Comment | Catherine Opie shows us that in dark times, looking for joy can be radical

The artist Catherine Opie is currently the subject of a major three-decade portrait survey, 'To Be Seen', at the National Portrait Gallery in London. The exhibition highlights Opie’s career-long commitment to representing the LGBTQ+ community, specifically the leather dyke scene in Los Angeles, through a lens that balances defiance with playfulness. Even her most provocative works, such as the 1993 self-portrait featuring a domestic scene carved into her back, are revealed to contain elements of humor and historical allusion that counter the despair of the AIDS crisis and personal heartbreak.

Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind

The Broad museum in Los Angeles will present 'Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind,' the artist's first solo museum exhibition in Southern California, from May 23 to October 11, 2026. Organized in collaboration with Tate Modern, London, the show spans Ono's seven-decade career, featuring interactive instruction works, participatory installations like 'Wish Trees for Los Angeles,' films such as 'Cut Piece' (1964) and 'FILM NO. 4 (BOTTOMS)' (1967), and collaborative pieces with John Lennon including 'Bed Peace' (1969). Visitors will be invited to engage directly with works that turn simple acts into expressions of peace and connection.

ターナー賞2026最終候補

The Turner Prize 2026 shortlist has been announced, featuring four artists: Simeon Barclay, Kira Freije, Marguerite Humeau, and Tanoa Sasraku. The exhibition will be held at MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art) from September 26, 2026 to March 29, 2027, with the winner revealed on December 10, 2026. The jury includes Sarah Allen, Jo Hill, Suk-Kee Lee, Alona Pardo, and Alex Farquharson as chair.

New biography of Chaïm Soutine pieces together illusive artist's life and works

A new biography of Chaïm Soutine, the early 20th-century painter, has been published. The book, written by Celeste Marcus, attempts to piece together the life of the notoriously private and illusive artist, examining his journey from a Belarusian shtetl to the studios of Montparnasse, his complex relationships, and the myths that have grown around his work and persona.

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Napoleon Jones-Henderson, a key member of the AfriCOBRA collective known for creating art during the Black Power era, died in Boston on December 6 at age 82 after battling cancer. Jones-Henderson was part of the Chicago-based group founded in 1968 by artists including Jeff Donaldson, Wadsworth Jarrell, and Barbara Jones-Hogu, which synthesized African styles with Black American expressions. Despite the group's historical significance, their work was largely overlooked by major museums until recent years, with Jones-Henderson receiving his first major survey at the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston in 2022.

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Taylor Swift's new album 'The Life of a Showgirl' includes a song titled 'The Fate of Ophelia,' which references the tragic character from Shakespeare's 'Hamlet.' The article draws a parallel between Swift's song and John Everett Millais's Pre-Raphaelite painting 'Ophelia' (1851–52), which depicts the character before her death. The Tate, which owns the painting, posted about the work to discuss the death of its model, Elizabeth Siddal, in 1862. Swift's album cover, showing her floating in water, has been compared to the Millais painting, but the song reimagines Ophelia's narrative with a happy ending tied to her relationship with Travis Kelce.

The Music Is Black: Frequencies of Belonging in Britain

V&A East Museum is launching its inaugural exhibition, 'The Music is Black: A British Story,' a comprehensive exploration of Black British music spanning over a century. Curated by Jacqueline Springer, the show features more than 200 objects—including instruments, fashion, and personal artifacts—alongside significant artworks by figures such as Sonia Boyce and Frank Bowling. The exhibition traces the evolution of genres from early 20th-century compositions to contemporary grime and drill, framing them as vital expressions of migration, resistance, and cultural identity.

New Community Gallery art show highlights Black artists of New Mexico

A new exhibition titled 'Truth. Memory. Joy. Resistance: Black Expressions in New Mexico' has opened at the Community Gallery at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center, featuring 28 Black artists from across the state. Co-curated by local gallery owner Aaron Payne and multidisciplinary artist Jakia Fuller, the show includes works in a wide range of mediums from artists aged 16 to 80, with participants from Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and Taos. The exhibition runs through the end of February and includes special events such as a poetry reading and panel discussions.

