‘Currents’ multimedia installations portray Schuylkill River in new art exhibit at Fairmount Water Works

Martha McDonald will perform original songs on a glass armonica at the Fairmount Water Works in Philadelphia as part of 'Currents,' a new multimedia art exhibit. The show features installations by 10 local artists that animate the historic water system's underground corridors, coinciding with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Works include a 3D animation timeline of the Schuylkill River by Nadia Hironaka and Matthew Suib, photographic pieces by Julianna Foster, and an installation by Taji Ra’oof Nahl addressing water and honey bees. The exhibit runs through Aug. 8.

Creativity as Curation

Yalin Hu, a Creative Director, has led several international exhibition projects over the past year, including "Infinite Weave" during New York Design Week (NYCxDESIGN Festival), the online exhibition "Unraveling" during London Design Festival, and "Touching the Void" at The Blanc Gallery in New York. In May 2026, she will lead "Becoming" at Artech Space in New York. Hu approaches each project as a complete creative system, focusing on theme development, spatial structure, audience journey, and cross-media integration, blending art, design, digital technology, and public experience.

SMC Emeritus Annual Student Art Exhibition 2026 – Part 1, Opening Celebration in Emeritus Gallery May 14

The Santa Monica College (SMC) Emeritus Art Gallery will host the SMC Emeritus Annual Student Art Exhibition 2026 – Part 1 from May 14 to June 19, with a free opening reception on May 14 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The exhibition features works by 47 student artists from SMC's noncredit Emeritus program for older adults, which was founded in 1975 and serves over 3,000 students annually. Due to high participation, the exhibition is split into two parts, with Part 1 displayed in the gallery and Part 2 opening online on June 11.

Muskegon Museum of Art Announces ‘HerStory of Animation: Mary Blair & Beyond’ Exhibit

The Muskegon Museum of Art has announced a new exhibition titled 'HerStory of Animation: Mary Blair & Beyond,' premiering June 6 through September 27. The show redefines animation history by highlighting the contributions of women animators and artists, from early pioneers like Helena Smith Dayton and Lotte Reiniger to contemporary figures. Curated by Mindy Johnson, the exhibition features production artwork, studio artifacts, rare imagery, films, and newly uncovered research spanning over a century of innovation.

Frieze New Writers Pick Vienna’s Must-See Exhibitions

Andrew Durbin reviews national pavilions at a major art event, contrasting a vacuous US presentation with incisive and moving installations from Britain and Germany. The piece is part of Frieze's 'Critic's Guides' series, offering a pointed critique of the US pavilion's lack of meaning against the strength of its European counterparts.

The Venice Biennale of Art has begun! The pavilions you should not miss this year

The Venice Biennale of Art has officially opened, showcasing national pavilions and exhibitions from around the world. The article highlights key pavilions that visitors should prioritize this year, offering a curated guide to the most notable presentations at the prestigious international art event.

Norman Firehouse Art Center to open Sohail & Co. exhibition

The Norman Firehouse Art Center in Norman, Oklahoma, will present "Sohail & Co.," a summer exhibition focused on figure drawing and sculpture, on view from May 13 to August 7, 2026. The show brings together artists connected to the University of Oklahoma School of Visual Arts, exploring how the human figure evolves from observation to finished form across drawing, ceramics, and sculpture. An opening reception on May 13 will also feature the unveiling of "Rooted," a new public sculpture by undergraduate student Isabella Clark, installed in the Firehouse park as part of the Lions Park Sculpture Garden initiative.

“KRANKIE II: Middle of the Food Chain” Exhibition at 81C in St. Thomas

81C in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, is presenting "Krankie II: Middle of the Food Chain," an immersive contemporary art exhibition by collaborative duo Emily Braswell (strawberriemilk) and Jenna Rees (warmmilkwithsugar). Opening on May 15, 2026, the show features painting, video, sculpture, and installation that construct a cinematic, psychologically charged world centered on a fictional 1980s movie star, offering absurdist commentary on fame in the pre-internet era versus today. The exhibition is a dual-location activation, also including a component at the XIIID Research and Strategy Innovation Center at the University of the Virgin Islands, with a free opening reception featuring DJ Carbar.

The Navy and the painters: a splendid exhibition of maritime paintings at the Navy Museum - photos

The Navy Museum in Paris is hosting a major exhibition titled "The Navy and the Painters" from May 13 to August 2, 2026, featuring nearly 150 paintings spanning the 17th to 20th centuries. The show traces the evolution of maritime art and the French Navy's history, with works by artists such as Manet, Signac, and Le Lorrain, alongside a special section on the Navy's Official Painters (POM) with 84 contemporary works.

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.

Hong Kong wows the crowds to sleep at the 2026 Venice Biennale

The 2026 Venice Biennale, titled "In Minor Keys" by its late artistic director Koyo Kouoh, has been marked by loud protests and urgent environmental alarms, notably at Florentina Holzinger's Austria pavilion. Amid this chaos, the Hong Kong collateral exhibition "Fermata" at Campo della Tana offers a quiet counterpoint, featuring Kingsley Ng Siu-king's installation *Laundry Nocturne (2026)*, a rest lounge with padded floors and cushions that has caused visitors to doze off. The exhibition follows Kouoh's curatorial vision of creating space for silenced voices and convivial collectivity.

