From Agnès Varda to Giuseppe Penone, the strange passion of artists for potatoes deciphered in Aubenas

D’Agnès Varda à Giuseppe Penone, l’étrange passion des artistes pour les patates décryptée à Aubenas

The article explores the exhibition "Des patates" at Le Château – Centre d'Art Contemporain et du Patrimoine in Aubenas, France, which celebrates the humble potato as an artistic subject. It highlights how filmmaker and visual artist Agnès Varda turned potatoes into art with her 2003 Venice Biennale project "Patatutopia," dressing as a potato and scattering 700 kilos of tubers, inspired by her documentary *Les Glaneurs et la glaneuse*. The show also features works by Giuseppe Penone, Michel Blazy, Valérie Geissbühler Pacheco, and Lucas Chanoine, all using potatoes to explore themes of consumption, waste, colonialism, and the cycle of life.

Hotel and art hub Casabianca opens on Italy's Lake Como

The De Santis family, accomplished hoteliers on Lake Como, has opened Casabianca, a new hotel and art hub in a 1930 villa designed by Piero Ponci. The property features three apartment-style suites launching later this year, while its lower floors are already open to the public for €15, displaying around 50 works from the family's collection of post-war Italian art, including pieces by Arte Povera artists such as Alighiero Boetti, Mario Merz, and Jannis Kounellis. The venture is the latest in a series of heritage hotel restorations by the family, who previously revived the Grand Hotel Tremezzo and Passalacqua.

Kathleen Goncharov, influential curator who helped many artists ‘realise their dreams’, has died aged 73

Kathleen Goncharov, an artist and curator who worked at influential US organizations including Just Above Midtown and Creative Time, died on 31 December at age 73. She most recently served as senior curator at the Boca Raton Museum of Art from 2012 until her retirement in 2024, and previously held positions at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, the MIT List Visual Arts Center, and the New School. Goncharov also served as commissioner of the US Pavilion at the 2003 Venice Biennale, curating Fred Wilson's solo project. She had a solo exhibition of her abstract paintings at Olympia gallery in New York in 2022.

The Cinema and Photography of Agnès Varda. Revolutionary Things on Show in Rome

Il cinema e la fotografia di Agnès Varda. Cose rivoluzionarie in mostra a Roma

A major exhibition dedicated to the work of Agnès Varda, titled "De-ci de-là, Paris-Rome," has opened at the Villa Medici – Accademia di Francia in Rome. The show explores Varda's multifaceted career as a photographer, filmmaker, and contemporary artist, tracing her journey from post-war Paris to the 1960s and her later recognition in the art world. It features her iconic black-and-white portraits, early photographic work, and cinematic elements, presented as a continuous visual sequence.

Rose Art Museum Presents Fred Wilson: Reflections August 20, 2025 – January 4, 2026

The Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University will present "Fred Wilson: Reflections," a major survey of the artist's work from 2003 to the present, on view from August 20, 2025, through January 4, 2026. Curated by Dr. Gannit Ankori, the exhibition spans three sections, including Wilson's glassworks inspired by the 2003 Venice Biennale, his black-and-white Flag paintings, and the debut of a new immersive installation, "Black Now!," which features over 2,500 found objects collected since 2005 that explore themes of race, identity, and material culture.

Iran has not withdrawn from 2026 Venice Biennale, pavilion commissioner says

Iran has denied withdrawing from the 2026 Venice Biennale, despite the Biennale's announcement that the country would not participate. Aydin Mahdizadeh Tehrani, director-general of visual arts at Iran's ministry of culture and Islamic guidance and the country's pavilion commissioner, stated that Iran requested more time rather than submitting a withdrawal. He cited the US-Israel war with Iran, political and economic challenges, and a sharp currency devaluation that tripled projected costs as reasons for the delay. Iran proposed a shorter two-to-three-month participation, which was rejected, but has since sent a letter insisting on opening its pavilion even after the opening. The foreign ministry has intervened to support Iran's participation, and a final response from the Biennale is expected soon.