Ten Political Statements By Artists At The 2026 Venice Biennale

The 61st Venice Biennale opened with unprecedented political tension, set against the backdrop of the international jury's mass resignation, the death of curator Koyo Kouoh, Russia's closed pavilion, threats from the European Commission to withdraw funding, and Italy's culture minister boycotting the opening. The article highlights ten works and moments where art and power intersected most explicitly, including Alfredo Jaar's 'Red Room' installation in the Chilean pavilion confronting humanitarian crisis, and Ukraine's collateral event 'Still Joy' at Palazzo Contarini Polignac, which frames joy as an act of resistance amid war.

London artist Irum Rahat’s ‘Yeh Kab Ki Baat Hai’ is a house full of memories

London-based artist Irum Rahat presents her first solo exhibition in India, 'Yeh Kab Ki Baat Hai', at Pristine Contemporary in Delhi. The show features 16 new works that draw from her upbringing in a South Asian household, transforming mundane domestic scenes—making chai, sitting in rooms, family interactions—into a visual archive of memory and intimacy. Rahat's paintings, influenced by cinema and her own photography, use soft, hazy colors to evoke nostalgia and the ambiguity of time.

The perceptual effects of Alessandro Gioiello's paintings are on show in Rome

Gli effetti percettivi dei dipinti di Alessandro Gioiello sono in mostra a Roma

Alessandro Gioiello's solo exhibition "Pensieri Sparsi" is on view at Galleria Richter Fine Art in Rome, featuring oil-on-canvas works such as "Broken Flowers" (2026), "Quarantatreesimo" (2025), and "Tiscert" (2026). The show presents a stream-of-consciousness approach where color and composition emerge from a lengthy process of selection and transformation, inviting viewers to reconstruct meaning through the creative gesture rather than a linear narrative.

Before We Knew Better or We Should All Know Better

The article reviews "Before We Knew Better," a group exhibition at Elise Seigenthaler Gallery featuring artists Sarah Bedford, Day Brièrre, Josiah Ellner, and Léa LeFloc'h. The critic reflects on the show's thematic framing around narrative, folklore, and personal mythology, while expressing frustration with its open-endedness and lack of clear intent. Specific works are discussed, including Ellner's psychedelic unicorn paintings, LeFloc'h's enigmatic works on paper, Bedford's nocturnal flowers, and Brièrre's intricate ceramics, though the critic notes the installation does not always serve the pieces well.