Next stop – infinity! My transcendental experience on Japan’s ‘art island’ guided by its master Lee Ufan

The article profiles Korean-born artist Lee Ufan, who turns 90 next month, and his transcendental art on Japan's Naoshima island. It describes his upcoming major shows: a retrospective in Venice coinciding with the Biennale, and an exhibition at Dia Beacon in New York. Lee, a key figure in the Mono-ha movement, creates works like the steel arch "Porte Vers l'Infini" on Naoshima that engage with nature and perception. The piece traces his career from early violent, resistant sculptures involving cracked glass and boulders to later meditative paintings and installations.

Luca De Michelis, chief executive of Marsilio Arte, on his favourite spots in Venice beyond the Biennale

Luca De Michelis, CEO of Marsilio Arte, shares his personal guide to Venice beyond the Biennale, highlighting historic sites, shopping, dining, and cultural venues. His recommendations include Palazzo Grimani, Micheluzzi Glass, the Gardens of the Church of the Redeemer on Giudecca, Antiche Carampane restaurant, the newly opened Dries Van Noten Foundation, San Giorgio Maggiore island, Codroma for spritz, and the upcoming exhibition 'Strange Rules' at Palazzo Diedo’s Berggruen Arts & Culture.

Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo’s New Art Island Made a Sunny Splash in a Rainy Venice Vernissage Week

Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, an ARTnews Top 200 collector, inaugurated a new art site on the island of San Giacomo in Venice’s Northern Lagoon during the rainy preview week of the Biennale. The island, purchased in 2018, features two Napoleonic-era powder magazines transformed into exhibition spaces: one hosting the group show “Don’t have hope, be hope!” from the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Collection, and the other presenting “Fanfare/Lament,” a solo exhibition by Matt Copson curated by Hans Ulrich Obrist. The site also includes permanent installations by artists such as Claire Fontaine, Mario Garcia Torres, Hugh Hayden, Goshka Macuga, Pamela Rosenkranz, and Thomas Schütte, and will serve as a venue for exhibitions, performances, and residencies.

Hito Steyerl “The Island” Osservatorio Fondazione Prada / Milan by Piermario De Angelis

Hito Steyerl's solo exhibition "The Island" at Osservatorio Fondazione Prada in Milan explores the concept of submersion as both a geological condition and a media regime. The show takes its title from a Neolithic artificial island discovered off the coast of Korčula, Croatia, which remained submerged for approximately seven thousand years. Through video interviews, installations, and critical assemblages, Steyerl connects this submerged structure to contemporary issues of digital image circulation, algorithmic power, and the dispossession of agency, drawing on science fiction, quantum physics, biochemistry, and deep time.

Venice, the island of San Giacomo becomes the new home of the Sandretto Foundation

Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo opens a new headquarters on the island of San Giacomo in the northern lagoon of Venice on May 7, 2026. The project combines contemporary art, historic rehabilitation, environmental sustainability, and research, featuring exhibitions, permanent installations, and public programs. The island was purchased in 2018 by Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo and Agostino Re Rebaudengo from Cassa Depositi e Prestiti and transformed into a center for cultural production and ecological experimentation, with free admission and universal accessibility.

Nick Goss: Interview of the Month, March 2026 – Paul Carey-Kent

Anglo-Dutch painter Nick Goss has opened a new exhibition at Josh Lilley Gallery, featuring eleven paintings inspired by Eel Pie Island, a private marshy area on the Thames in Twickenham with a bohemian past—including 1960s rock concerts by The Rolling Stones, The Who, and Pink Floyd, a hippie commune, and a 1972 fire. In an interview with Paul Carey-Kent, Goss discusses how he blends fact and fiction, combining sources from hotel corridors, Pompeii, and the Sergeant Pepper album cover to create ambiguous, layered works that evoke half-remembered histories.

More than 30 exhibitions on display in May at art centers from Marco Island to Sarasota

More than 30 exhibitions are on display in May at art centers across Southwest Florida, from Marco Island to Sarasota. Venues like Art Center Sarasota host shows featuring member, regional, and nationally renowned artists, including the "North Sarasota County Schools Spring Art Show" with over 1,500 student artists, solo exhibitions by Anja Palombo and Cat Tesla, and the "Architects Who Art" show co-curated by Morris Hylton III.

10 exhibitions to look out for in May

Warren Feeney's article highlights 10 exhibitions opening in May 2026, primarily in Christchurch, New Zealand. Featured shows include Stone Maka's 'MONO' at Jonathan Smart Gallery, exploring Tongan tapa cloth traditions; Jess Nicholson's 'Ka maumahara te uku (the clay remembers)' at CoCA Toi Moroki, focusing on Ngāi Tahu culture and land connections; and a group exhibition 'Indigo' at Art on the Quay, featuring seven Central Otago artists. Other notable shows include Jane Barry, Sandra Hussey, and Laurie Roodt's 'Three Exhibitions' at Chambers Art Gallery, and Stephanie Postles' 'What These Walls Remember' at City Art Depot's new Up Stairs space.

