Petal passion, super-surreal Polaroids and Billy Childish’s California – the week in art

This week’s art roundup highlights several major exhibitions across the UK, including a floral-themed survey at Kettle’s Yard featuring artists from Henri Rousseau to Lubaina Himid. Other notable openings include Billy Childish’s expressionistic California desert paintings at Carl Freedman Gallery, Katharina Grosse’s site-specific installations at White Cube, and Steve McQueen’s new photography book, 'Bounty', which explores the colonial history of Grenada through its flora.

A Giant Wool Form by Nicola Turner Heaves and Skitters Through an 18th-Century Chapel

Artist Nicola Turner has unveiled a site-specific installation titled "Time’s Scythe" within an 18th-century chapel at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. The work features massive, creature-like forms made from hand-stitched recycled wool and horsehair that appear to crawl and surge through the building's architectural openings, spilling from balconies and wrapping around the exterior.

5 Must-See Exhibitions During Milan Art Week 2026

Milan Art Week 2026 features a robust program of institutional exhibitions alongside the miart and Paris Internationale Milano fairs. Key highlights include Cao Fei’s multimedia exploration of smart agriculture at Fondazione Prada, Anselm Kiefer’s monumental tribute to forgotten female alchemists at Palazzo Reale, and a major retrospective of Rirkrit Tiravanija’s architectural research at Pirelli HangarBicocca.

Riyadh continues to bet big on public art: over 100 new works to be installed in the Saudi capital in the coming years

Riyadh continua a scommettere forte sull’arte pubblica: nei prossimi anni oltre 100 nuove opere installate nella capitale saudita

Saudi Arabia is significantly expanding its Riyadh Art public art initiative, with plans to install over 100 new monumental works across the capital city in the coming years. Following the recent Tuwaiq Sculpture 2026 event, which added 25 stone and metal sculptures to the permanent collection, the city has announced 12 new site-specific installations by high-profile international artists including Anselm Kiefer, El Anatsui, and Manal AlDowayan. The project aims to reach a total of 115 new commissions, building upon a collection that already features masters like Anish Kapoor, Jeff Koons, and Giuseppe Penone.

Milan now has an open-air contemporary art museum. The ArtLine project at CityLife is finally complete: the final work inaugurated for Art Week 2026

Milano ha un museo d’arte contemporanea a cielo aperto. Il progetto ArtLine a CityLife è finalmente completo: per l’Art Week 2026 inaugurata l’ultima opera

The City of Milan has officially completed ArtLine, a major public art project that has transformed the CityLife park into a permanent open-air contemporary art museum. Spanning 173,000 square meters, the park now hosts nineteen site-specific installations by internationally renowned artists and emerging talents. The project's conclusion was marked during Milan Art Week 2026 with the inauguration of 'Octospider', a large-scale interactive sculpture by British artist Jeremy Deller designed for children.

Movie-inspired art exhibition lets public explore one of Canada’s luxury hotels

Hotel Confidential is a new contemporary art exhibition hosted at the Royal Hotel in Picton, Ontario, featuring original projects by 16 artists. The show utilizes the hotel's Annex Building to display site-specific installations, such as a collection of vintage suitcases containing miniature dioramas and various architectural interventions. Co-curated by Stacey Sproule and Christina Zeidler, the event aims to bridge the gap between the region's luxury tourism industry and its dense local artist community.

In Rome, a festival dedicated to contemporary cinema and audiovisual experimentation: The Interview

A Roma c’è un festival dedicato al cinema contemporaneo e alle sperimentazioni audiovisive. L’intervista

The Ru-mòre Cinema and Audiovisual Experimentation Festival is launching in Rome’s San Lorenzo district from April 14 to 18. Evolving from the former Barkov Film Festival, the event features a diverse program of short films, screenwriting competitions, and a dedicated section for virtual reality. The festival utilizes multiple local venues, including Cinema Tibur and the Mercato di San Lorenzo, to host international works and industry panels.

In Indianapolis, a New Contemporary Art Museum Comes With a D.J.

The Indianapolis Contemporary (ICon) has officially opened its doors in a transformed 40,000-square-foot former dairy barn, signaling a bold new chapter for the city’s arts scene. This non-collecting institution aims to dismantle the traditional, often sterile museum experience by integrating live music, social spaces, and a rotating roster of site-specific installations that prioritize community engagement over historical preservation.

CISCO MEREL: LA CHANTIN

CISCO MEREL: LA CHANTIN

Kunsthalle Lissabon in Lisbon, Portugal, is presenting 'La Chantin,' the first solo exhibition in the country by Panamanian artist Cisco Merel. The exhibition features a site-specific installation exploring the house as an open, collective, and evolving system, inspired by the mobile, wooden 'shanty' structures built by the Afro-Caribbean diaspora during the construction of the Panama Canal.

Artists invited to shape Shellharbour’s next major works for popular art trail

Shellharbour City Council has launched an open call for artists to create two new permanent public artworks for the Waterfront Shell Cove art trail. The commission seeks large-scale, site-specific installations that reflect the local coastal environment and community identity, specifically targeting the areas near the marina and the foreshore.