The New York art scene was bustling with events this week. The New York Botanical Garden held its annual Orchid Dinner at the Plaza Hotel, featuring elaborate floral designs and guests like Martha Stewart and Sigourney Weaver. Meanwhile, Sotheby's hosted the Art for Water benefit auction for the Waterkeeper Alliance, with works by Jeff Koons and Ed Ruscha, and the New Museum celebrated the opening of a major Raymond Pettibon exhibition.
Wong Ping and Heidi Lau have been named joint winners of the third edition of the Sigg Prize, a biennial award stewarded by Hong Kong's M+ museum since 2018. This marks the first time the prize has recognized two artists simultaneously. Wong, based in Hong Kong, won for his animated narrative *Debts in the Wind* (2025), a lo-fi, darkly humorous commentary on a local land dispute over a golf course. Lau, born in Macau and now based in New York, won for *Pavilion Procession* (2025), an altar-like ceramic installation with a robotic spider inspired by the ancient Chinese text *Shanhaijing*. Both artists were selected from a shortlist of six, all born after the 1980s and '90s.
Amalia Ulman, who gained fame in 2014 for her Instagram performance "Excellences and Perfections," is now an accomplished filmmaker. Her second feature, "Magic Farm," starring Chloë Sevigny, follows a crew of American journalists traveling to Argentina to record an episode about a musician, only to encounter locals affected by pesticide pollution. The film is an absurdist satire of American hipsters, continuing Ulman's pivot from visual art to cinema after her debut dark comedy "El Planeta" (2021).
Latin American Art: Structural Growth between Market and Institutions
Latin American contemporary art is experiencing structural growth and increased global visibility between 2024 and 2026, moving beyond speculative trends toward deep-seated institutional legitimacy. This shift is highlighted by the prominent inclusion of regional artists in major international platforms, most notably the 2026 Venice Biennale and the Pinault Collection. Key figures such as Rosanna Paulino, Adriana Varejão, and Paulo Nazareth are leading this movement, utilizing diverse media to explore themes of post-colonialism, racial violence, and ecological memory.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau of Macao has announced the six exhibition proposals selected for the "Local Curatorial Project" of "Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2025." Chosen from 34 submissions by a panel including chief curator Feng Boyi, Wang Xiaosong, Song Dong, Marcel Feil, and Van Pou Lon, the winning proposals are: "Genetic Duration" (curated by Ung Vai Meng), "After Oriental Garden" (Cheong Weng Lam), "The Sea of Languages: Macao Language Research Program" (He Yan Jun and Zhang Ke), "A Speakable Position for Women" (Cheong Cheng Wa and Wang Jing), "Beneath the Wetware Peninsula" (Daisy Di Wang and Wong Mei Teng), and "Jacone's Tower" (Feng Yan and Ng Sio Ieng). These exhibitions will be part of the biennale and will also be shortlisted for the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia – Collateral Event from Macao, China.
Art Macao 2025, the Macao International Art Biennale, will run from July to October 2025, featuring nearly 30 exhibitions across six sections. Chief curator Feng Boyi has themed the Main Exhibition around the everyday question "Hey, what brings you here?", showcasing nearly 80 works by 46 artists from 13 countries at the Macao Museum of Art. The event is organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau and co-organized by major casino-resort operators including Galaxy Entertainment Group, Melco Resorts & Entertainment, MGM, Sands China Ltd., SJM Resorts, and Wynn Resorts Macau.
Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sánchez Bezos served as honorary co-chairs and sponsors of this year's Met Gala, sparking widespread protests and calls for boycotts. Guerrilla activist group Everyone Hates Elon plastered New York with anti-Bezos signage, and activists placed 300 bottles filled with fake urine inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art to highlight Amazon workers' bathroom break complaints. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani declined his invitation, and the absence of celebrities like Meryl Streep and Zendaya fueled speculation about a boycott, though representatives denied any coordinated protest. Despite the controversy, the gala proceeded with many attendees and is expected to raise more than last year's $31 million for the Costume Institute.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) of Macau announced that the 2025 Art Macao Biennale will open on July 19, featuring 46 artists from four Chinese regions (mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan) and 12 foreign countries. The event includes 30 exhibitions across six segments, with a main venue at the Macao Museum of Art, and will run through October 19. Chief curator Feng Boyi introduced the theme “Hey, what brings you here?” focusing on Macau’s local history and global presence. The budget is 4.5 million patacas, and 27% of participating artists are from Macau.