Stick a euro in the slot for the lights! The mesmerising, strictly Venetian works of Lydia Ourahmane

British-Algerian artist Lydia Ourahmane has created a new exhibition in Venice, opening alongside the Venice Biennale, that is deeply rooted in the city itself. Rather than shipping in materials, she built a pier for the island of Poveglia in collaboration with a local cooperative that saved the island from development, and she acquired a coin-operated light machine from the church of San Giovanni Crisostomo, which visitors must feed with a euro to illuminate the show. The exhibition is presented at the Nicoletta Fiorucci Foundation.

architecture tadao ando naoshima new museum of art

The article profiles the renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando, now 84, who has built 10 museums on the island of Naoshima over 33 years. It features an interview where Ando discusses his upbringing in a traditional wooden row house in Osaka, his early training as a boxer, and how these experiences shaped his architectural philosophy of "light within darkness." The piece includes personal reflections from the author on encountering Ando's work and highlights key projects such as the Pulitzer Arts Foundation in St. Louis and the Church of Light in Osaka.

Met Gala 2026: Celebrities Wearing Art — Decoding the Inspirations Behind Their Looks

At the 2026 Met Gala, held on May 4 at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, celebrities interpreted the dress code 'Fashion is Art' with looks inspired by iconic artworks. ROSÉ wore a Saint Laurent gown based on Georges Braque's 'The Birds,' Emma Chamberlain's dress fused Vincent van Gogh's 'The Garden at Arles' and 'The Starry Night,' and Ben Platt donned a jacket reimagining Georges-Pierre Seurat's 'A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte' through bead embroidery.

À Berlin, le Musée de Pergame rouvrira partiellement en 2027

Berlin's Pergamon Museum, closed since October 2023, will partially reopen in June 2027, with only the north wing and central section accessible. The renovation and expansion project, launched in 2012, has faced repeated delays and its budget has ballooned to €1.5 billion. The partial reopening coincides with the bicentenary of Berlin's Museum Island and will bring back the Pergamon Altar, unseen for over a decade, along with redesigned permanent exhibitions for the Museum of Islamic Art and the Museum of the Ancient Near East. However, major attractions like the Ishtar Gate and the Market Gate of Miletus will remain closed until the 2030s, with full museum completion now estimated between 2037 and 2043.

Arts Listings: Week of May 7, 2026

This article is a local arts listings roundup for the week of May 7, 2026, in Ventura County, California. It includes opening theater productions such as "¡Ay Chihuahua! A Mariachi Musical" at California State University, Channel Islands, "Eleanor" at Rubicon Theatre Company, and "It's a Trip, Man: An Evening with a Hollywood Has-Been" at Ojai Art Center Theatre. Art openings feature the Camarillo Art Center's gourd class and exhibition "May I Have Your Attention!," Canvas and Paper's show of work by L.S. Lowry, and the Carolyn Glasoe Bailey Foundation's "r/evolve: celebrating the circular" by Christopher Noxon. The piece also lists auditions for "The Importance of Being Earnest" at Moorpark College and a call for submissions to the Ojai Art Center Theater's 2027 season.

We Spent a Week Quarantined on an Uninhabited Island with 80 Artists

A journalist from Colossal spent a week on an uninhabited island in the Balearic Islands with nearly 80 artists for a residency program called Quarantine, conceived by artist Carles Gomila. Participants follow a rigorous, opaque schedule of talks, workshops, and mentorship sessions, with phones and internet banned, and must stay on the island from early morning until late evening. The April 2026 edition, themed "Tears in Rain" after a Blade Runner monologue, began with a theatrical tour by an actor playing Captain Horacio Hollynwood, who introduced the historic Lazaretto of Mahón, an 18th-century fortress and infirmary.

'Walk this way' — Easton welcomes art lovers on First Friday

Easton's downtown art scene came alive during the May First Friday event, with multiple galleries opening their doors to the public. At the Zach Gallery inside the Prager Family Center for the Arts, a new exhibition of paintings by Paton Miller was curated by interior designer Jeffrey Parker. The TRA Gallery, run by the Talbot Arts Council, featured a photography show by Steve Waltrich, Mike Miller, and Maire McCardle. Troika Gallery, Easton's original fine art gallery, also participated, with artist Deborah Elville showing her work. Looking ahead, Zach Gallery announced a June 4 solo exhibition by Rhode Island artist Breath Day Wyndham titled "Gathering the Chesapeake," featuring cyanotypes created from flora and fauna collected from the Chesapeake Bay region.

Bard President Leon Botstein (Finally) Resigns, Following Epstein Revelations

Leon Botstein, president of Bard College since 1975, announced his retirement on Friday following the release of an independent report by the law firm WilmerHale, commissioned by Bard's board of trustees. The report found that Botstein had not been "fully accurate" in his public accounts of his relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, revealing visits to Epstein's private island, personal messages, a joint watch purchase worth $56,000, and invitations to campus. While no illegal conduct was identified, the report raised serious concerns about Botstein's leadership and judgment. Botstein will step down on June 30 but remain at Bard as a professor.