Venice Biennale performances confront war and climate fears

At the 2026 Venice Biennale, visitors encountered provocative performances and installations addressing war, climate anxiety, and human coexistence. Highlights include a naked performer acting as a human bell clapper in Florentina Holzinger's "Seaworld Venice" at the Austrian Pavilion, lifelike baby dolls in Ei Arakawa-Nash's caregiving-focused work at the Japanese Pavilion, and drone-powered flying carpets in Moldova's pavilion that transform symbols of war into tools of peace. The Nordic Pavilion also presented surreal installations exploring coexistence and environmental fears.

SMC Emeritus Annual Student Art Exhibition Opens May 14

The Santa Monica College Emeritus Art Gallery will present Part 1 of its 2026 Annual Student Art Exhibition from May 14 through June 19, featuring works by student artists from SMC's noncredit Emeritus program for older adults. A free opening reception will be held May 14, and due to high participation, the exhibition is split into two parts, with Part 2 opening online on June 11. The show includes 47 artists, each contributing one piece.

Israeli Artists Slam Venice Biennale Participation: 'Again, Israel as a Victim'

The 61st Venice Biennale opened on Saturday amid significant upheaval, including the unexpected death of its curator Koyo Kouoh and the passing of German artist Henrike Naumann. Israeli artists have publicly criticized their country's participation in the event, with one artist quoted as saying, 'Again, Israel as a victim,' reflecting ongoing anti-Israel protests and the resignation of the Biennale's judges.

Artists strike to protest Israeli participation ahead of Venice Biennale

A group of artists has announced a strike to protest Israel's participation in the upcoming Venice Biennale. The action is intended to draw attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to pressure the Biennale organizers to exclude Israel from the event, reflecting growing tensions around cultural boycotts in the art world.

Indian High Commission celebrated Rabindra Jayanti, inaugurating art exhibition

The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka inaugurated a ten-day art exhibition titled “Sampriti” on May 7, 2026, coinciding with the 165th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore. The exhibition features works created during a two-day art camp by 33 eminent Bangladeshi artists, including Rafiqun Nabi, Monirul Islam, and Farida Zaman, and was curated by Professor Sanjoy Chakraborty of Dhaka University. High Commissioner Pranay Verma opened the event, highlighting the shared artistic traditions between India and Bangladesh, and paid tribute to the late Bangladeshi artist Tarun Ghosh, whose work is included in the show.

‘Sampriti’: Dhaka exhibition celebrates artistic ties between Bangladesh and India

The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) in Dhaka inaugurated the art exhibition “Sampriti” on May 7, bringing together artists, scholars, and diplomats from Bangladesh and India. The exhibition, which follows a two-day art camp held in April, features works by 33 contemporary Bangladeshi artists and ICCR scholars, and was curated by Prof Sanjoy Chakraborty. The opening coincided with the 165th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore and included a lamp-lighting ceremony, speeches by High Commissioner Pranay Verma, and a performance of Rabindra Sangeet by Prof Shahnaz Nasrin Ila.

Bowen artist behind 'Above the Flood, Watching for the Light'

Bowen Island artist Corey Bulpitt presents his new series "Above the Flood, Watching for the Light" at the Hearth Gallery Community Centre, on view until July 28. The six-painting series follows his earlier "Daalkaatlii Diaries" works, which depicted the great flood of Haida territories and are now held in collections including Paris’ Musée du Quai Branly–Jacques Chirac and Gallery Jones in Vancouver. This new body of work shifts from historical catastrophe to speculative imagination, drawing on Haida cosmology while embracing invention and exploring unseen energies, microscopic spaces, and ephemeral light.

As the South African Pavilion Sits Empty, Gabrielle Goliath Continues a ‘Life-Work of Mourning’

South African artist Gabrielle Goliath inaugurated an off-site Venice exhibition with a public poetry reading after her official presentation at the South African Pavilion was canceled. The performance, part of her ongoing series *Elegy* (2015), features seven singers sustaining a single tone for an hour as a mourning ritual. The work addresses femicide, rape culture, and the killing of Palestinian civilians, and includes new video and sound installations lamenting specific victims: South African teenager Ipeleng Christine Moholane, Nama women killed during Germany’s colonization of Namibia, and Palestinian poet Hiba Abu Nada. The South African Department of Sport, Arts and Culture rescinded Goliath’s invitation in January, deeming the work “related to an ongoing international conflict that is widely polarising.” Goliath unsuccessfully challenged the decision in South Africa’s high court, and the exhibition now runs throughout the Venice Biennale outside the official program before traveling to London in October.

Artist Jessica Smith Says Do What You Love, Even if it Takes You 35 Years

Artist Jessica Smith, originally from Texas, is opening her first solo exhibition in Salt Lake City titled "35 Years of Not Painting" at the Salt Lake City Public Library's Lower Urban Room Gallery from May 11 to June 21. After a high school art teacher censored her work, Smith abandoned painting for decades, turning to theater and later creating personalized picture books for her son with autism. She returned to art during the COVID-19 pandemic, painting portraits of admired figures like Mr. Rogers, Tupac Shakur, and Stevie Nicks. Smith is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation and has become TERO Certified, allowing her to be listed as a potential artist for tribal commissions. She credits the Urban Indian Center of Salt Lake as a key support system.