Art Museum and Galleries at W&L: Winter 2026 Programs and Exhibitions

Washington and Lee University's Art Museum and Galleries is hosting five temporary exhibitions through Winter Term 2026, including "Edward Burtynsky: Taking Place" at the Reeves Museum of Ceramics, "Moffat Takadiwa: Recoded Memories" at the Watson Galleries, and "Luminous Layers: Glazed Surfaces and the Art of Reflection" alongside "Points of Exchange: Asian Ceramics in the Reeves Collection" at the Reeves Museum, plus "Expressions of Color: Paintings by Evelyn Dawson" at the McCarthy Gallery. The museum is also offering free public programming such as Artful Yoga sessions and an MLK Week Open House featuring artworks connected to the Civil Rights movement.

Dilys Blum, longtime curator of clothes at the Philadelphia Art Museum, dies at 77

Dilys Blum, the longtime curator of fashion and textiles at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, has died at age 77. She retired last summer after 38 years at the museum, where she served as head of the costumes and textiles department, overseeing the care and interpretation of historic clothing and fabric-based art. Blum began her career at the Museum of London, later working at the Brooklyn Museum and the Chicago Conservation Center before joining the Philadelphia Museum in 1987. She curated notable exhibitions including "Off the Wall" (2019) and "BOOM: Art and Design of the 1940s" (2025), and authored several books on fashion history, including works on Elsa Schiaparelli, Roberto Capucci, and Patrick Kelly.

Vantaa Art Museum Artsi's exhibition Empathy explores the multilayered nature of emotion, power, and connection

The Vantaa Art Museum Artsi has launched "Empathy," a multifaceted exhibition exploring the psychological, social, and technological dimensions of emotional connection. The show features diverse works that examine how facial expressions and gestures communicate feelings, while also addressing the power dynamics of who is allowed to tell their story. A central highlight is Ali Akbar Mehta’s immersive installation, which utilizes an archive of 30,000 video clips and XR technology to analyze how digital algorithms and visual overexposure to violence affect human compassion.

Butler Art exhibit empowers disabled artist community

The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, recently hosted the opening reception for the 31st annual Accessible Expressions Ohio (AEO) exhibition. Featuring over 50 works by artists with disabilities from across the state, the event included live music from The Feral Cats and workshops for the Remember Love Recovery Project. The exhibition, which runs through June 7, showcases winners across various categories including youth, professional, and emerging artists.

Pride of place: the rise of LGBTQ+ art in Hong Kong

Hong Kong's art scene is witnessing a significant rise in the visibility and institutional embrace of LGBTQ+ art, particularly during its annual Art Week. Exhibitions like the Sunpride Foundation's 'Myth Makers—Spectrosynthesis III' at Tai Kwun Contemporary have acted as major accelerants, moving queer discourse from semi-private contexts into prominent public institutions.

The Prizes

Los premios

Artist Gala Berger presents a three-act exhibition titled "Los premios" (The Prizes), which revisits the radical spirit of the 1968 Latin American avant-garde. The show specifically references two historic 1968 exhibitions at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires—the Georges Braque Prize and "Materials, new techniques, new expressions"—where artists staged protests involving egg-throwing, stink bombs, and manifestos against censorship and institutional tutelage.

Art Basel Miami Beach Diary: big feet, big muscles and big voices descend on Miami

Art Basel Miami Beach 2024 has kicked off with a series of high-energy events, including a Japanese women's wrestling match at the Miami Beach Bandshell featuring the Sukeban league, where Ichigo Sayaka was crowned victor with a belt designed by Marc Newson. The fair also features a performance by Diana Ross at Alex Prager's Mirage Factory launch, a set by rapper 2 Chainz at Soho Beach House, and notable artworks such as Sadao Hasegawa's erotic paintings at Garth Greenan's stand and Pat Oleszko's 13ft-tall inflatable 'Big Foots' at the David Peter Francis stand.