Open call for entries to new portrait award

ArtHouse Jersey has launched an open call for entries to its new Portrait Award, a competition open to artists aged 16 and over who live in or have a strong connection to the Channel Islands. The award is free to enter, with a deadline of September 30, 2026, and offers a top prize of £1,500 plus two runner-up prizes of £500 each. Selected works will be exhibited at Capital House in St Helier from January to April 2027, alongside works by international artists. All forms of portraiture—painting, photography, mixed media—are eligible, provided they are original and completed within the last three years.

In Venice, an Ocean-Inspired Exhibition Takes Visitors Under the Sea

An ocean-inspired exhibition titled "Ocean Space" has opened inside a former convent on an island in Venice, featuring immersive artworks that invite visitors to explore the depths of the sea and expand their sense of self. The show includes installations by contemporary artists that use sound, light, and sculpture to evoke underwater environments and marine life.

'Ocean of Peace' Micronesian art exhibition opens at Honolulu Hale

The Mayor’s Office of Culture and the Arts, in collaboration with the East-West Center Arts Program, will present 'Ocean of Peace,' a group exhibition featuring seven artists of Micronesian heritage at Honolulu Hale from May 8 to June 11, 2026. The exhibition centers on the 'Ocean of Peace' declaration, a political and cultural framework endorsed at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ meeting in the Solomon Islands in September 2025, which envisions Pacific Island nations as sovereign and free from geopolitical conflict and coercion. Participating artists include James Bamba, Carol Ann Carl, Gillian Duenas, Kalany Omengkar, Anthony Watson, Lissette Yamase, and Manny Crisostomo, exploring themes of Indigenous Pacific knowledge, identity, and storytelling.

WaterFire Arts Center Unveils Immersive Summer Exhibitions in Providence

The WaterFire Arts Center in Providence, Rhode Island, is launching two large-scale summer exhibitions in its 15,000-square-foot Main Hall. From June 9–12, artist Yuval Gur presents "RIFT: A Sonic Environment for Multi-Timescale Listening," an immersive sound installation using environmental recordings from Iceland that transforms sound into a physical, felt experience. From July 2 through August 30, the group show "America, Unfinished?!" features artists from Rhode Island and across the country, selected via open call, exploring themes of labor, migration, memory, and civic life through interactive installations and mixed media, with live performances on Thursday evenings.

Asian-American artists shine at US fair amid ongoing anti-immigrant rhetoric

At the San Francisco Art Fair in April, held at Fort Mason Centre’s Festival Pavilion, organizers, curators, and gallerists centered Asian-American and Pacific Islander voices through a curated group exhibition titled “Da Da Daam” and a pop-up design store featuring over 70 Asian diaspora artists and brands. The fair’s 14th edition, directed by Kelly Freeman, responded to ongoing anti-immigrant rhetoric in the US by celebrating the strength of the immigrant community in a city where nearly 35% of the population identifies as Asian.

Where to go in Venice?

Wohin in Venedig?

Nicoletta Fiorucci, a collector and philanthropist, shares her personal recommendations for experiencing Venice beyond the tourist crowds. She suggests quiet gardens, romantic detours, hidden islands, and the best addresses for authentic local cuisine, offering insider tips for navigating the city's bustling atmosphere.

Henderson City Hall hosts exhibit to preserve siapo art

Henderson City Hall is hosting an exhibition titled 'Siapo: Continuing a Siapo Legacy Art Exhibition,' showcasing the traditional Samoan art of siapo across four generations of artists. The exhibit features works by master artist Kuulei Jakubczak, who learned from her grandmother Mary Pritchard, a key figure in preserving this dying art form. The display includes both freehand siapo mamanu and rubbed siapo 'elei, along with pieces created by students from Liberty High School during a workshop led by Jakubczak.

Brooklyn artists exhibit at local museum

The Museum of Contemporary Art Long Island is hosting its occasional series “Art from the Hive” through May 10 at its Terry Street gallery. The inaugural exhibition, titled “Occupying…”, features work by Brooklyn artists who discuss their creative inspirations and muses.

Exhibits on display at BIG ARTS

BIG ARTS on Sanibel Island is hosting two exhibitions: "Art as Therapy" in the Dunham Family Gallery through June 8, and the "Annual Artists Collective" in the Mezzanine Gallery through May 31. "Art as Therapy" is a collaboration between Hope Healthcare’s Art Therapy Program and Lee Health’s Arts in Healthcare Program, showcasing works that explore personal journeys through grief, illness, and recovery. The "Annual Artists Collective" features work from the artist-instructors who lead BIG ARTS workshops and classes, highlighting their diverse mediums and creative skills.