Where the Sky Remembers: Ashish Kushwaha’s Solo Exhibition to Open at Palette Art Gallery

Artist Ashish Kushwaha is set to debut a solo exhibition titled 'Where the Sky Remembers' at Palette Art Gallery in New Delhi. Running from April 23 to May 23, 2026, the showcase features a collection of watercolours and acrylic paintings that depict expansive, dreamlike landscapes inspired by the artist's travels through the Himalayan regions. Kushwaha’s work emphasizes the grandeur of nature while minimizing human presence, using a vivid color palette to explore themes of environmental change and ecological memory.

Exhibition Review and Studio Visit Feature: Contemporary Color Field Painter Vanessa Johansson

Contemporary painter Vanessa Johansson recently debuted her solo exhibition at the Sky Garden Penthouse in Gramercy Park, New York. Curated by Jenny Mushkin Goldman of Agency Esta, the show featured Johansson’s large-scale acrylic on canvas works, which utilize fluid, transparent layers to evoke the spiritual and visual language of mid-20th-century Color Field abstraction. Pieces such as the triptych 'Windows' and the diptych 'Flow State' demonstrate her intuitive approach to motion, buoyancy, and orbital forms.

The Sky Lives in Us Still, Resistance and Imagination Take Flight.

Vanessa German has unveiled a major new installation at the Speed Art Museum titled '…do you remember when you were the sky?', marking the inaugural project of the Sam Gilliam Visiting Artist Program. The exhibition features German’s signature assemblage sculptures, which utilize diverse materials like cowrie shells, quilts, and skateboards to create hybrid figures representing young girls in states of transformation. The body of work is the result of months of community engagement and research into local histories, specifically focusing on the narratives of the Colored Girls Dormitory in Louisville.

Between Ruins: Zazou Roddam by Ben Broome

London-based artist Zazou Roddam explores the intersection of pop culture nostalgia and historical trauma through the manipulation of found objects and archival media. Her practice, rooted in a long-standing fascination with the 'detritus of history' found in London’s Portobello Road Market, gained significant attention following her debut solo exhibition at Brunette Coleman. Central to her recent work is the video piece 'Pop Inflection (The City)', which meticulously edits footage from 'Sex and the City' to track the architectural and psychological shifts in New York City before and after the 9/11 attacks.

The Politics of Russia’s Return to the Venice Biennale

Russia has announced its intention to return to the Venice Biennale in 2026, marking its first participation since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The proposed pavilion, titled "The Tree is Rooted in the Sky," plans to feature 38 participants from Russia and several Global South nations. The announcement has sparked intense backlash from the European Commission and culture ministers across 22 countries, who argue that Russia’s presence undermines democratic values and serves as a tool for "dark cultural diplomacy."

All the Poetry of the Sky on Show in a Rome Grand Hotel, Reminding Us of Our Own Complexity

Tutta la poesia del cielo in mostra nel grand hotel di Roma per ricordarci la nostra stessa complessità

Artist Giovanni Ozzola has opened a solo exhibition titled 'Il Cielo Dentro' (The Sky Within) at the Galleria Continua's space within The St. Regis hotel in Rome. The show features works centered on the sky as a metaphor for the vastness both outside and within the human experience, exploring the tension between internal and external horizons through light and abandoned architectural spaces like bunkers.

Italy’s Culture Minister Calls For Resignation Over Russian Pavilion’s Return to Venice Biennale

Italy's Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli has demanded the resignation of Tamara Gregoretti, the government's representative on the Venice Biennale board, accusing her of failing to alert the ministry to Russia's planned return to the 2026 exhibition. Russia announced it will reopen its national pavilion for the first time since 2019 with a presentation titled 'The Tree Is Rooted in the Sky,' curated by Anastasia Karneeva and featuring over 30 artists.

Brush to canvas: News from the art community

The Dalí Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, will open two exhibitions in May 2025: "Architecture of the Dalí" on May 2, tracing the museum's history from its 1980s origins to its current bayfront structure, and "Dalí in America" on May 9, featuring over 70 works exploring Salvador Dalí's vision of the United States. Other notable openings include "Wolves: Photography by Ronan Donovan" at the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art (May 9), multidisciplinary artist Babs Reingold's solo show "After Venus" at the Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg (May 15), and "Cigars! Photography, Industry, and Identity" at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, commemorating Ybor City's cigar-rolling history. Additional events include Florida NOW at Florida CraftArt, Charles Morrison's "Head in the Sky, Feet on the Ground" at the Morean Center for Clay, and a photography contest sponsored by FloridaRAMA and St. Petersburg Month of Photography.

What You Need to Know About the Venice Biennale’s Russian Pavilion Controversy

The Russian pavilion is set to return to the Venice Biennale for the first time since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, presenting an exhibition titled 'The tree is rooted in the sky.' This has sparked significant controversy, with artists, curators, and politicians from Ukraine and several European nations calling for the pavilion's exclusion, citing the ongoing war and sanctions. The Biennale organizers have refused to remove Russia, stating they lack the authority to exclude a state recognized by Italy and emphasizing the event's role as a neutral space for cultural dialogue.

EU confirms Venice Biennale funding cut over Russia feud

The European Union has confirmed it will cut its funding to the Venice Biennale following the event's decision to allow Russia's return to the exhibition. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas announced the move, which was previously threatened, during a press conference focused on supporting Ukraine. Latvia and Finland have also stated they will not send government representatives if Russia's participation is maintained.