New Gallery Exhibit at CU Anschutz Honors Son's Legacy

A new photo exhibition and speaker series titled "Love, Anything: 28 Expressions for 28 Luminous Years" has opened at the Fulginiti Pavilion for Bioethics and Humanities on the University of Colorado Anschutz campus. The show features 28 photographs and journal entries by the late photographer Ryyan Chacra, who died by suicide in May 2024 at age 28 while struggling with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The opening reception on April 10 drew over 120 attendees, including family, friends, and university faculty.

First Nations artists launch UMI Arts season with vibrant double exhibition opening

UMI Arts has officially launched its 2026 exhibition season in Far North Queensland with the opening of two concurrent group exhibitions, "The Summer Show 2026" and "You & Me 2026." The showcase features nearly 60 artworks by 18 First Nations artists, spanning various mediums including painting, ceramics, weaving, and sculpture. The collection highlights the deep connection to Country and cultural resilience of both emerging and established Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander practitioners.

Open Call for Contemporary Art Commissions for the V&A South Kensington's new South Asia Gallery

The Victoria and Albert Museum in London has issued an open call for contemporary artists and designers to create new carved wooden panels for a 19th-century coffered ceiling from a temple in Kochi, South India, which will be the centerpiece of its redesigned South Asia Gallery at South Kensington. The ceiling, measuring 6 by 1.7 meters and originally comprising 45 panels, has been in storage for over 70 years; more than half of its panels are missing. The commission invites applicants to replace the lost panels with sensitivity to the original materials, design, and craftsmanship, integrating them into the restored structure. Expressions of interest are due by 28 February 2026.

‘Different Strokes’ returns with vibrant contemporary expressions

The fifth edition of the contemporary art exhibition "Different Strokes" has opened at La Galerie of Alliance Française de Dhaka. Curated by artist Alamgir Kabir, the show features 40 artworks from a diverse group of eight Bangladeshi artists, including both emerging and established figures. The collection spans various mediums and subjects, ranging from abstract compositions and portraits to scenes of the Padma River and nature studies.

Suporna’s first solo exhibition under way at Safiuddin Shilpalay

Visual artist and poet Suporna Alice Gomes has launched her debut solo exhibition, "Burnt Expressions—the Realms of Fantasy," at Safiuddin Shilpalay in Dhaka. The showcase features 59 works, including acrylics and unique series utilizing watercolor and coffee on paper. The collection is characterized by a monochromatic, rusted aesthetic intended to evoke "burnt expressions" and nostalgic memories, featuring portraits of iconic Bangladeshi figures like Kazi Nazrul Islam and SM Sultan alongside nature-inspired landscapes.

Skin deep: Museum exhibit showcases body art

The Chippewa Valley Museum in Eau Claire is concluding its run of “Tattoo: Identity Through Ink,” a traveling exhibition exploring the historical and cultural evolution of body art. To bring the history to life, the museum hosted live tattooing sessions where local artists, including Ed Erdmann of Wintership Tattoo, demonstrated their craft. In a notable moment of institutional engagement, the museum’s executive director, Carrie Ronnander, received her first-ever tattoo during the event to highlight the personal significance of the medium.

Contemporary artists featured in exhibition examining Cherokee People and the American Revolution

The Museum of the Cherokee People has launched "Unrelenting: Cherokee People and the American Revolution," a landmark exhibition marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. The show juxtaposes 18th-century historical artifacts, such as weaponry and archival treaties, with newly commissioned works by 14 contemporary Cherokee artists. Curated by Dakota Brown, Evan Mathis, and Brandon Dillard, the exhibition challenges traditional American nationalist mythologies by centering Indigenous perspectives on the Cherokee American War and the complexities of sovereignty.

