and personal life at the time.
YouTube star Rachel Accurso, known as Ms. Rachel, announced an exhibition and fundraiser titled "Colors That Survived" featuring artworks created by children in Gaza. The show opens Tuesday at Caelum Gallery in New York's Chelsea neighborhood, with limited-edition prints priced at $200 each available through January 30 via the nonprofit Artists Support. All proceeds will go to young Palestinian artists. Accurso, who has over 18 million YouTube subscribers, became an advocate for children in Gaza after participating in a Save the Children fundraiser in May 2024, and has faced backlash from Zionist groups including StopAntisemitism, which falsely accused her of receiving funds from Hamas.