Afton's Third Friday Night Art Exhibits Run From May To November

Afton's Third Friday Night Art Exhibits return for the 2025 season, running from May 15 through November at 146 Main Street in Afton, New York. The monthly events, held in the HUG/HALos building (formerly the Great American Food Store), feature rotating selections of artwork from local artists, with the first exhibit showcasing youth art from Afton students. Gallery curator and artist Michael Bolde, who launched the series three years ago, organizes the shows in a community room provided free of charge by Joyce Humphrey, founder of the HALos grief counseling program. Artists who sell work contribute a 20% commission to HALos, far below the typical 50% gallery split, supporting both creators and local programming.

On the Somalia Pavillion

At the 2026 Venice Biennale, Somalia has established its first-ever national pavilion, commissioned by the Somali government to showcase the richness of Somali culture through the theme of Saddaxleey, a triadic form of Somali poetry and proverbs. The pavilion features works by Somali Swedish artist Ayan Farah, UK-based Somali Danish multidisciplinary artist Asmaa Jama, and Somali British poet Warsan Shire. However, a collective of queer Somali artists, curators, and culture workers called Warbixinta Cidda has publicly criticized the pavilion for overrepresenting the diaspora, selecting an all-male advisory board, and appointing an Italian co-curator instead of Somali curators, raising concerns about representation and neocolonialism.

Discover contemporary works across styles and generations by 23 artists at this exhibition in New Delhi

An exhibition titled "The Contemporary Lore: Sojourn of Styles and Generations Unfurled" has opened in New Delhi, featuring works by 23 artists across different career stages and artistic styles. Curated by Kiran K. Mohan with a critical essay by art historian Johny ML, the show includes paintings, sculptures, and mixed media by artists such as Anil Gaekwad, Ashok Bhowmick, Harshwardhan Devtale, and others. The display is deliberately non-chronological, aiming to foster dialogue between seasoned practitioners and emerging voices.

Dana Awartani’s art of remembrance in Venice

The article covers multiple art events and opportunities across the Gulf region and beyond. It highlights Saudi artists participating in the exhibition "What’s between, between?" at Doha's Media Majlis Museum, curated by Jack Thomas Taylor and Amal Zeyad Ali, which explores Gulf Futurism. Additionally, it announces a two-part group exhibition "Global Positioning System" opening at Hayy Jameel in Jeddah, featuring over 40 artists from more than 20 countries. The article also reports on an internship opportunity for Saudi architects and designers at Rome's MAXXI Museum, offered by Saudi Arabia’s Misk Art Institute.

3 to See: Stroll Morikami; Explore Boca history; Hands-on art projects

The article highlights three cultural destinations in Palm Beach County, Florida, as part of the MOSAIC (Month of Shows, Art, Ideas and Culture) celebration in May. Visitors can enjoy discounted admission to Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, free admission to the Schmidt Boca Raton History Museum, and reduced entry to the Schoolhouse Children’s Museum in Boynton Beach, which hosts a weekly "Artist of the Week" series with hands-on art activities for families.

A unique breast cancer charity raising money through art

Belinda Gray, founder of breast cancer charity Art For Cure, shares her story ahead of the charity's latest exhibition at Wyken Vineyards. After her own breast cancer diagnosis and treatment, Gray launched Art For Cure in 2014, initially hosting an exhibition in her home and garden that drew 2,000 visitors and raised £100,000. The charity has since sold over £3 million worth of art through exhibitions and online sales, with a percentage of each sale donated by artists to fund UK breast cancer research and support services. Gray, who had no prior art-world experience, now leads a voluntary team of 10 people staging annual public exhibitions at unique venues.

National Geographic announces extended tour of The Greatest Wildlife Photographs

The National Geographic Society has announced an extended tour of its exhibition "The Greatest Wildlife Photographs," following its run at The Momentary in Arkansas, USA. The show features a curated selection of iconic wildlife images from National Geographic magazine, chosen by picture editor Kathy Moran, and includes works by renowned photographers such as Michael “Nick” Nichols, Steve Winter, Paul Nicklen, Beverly Joubert, and David Doubilet. The exhibition will be available for booking in the US and globally as a digital delivery, and is currently on view at The Momentary from November 22, 2025, to June 7, 2026.

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.

New exhibit at Art Room on 2nd explores the true self

Art Room on 2nd in Medicine Hat, Alberta, is presenting "Remembrance," a solo exhibition featuring the acrylic works of Jackie DeBlasio, who is also a co-owner of the gallery. The show, opening May 8, 2026, presents large-scale figurative paintings on rolled canvas with sewn edges, hung from dowels to emphasize physicality and the process of becoming. DeBlasio describes the works as exploring identity, fluidity, and the tension between structure and surrender.

Arts Council News – Fine Art Exhibition Awards