John Hitchcock’s sonic and cultural rhythms

The New Britain Museum of American Art in Connecticut will present "John Hitchcock: We are Defined by the Beat" from May 16 to November 29, 2026, marking the artist's first mid-career retrospective. John Hitchcock, an enrolled member of the Kiowa Tribe of Oklahoma with Comanche and Northern European ancestry, has spent over three decades transforming the sonic and cultural rhythms of his homeland into a distinct visual language. The exhibition explores his integration of visual and sonic forms across printmaking, neon, textiles, sound, video, and installation, featuring series such as "Flatlander" (2011-18), "Bury the Hatchet" (2019-2020), "Blanket Songs" (2022-2023), "Soundscapes" (2021-2024), and "Celebration" (2025). Hitchcock's work pays homage to his ancestors, confronts histories of Indigenous displacement and trauma, and celebrates community, resilience, and survival, drawing on the sounds and landscapes of his ancestral home in Medicine Park, Oklahoma.

Interview with Nina Wakeford of the Swiss Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale

Intervista a Nina Wakeford del Padiglione Svizzero alla Biennale di Venezia 2026

Nina Wakeford, artist and curator of the Swiss Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, discusses the pavilion's project "The Unfinished Business of Living Together." The exhibition draws on two Swiss television broadcasts from 1978 and 1984—Telearena and Agora—in which gay, lesbian, and trans individuals spoke on national television. Rather than treating these as historical artifacts, Wakeford and her team (Gianmaria Andreetta, Luca Beeler, Miriam Laura Leonardi, Lithic Alliance, and Yul Tomatala) reactivate them as points of tension, creating a multimedia environment that explores unresolved issues of coexistence, visibility, and social difference.

Venice Biennale performances confront war and climate fears

At the 2026 Venice Biennale, visitors encountered provocative performances and installations addressing war, climate anxiety, and human coexistence. Highlights include a naked performer acting as a human bell clapper in Florentina Holzinger's "Seaworld Venice" at the Austrian Pavilion, lifelike baby dolls in Ei Arakawa-Nash's caregiving-focused work at the Japanese Pavilion, and drone-powered flying carpets in Moldova's pavilion that transform symbols of war into tools of peace. The Nordic Pavilion also presented surreal installations exploring coexistence and environmental fears.

A Roma un evento per indagare le relazioni tra scienza e moda. Intervista alla curatrice Dobrila Denegri

From May 13 to 15, 2026, the MACRO – Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Roma will host "Science Fashion," an event curated by Dobrila Denegri that explores the intersections of fashion, science, and new technologies. The program brings together international researchers and practitioners in experimental fashion to discuss urgent issues such as climate emergency, energy, and interspecies coexistence. It is part of the broader multi-year initiative "Experiments in Fashion and Art," launched in 2024 with "Critical Fashion," and involves collaborations with NABA, Sapienza University of Rome, and UnitelmaSapienza.

Il Padiglione della Natura alla Biennale di Venezia. Ovvero due gabbiani che mettono in crisi il patriarcato

At the 2026 Venice Biennale, two seagulls built a nest in front of the Polish Pavilion in the Giardini. Organizers chose to protect the nest with a small fence and a sign, turning it into an unofficial "Nature Pavilion." The birds share incubation duties equally, drawing large crowds who pause to watch their cooperative behavior amid the Biennale's intense geopolitical tensions, including protests against the Russian Pavilion, pro-Palestinian actions, and debates over Israel's cultural role.

Robert Zhao Renhui: After Control @ Kyoto City University of Arts Gallery @KCUA

ロバート・ザオ・レンフイ「アフター・コントロール」@ 京都市立芸術大学ギャラリー@KCUA

The Kyoto City University of Arts Gallery @KCUA is hosting a solo exhibition by Singaporean artist Robert Zhao Renhui titled "After Control" (アフター・コントロール), running from May 16 to July 12, 2026. The exhibition presents works from Zhao's long-term projects on Christmas Island, Singapore, Tokyo, Hampi (India), and Phuket (Thailand), exploring environments shaped by human intervention and the complex interplay between nature and artificiality. Zhao, known for his participation in major international exhibitions including the Thailand Biennale Phuket 2025, the 60th Venice Biennale (2024), and the Gwangju Biennale (2023), uses photography, video, and installation to critically examine how ecosystems transform under human control.