Check out a multi-sensory experience at Hong Kong’s first large-scale art dome

Hong Kong's first large-scale art dome, FutureScope, has opened at Kai Tak Sports Park, running from December 19, 2025 to January 4, 2026. The dome features 'Perpetual Records', an immersive exhibition co-created by local media art studio XCEPT and Japanese artist Daito Manabe. Visitors can interact with 360-degree projections using facial recognition technology that translates their expressions into geometric patterns and alters an adaptive soundscape. Ticketed performances from January 2 to 4 offer deeper engagement with the artwork through live audio-visual sessions guided by XCEPT's artistic director Chris Cheung (h0nh1m).

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Researchers from Binghamton University, at the request of an indigenous community group on Easter Island, have created a high-resolution 3D model of the Rono Raraku quarry, where 95 percent of the island's moai statues were carved. Using drone flights and over 11,000 overlapping photographs stitched together via photogrammetry, the model documents the quarry in unprecedented detail, including 133 quarried voids, 400-plus unfinished moai, and evidence of 30 distinct clan-based carving areas. The model is freely available online and was motivated by a 2022 wildfire that threatened the site.

Inside Giancarlo Valle and Jane Keltner de Valle’s New York Townhouse

Designer Giancarlo Valle and fashion editor Jane Keltner de Valle have completed a major renovation of their seven-story New York City townhouse. The project transformed the historic structure into a personal showcase of their collaborative vision, blending antique elements with contemporary design.

Inside Dorian Grinspan’s Upstate Home, Where Japanese Handicraft Meets ‘British Whimsy’

Film producer Dorian Grinspan collaborated with a group of artists and friends to design his upstate New York home, creating a space that blends Japanese handicraft aesthetics with what he describes as 'British whimsy.' The project was a collective, evolving effort rather than a single architect's vision.

María Lucía Alemán: Cultural Expressions Are Uniting the Region More

MARIA LUCIA ALEMAN CULTURAL EXPRESSIONS ARE UNITING THE REGION MORE

A panel discussion titled "Building Institutional Narratives" was held as part of the FORO initiative during Pinta Panama Art Week. It featured museum directors María Lucía Alemán (MAC Panama), Manuel Segade Lodeiro (Museo Reina Sofía, Spain), and Rafael Tamayo Franco (MAMM, Colombia), moderated by Elena González. The conversation focused on how museums construct their institutional stories and programming to better represent and connect with their local and regional contexts.

Reception for Resilience Exhibit

The Ucross Art Gallery hosted an artists’ reception for its latest exhibition, "Resilience," which showcases the work of the 2025 Ucross Fellowship for Native American Artists recipients. Curated by Marwin Begaye, the show features a diverse range of media including sculpture by Gina Herrera, mixed-media works by Wade Patton, and visual and performance art by Sarah Ortegon HighWalking, alongside photography and poetry by writer Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle. The event was highlighted by a collaborative performance involving the Jingle Dress Dance and live woodblock printing.

Washburn student exhibition highlights diverse artistic talent

The Mulvane Art Museum recently hosted the Washburn University student exhibition reception, a juried showcase featuring a diverse range of student works selected by Kansas City artist Harold Smith. The event highlighted various artistic expressions, from oil paintings and wooden mandalas to photography, and served as a platform for announcing several honors, including the prestigious 2026 Charles and Margaret Pollak Award won by student Lauren Miller.

Community Art Shines In Latest Exhibition At Gallery

The Griffith Regional Art Gallery recently debuted "Roots & Reflections," a community-focused exhibition featuring over 60 works from local artists. Curated by Melanie Toscan, the show spans diverse mediums including sculpture, painting, photography, and a collaborative 3D installation. A unique highlight of the exhibition is a section of anonymous, fixed-price paintings sold for $85, where the artist's identity remains a mystery to the buyer until the show concludes.