The Defining Themes of Today’s Biennial Art

The article analyzes the defining themes and styles of the past four years in the international biennial circuit, based on a survey of 130 biennials. It identifies a core group of artists who appeared most frequently, including Ali Eyal, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Carolina Caycedo, Kapwani Kiwanga, and Tuan Andrew Nguyen, among others. Many of these artists are also featured in the upcoming 61st Venice Biennale curated by the late Koyo Kouoh. The piece categorizes their work under two broad themes: "Post-Colonial Post-Conceptualism," which involves poetic engagement with colonial history and artifacts, and "Families and Networks," where artists explore personal and political family histories.

American Miners Photo Exhibition 'Beneath the Surface' Tour: National Gallery (DC)-Milwaukee Art Museum-Amon Carter Museum (Fort Worth, TX)

미국의 광부들 사진전 'Beneath the Surface' 순회: 내셔널 갤러리(DC)-밀워키미술관-에이먼카터미술관(포트워스, TX)

The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., will present 'Beneath the Surface: Mining and American Photography' from May 23 to August 23, 2026, the first exhibition to focus exclusively on the relationship between resource extraction and American photography. Featuring 150 photographs by over 100 artists—including Richard Avedon, Walker Evans, Lewis Hine, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Dorothea Lange, and Gordon Parks—the show spans nearly 200 years, from early daguerreotypes of the California Gold Rush to contemporary large-scale works. After its Washington run, the exhibition will travel to the Milwaukee Art Museum (October 23, 2026–January 18, 2027) and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas (February 14–May 9, 2027).

Cecilia Vicuña: Minga for the Sea

Kunstnernes Hus in Oslo presents 'Minga for the Sea,' a major new commission by Chilean artist, poet, and activist Cecilia Vicuña, running from May 29 to August 9, 2026. This is Vicuña's first major presentation in Scandinavia, featuring two large horizontal quipus made from locally sourced raw wool, one dedicated to the Southern Hemisphere/Chile and the other to the Northern Hemisphere/Sápmi. The quipus incorporate contributions from Indigenous and environmental defenders, including poems, drawings, and videos, forming a polyphonic archive of cultural resistance against destructive resource extraction and pollution of marine environments.

New Nanaimo Art Gallery show focuses on impacts to developing countries

The Nanaimo Art Gallery is set to debut "An Animated Assembly," a collaborative exhibition by artists Richard Ibghy and Marilou Lemmens that explores the socio-economic consequences of resource extraction. Opening April 11, the show utilizes hand-painted murals, animations, and sculptures to critique the Global North's demand for energy transition materials, such as lithium, and the resulting impact on countries in the Global South. The works employ a satirical, "cartoonish" aesthetic to juxtapose cold, analytical data with the bold, often morally questionable rhetoric of corporate and political leaders.

Prada's Cultured Symposium on Fashion and Design Will Take Place This Year at Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan

Il colto simposio su moda&design di Prada quest’anno si svolgerà nella chiesa di Santa Maria delle Grazie a Milano

The fifth edition of Prada Frames, an annual multidisciplinary symposium curated by the design studio Formafantasma, is set to take place from April 19 to 21, 2026, at the historic Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. Hosted within the Renaissance sacristy attributed to Donato Bramante, the event coincides with the Salone del Mobile and features a series of lectures and discussions. This year's theme, "In Sight," explores the evolving power of images, the blurring lines between human and machine-generated content, and the material environmental impact of digital image production.

peru halves protected area near nazca lines 1234744125

Peru's Culture Ministry has reduced the protected area surrounding the Nazca Lines by nearly half, from approximately 2,162 square miles to 1,235 square miles. The move shrinks the Nazca Archaeological Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and archaeologists warn it could expose the ancient geoglyphs to exploitation by informal miners seeking to legitimize their operations amid a global surge in precious metal prices.

ELENA DAMIANI, XIMENA GARRIDO-LECCA AND ISHMAEL RANDALL-WEEKS: SIGNAL AND STRATA

ELENA DAMIANI, XIMENA GARRIDO-LECCA E ISHMAEL RANDALL-WEEKS: SIGNAL AND STRATA

An exhibition titled 'Signal and Strata' featuring Peruvian artists Elena Damiani, Ximena Garrido-Lecca, and Ishmael Randall-Weeks was presented at the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts from February 5 to April 5, 2026. The show, examined in an accompanying essay by curator Madeline Murphy Turner, focuses on how the artists use materials like travertine, copper, and concrete to interrogate narratives of modernity, resource extraction, and the climate crisis.

Mystic Seaport Museum exhibition chronicles whale oil industry's far-reaching impact

The Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut has opened a new exhibition titled "Monstrous: Whaling and Its Colossal Impact," which explores the deep connection between the US whaling industry and capitalism. Featuring objects from the museum's permanent collection—including 19th-century photographs, blubber hooks, ship models, captain's logbooks, a sperm whale jawbone, a jar of blue whale fetuses, and whale oil products—the show illustrates how whale oil lit lamps and greased machines for over a century. A giant scratchboard mural by contemporary artist Jos Sances, titled "Or, The Whale" (2019-20), dominates the space, while references to Herman Melville's "Moby-Dick" permeate the exhibition, which also includes a copy of a 1930 illustrated three-volume edition.

Expo 86 Exhibit at the Surrey Art Gallery

A new exhibition titled 'In the Shadow of the Pavilions: Expo 86 and Contemporary Art' has opened at the Surrey Art Gallery, running from April 18 to June 7, 2026. It is the first exhibition to focus specifically on the art of Expo 86, featuring original works and archival materials from 35 artists that examine both official and unofficial art from the 1986 world's fair. The show includes photography, painting, installation, performance, and video art, and is accompanied by a symposium on May 9 and a curator's tour with Jordan Strom on May 28.