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The 61st Venice Biennale is taking shape as national pavilions announce their participants and curatorial themes for the 2026 edition. Russia has confirmed its return to the Giardini with a multidisciplinary exhibition titled “The Tree is Rooted in the Sky,” following its 2022 withdrawal and the 2024 loan of its pavilion to Bolivia. The upcoming edition, themed “In Minor Keys,” will proceed under the vision of the late curator Koyo Kouoh, who passed away in 2025 after becoming the first African woman appointed to helm the prestigious event.

Pussy Riot slams Russia’s return to Venice Biennale

Russia is set to return to the Venice Biennale for the first time since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, presenting a project titled "The tree is rooted in the sky" focused on folklore and multilingual cultures. The Russian pavilion, commissioned by Anastasia Karneeva and supported by Putin’s cultural envoy Mikhail Shvydkoy, will feature a filmed three-day festival. The Biennale organizers defended the inclusion, citing a policy of non-censorship for any country recognized by Italy that owns a pavilion in the Giardini.

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Russia has announced it will reopen its national pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale after a four-year hiatus following the invasion of Ukraine. The pavilion, which remained closed in 2022 and was loaned to Bolivia in 2024, will host an exhibition titled "The Tree is Rooted in the Sky" featuring a "musical festival" with over 50 participants from Russia and countries including Argentina, Brazil, Mali, and Mexico.

‘The sky’s the limit’: Newcastle Art Gallery unveils its ‘divisive’ $48m expansion with a blockbuster opening show

The Newcastle Art Gallery (NAG) has officially reopened following a $48 million expansion, more than doubling its exhibition space to become the largest public gallery in New South Wales outside of Sydney. The project, which was over 16 years in the making, features 13 gallery spaces and a new street-fronting cafe, marking a significant infrastructure milestone for the regional Australian art scene. The reopening is celebrated with the blockbuster exhibition 'Iconic Loved Unexpected,' showcasing 500 works from the institution's $145 million permanent collection.

Fine Artist Vanessa Johansson's Debut Solo Exhibition

Fine artist Vanessa Johansson is presenting her debut solo exhibition in the Sky Garden Penthouse of Gramercy’s 200E20TH in New York City. The show features atmospheric acrylic abstract paintings, displayed in a residential setting that complements CetraRuddy’s contemporary architecture. Johansson, who studied at the Art Students League, will next participate in the group exhibition “Women and Abstraction” at Pierre Cornette de Saint Cyr in Paris.

Nasher's "Dis/orient" exhibit seeks to challenge how we think of Asian art

The Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University has opened "Dis/orient," a new exhibition featuring works by nine artists from the Asian diaspora. The show includes a raindrop-shaped mirror, stacks of Botan rice bags, burned denim on canvas, and a video of a man attempting to chop an apple on a spinning record player. Curatorial associate Julianne Miao explains that the exhibition confronts orientalism and stereotypes about Asian art, which is often reduced to ancient scrolls and ceramics. Featured artists include Korakrit Arunanondchai, Stephanie Shih, Taiyo Kimura, Pinaree Sanpitak, Asuka Anastacia Ogawa, Ravelle Pillay, and local artist Lien Truong, whose painting "My mother, she fell from the sky" reimagines orientalist depictions of Asian women. The exhibition runs until July 19.

‘Certain things you can only see from the sky’: artist Precious Okoyomon on how flying planes has inspired their practice

Artist Precious Okoyomon discusses how learning to fly a propeller plane has influenced their artistic practice, from dioramas depicting aerial perspectives to a video work reading poetry from the cockpit. Their first exhibition with Mendes Wood DM in Paris, titled 'It’s important to have ur fangs out at the end of the world' (through 17 January), features sculptures, wallpaper, a fable, and three lightbox dioramas that draw on sky studies taken while flying. Okoyomon earned their pilot’s license before their driver’s license as a teenager in Ohio, and continues to fly when visiting family, finding the experience a reset for their nervous system.

Free art party to launch winter exhibits at Surrey Art Gallery

Surrey Art Gallery in British Columbia will host a free art party on January 17, 2026, to launch its winter exhibition season. The event features the group exhibition "remember the earth, remember the sky," inspired by a Joy Harjo poem and focused on ancestral connections through land, air, and memory, with works by early-career artists and pieces from the gallery's permanent collection by Salish artists. Also opening are solo shows by Zachery Cameron Longboy ("HOST") and Atheana Picha, along with the exhibition "What Bodies Know" reflecting on lived experiences in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. The evening includes artist talks, a piñata breaking, and hands-on artmaking workshops.

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A new Banksy mural appeared on a wall in west London on Monday, December 22, 2025, depicting two children in winter clothing lying on their backs and gazing at the sky. The stenciled artwork, located on Queen’s Mews in Bayswater near Notting Hill, was officially claimed by Banksy via Instagram. An identical version was also spotted outside the Centre Point tower in central London, though not yet claimed. The piece has sparked widespread speculation about its meaning, with interpretations ranging from a commentary on childhood imagination and wonder to a satirical critique of consumerism and the replacement of sacred values by utility.

using flight simulators peggy ahwesh crafts an elegy to a disused palestinian airport and the freedom it represented 1234766630

Peggy Ahwesh's solo exhibition "The Wayfinders," recently on view at New York's Microscope Gallery, marks a new direction for the experimental filmmaker. For the first time, she incorporates footage from an early-2000s flight simulator alongside original video and animation to create a large-scale installation. The work serves as an elegy for the abandoned Qalandia/Atarot airport, situated between Qalandia and Jerusalem, which operated as a civilian airport from 1948 to 1967 before Israel annexed the site. Through poetic voiceover and imagery of travel and navigation, Ahwesh reflects on Palestine's thwarted right to the sky, the history of wayfinding by the stars, and the porous borders of the past contrasted with today's restrictions.