The April 2026 Art Diary highlights a global trend of exhibitions exploring the intersection of spirituality, art, and the environment. Key highlights include a new scholarly essay by Hassan Vawda reinterpreting the Kettle’s Yard collection through the religious beliefs of its founders, Jim and Helen Ede, and a major group exhibition at ICA LA titled 'Speaking in Tongues.' The latter features indigenous and diasporic artists from the Global South who utilize art as a conduit for the sacred, ritual, and ecstatic expression.
These exhibitions signal a shift in how institutions address the divine, moving away from traditional dogma toward art as a tool for survival, kinship, and environmental reflection. By framing spaces like Kettle’s Yard as responses to post-war secularization and using contemporary shows to challenge colonial erasures of sacred rituals, the art world is increasingly positioning the spiritual as a vital framework for navigating modern social and ecological crises.