Weekly News Roundup: April 16, 2026

The art landscape in Asia is undergoing significant shifts with Art Basel renewing its five-year commitment to Hong Kong and the Centre Pompidou announcing a June opening for its new Seoul branch. Meanwhile, the Ayala Foundation unveiled designs by architect Kulapat Yantrasast for Kontempo, a major new contemporary art center in Manila slated for 2028, and the Kochi-Muziris Biennale appointed Jitish Kallat as president following the resignation of cofounder Bose Krishnamachari.

From the Aral Sea to Milan: Uzbekistan tells its story between craftsmanship and climate crisis

Dal Mar d’Aral a Milano: l’Uzbekistan si racconta tra artigianato e crisi climatica

Uzbekistan made its official debut at the Milan Design Week with the exhibition 'When Apricots Blossom' at Palazzo Citterio. Curated by Kulapat Yantrasast and promoted by the Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation, the immersive show presents contemporary reinterpretations of Uzbek craft, organized around three pillars of Karakalpak culture: textiles, food, and dwelling. It features installations by international designers like Bethan Laura Wood and a deconstructed yurt by WHY Architecture.

Art museum - The art of stillness: Dib Bangkok

Dib Bangkok, a major new contemporary art museum, has opened in Thailand's capital. Conceived by the late Thai businessman and art collector Petch Osathanugrah and realized by his son Purat 'Chang' Osathanugrah, the museum is housed in a converted 1980s warehouse redesigned by LA-based Thai architect Kulupat Yansantrast of WHY Architecture. It features 7,000 square meters of gallery space across 11 galleries, a central courtyard, an outdoor sculpture garden, and a penthouse. The inaugural exhibition, titled '(In)visible Presence,' presents 81 works by 40 artists exploring memory and the unseen, curated by director Miwako Tezuka.