The article reports on the 'Ghosts of the Hunt' exhibition, a photography show hosted by Greyhound Welfare SA (GWA) in Cresta, Johannesburg. The exhibition features two photographic series: one by Dean Bush, founder of GWA, documenting greyhounds rescued from the Yat Yuen racetrack in Macau, China—a facility that killed 20,000 dogs over 54 years before closing in 2018—and another by professional photographer Warren Johnson, focusing on locally rescued greyhounds. The article also highlights ongoing controversies, including a recent auction in Bela Bela, Limpopo, where SA breeders paid R2.4 million for 65 greyhounds destined for international racing, and lobbying by the Amaphisi Hunters' Association to decriminalize dog hunting in South Africa.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau of Macau has announced the six winning curatorial proposals selected for the 'Local Curatorial Project' of Art Macao 2025, the Macao International Art Biennale. Chosen from 34 submissions by a panel of international and local experts, the projects include 'Genetic Duration' by Guilherme Ung Vai Meng, 'After Oriental Garden' by Cheong Weng Lam, 'The Sea of Languages: Macao Language Research Programme' by He Yanjun and Zhang Ke, 'A Speakable Position for Women' by Cheong Cheng Wa and Wang Jing, 'Beneath the Wetware Peninsula' by Daisy Di Wang and Wong Mei Teng, and 'Jacone’s Tower' by Feng Yan and Ng Sio Ieng. These proposals will be exhibited during Art Macao 2025 and are shortlisted for the chance to represent Macau at the 61st Venice Biennale Collateral Event.
Mandarin Oriental, Macau launched a new contemporary Chinese art exhibition titled "Modern Vision, Timeless Technique" to mark its 15th anniversary at its current location. The exhibition, running until 31 August in the hotel's lobby and Lobby Lounge, features 15 works by local female artists Leong Kit Man and Tsang Tseng Tseng. Curated by Alice Kok, president of the Art For All Society (AFA), the show highlights how the artists blend traditional Chinese painting techniques with modern aesthetics. VIPs including government officials and cultural figures attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the hotel's executive chef created canapés inspired by the artworks.
One Central Macau is hosting an exhibition titled “One Central Loves Macao,” featuring seven sculptural art installations by local artist Tramy Lui. The centerpiece, “Love Macao,” is an interactive piece inspired by stained-glass windows from Macau’s landmarks like the Ruins of St. Paul’s and the Church of Our Lady of Sorrows, using rainbow colors and transparent materials to play with light and shadow. Other works include “Beacon of Sound,” an interactive piano installation based on the Guia Hill Pedestrian Tunnel, and “Time Capsule Mailbox,” a colorful postbox evoking nostalgia. The free exhibition runs until May 11.
Art Macao's collateral exhibition 'Since it is•The Future: Media Art Exhibition' opened on Saturday evening at the Cardinal Newman Centre for Culture and Arts Performance of Macau (CCCN). Part of the Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2025, the show is co-curated by Willa Chan and Ha Tin Cheong, featuring works by four local artists—Ng Man Cheng, Cheong Ka Kit, U Ka Kit, and Lo Hio Leng—under a 'post-apocalyptic cultural archaeology' narrative. The exhibition uses media art to explore Macau's identity between passive acceptance and active creation, with each artist presenting interactive installations that reimagine the present through a speculative future lens.
Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2025 has opened, featuring over 30 exhibitions across six sections. Among the highlights is the City Pavilion section, which includes the Pavilion of Vila Franca de Xira from Portugal, titled “The Reinvention of the Real - Portuguese Contemporary Art in the Museum of Neo-Realism Collection.” Curated by David Santos and José Maçãs de Carvalho, the exhibition showcases Portuguese contemporary artworks in media such as painting, installation, photography, and video, created between 1999 and 2024. It is held at the Tap Seac Gallery and runs until November 16, 2025, with free admission.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) of Macau has issued an open call for exhibition proposals for the Collateral Exhibitions of 'Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2025'. Eligible applicants include Macau residents aged 18 or above, higher education institutions, commercial enterprises, and community associations registered in Macau. Proposals must be submitted by May 23, with exhibitions running between July 19 and October 12 for at least two weeks. Chief Curator Feng Boyi will evaluate proposals based on curatorial concept, quality, thematic relevance, and feasibility. The biennale is themed 'Hey, what brings you here?' and includes six sections, with a separate open call for the Local Curatorial Project closing on the same day.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) of the Macao SAR Government has issued an open call for exhibition proposals for the Collateral Exhibitions of "Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2025." Local contemporary art professionals and organizations are invited to submit proposals for exhibitions that will run between July 19 and October 12, 2025, with venues chosen by the selected teams. The deadline for submissions is May 23, 2025, and proposals will be evaluated by Chief Curator Feng Boyi based on curatorial concept, quality, theme relevance, and feasibility.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao SAR Government has issued an open call for exhibition proposals for the Collateral Exhibition of “Art Macao: Macao International Art Biennale 2025.” The biennale, guided by the Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture and co-organized by major casino and resort groups, will feature six sections including the Main Exhibition, Public Art Exhibition, City Pavilion, Special Exhibition, Local Curatorial Project, and Collateral Exhibition. Eligible applicants include Macao-registered organizations and residents aged 18 or older, with proposals centered on the theme “Hey, what brings you here?” The deadline for submissions is May 23, 2025, and the final selection will be made by chief curator Feng Boyi.