My London: Four Photographers Show Us Their City
Four London‑based photographers—Sabrina Tirvengadum, Eugénie Shinkle, Edmund Clark, and Anselm Ebulue—have been commissioned for new projects that explore history, psychogeography, and belonging. Tirvengadum uses AI‑enhanced family snapshots to highlight immigrant working‑class memory and representation bias. Shinkle photographs the abandoned Rom skatepark, while Clark juxtaposes Blitz‑era ruins with modern counter‑terrorism sites, and Ebulue records Peckham’s Black community confronting gentrification. Their works are on display at Space Gallery (until Oct 10), Peckham 24 (May 15‑17), and the Imperial War Museum.
America’s History in Jingoistic Merch
The American Folk Art Museum’s new show, Folk Nation: Crafting Patriotism in the US, offers a quiet counterpoint to the nation’s high‑profile semiquincentennial celebrations. It showcases 19th‑century jingoistic merch—embroidered coverlets, trade‑sign symbols, and handcrafted eagles—alongside later folk works that question the...
5 Exhibitions Celebrating Female Creatives, From Marilyn Monroe to Frida Kahlo
This month museums worldwide are mounting five high‑profile exhibitions that celebrate female creators, from Björk’s immersive "Echolalia" in Reykjavik to Tate Modern’s first major Frida Kahlo retrospective. The shows also spotlight fashion innovator Iris van Herpen in New York, a centennial Marilyn...
Lorna Simpson’s Full-Circle Return to Venice
Lorna Simpson, a pioneering African‑American artist, returns to the Venice Biennale with her solo show "Third Person," marking a full‑circle moment since her historic 1990 participation. The exhibition, sponsored by luxury brand Bottega Veneta and organized with the Metropolitan Museum of...
Best Opportunities, Grants & Awards for Creatives This Week
ArtsHub highlights a slate of funding and recognition options for Australian creatives this week. South Australian artists can apply for production‑cost grants, while non‑fiction writers are eligible for a prestigious life‑writing fellowship. Visual artists are invited to propose site‑specific installations...
Best in Show: 6 Standouts at the 2026 Venice Biennale
The 61st Venice Biennale, themed “In Minor Keys,” opened on May 9, 2026 and runs through November. Artnet highlights six standout shows, from Japan’s interactive "Grass Babies, Moon Babies" installation to Austria’s waste‑recycling spectacle "Seaworld Venice." The lineup also includes Dayanita...
Retrospective Maps Brion Gysin’s Avant-Garde Canon
The Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris is hosting a retrospective of Brion Gysin’s avant‑garde work from April 10 to July 12, 2026. The show traces Gysin’s evolution from his 1930s Sorbonne days through his pivotal role in the Beat Hotel’s cut‑up experiments in...
This Week’s SLEEK News
This week’s SLEEK roundup blends art, fashion and footwear innovations. Painter Daniel Crews‑Chubb opens his six‑piece “The Belt of Venus” exhibition at Patricia Low Contemporary during Venice Biennale 2026, exploring mythic and abstract forms. ASICS teams with designer Cecilie Bahnsen...
Fashion Figure Jordan Roth Wows in Collage at the Venice Biennale
Jordan Roth, the American multi‑disciplinary artist who debuted a “living sculpture” at the Met Gala, staged a striking performance at the Venice Biennale on May 7. The work, presented at Palazzo dei Fiori in collaboration with Performance Space New York’s Visionaries...
Welcome to a Spectacularly Fraught Edition of the Venice Biennale
The 61st Venice Biennale, traditionally a celebration of contemporary art, has turned into a stage for geopolitical drama. Russian artists’ presence sparked protests and heated debate over Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, while the Ukrainian pavilion highlighted security guarantees as...
How Super-Skinny Red Carpet Trend at Met Gala Clashes with Own Its Body-Positive Costume Art Show
The Met Gala’s 2026 "Costume Art" theme was paired with a museum exhibition showcasing mannequins that represent a broad spectrum of bodies, from disabled to plus‑size. Despite the inclusive intent, the red‑carpet remained populated by ultra‑thin celebrities, sparking criticism of...
Artist Kader Attia Will Organize 2027 Edition of India’s Top Biennial
Acclaimed French‑Algerian artist Kader Attia has been chosen to curate the 2027 Kochi‑Muziris Biennale, India’s premier contemporary art festival. Attia, a Prix Marcel Duchamp winner known for works confronting colonial trauma, previously directed the 2022 Berlin Biennale with a Global‑South focus....
Venice Biennale Special 2026—Podcast
The 2026 Venice Biennale opens with more than 100 artists spread across the Giardini, the historic Arsenale, and national pavilions. The central exhibition, *In Minor Keys*, is presented posthumously under the guidance of late curator Koyo Kouoh and five collaborators. A...
At the Venice Biennale, Ukraine’s Pinchuk Art Centre Finds Fragile Moments of Joy Amid Loss
The Pinchuk Art Centre’s Venice Biennale pavilion, now titled "Still Joy — From Ukraine into the World," marks its third post‑invasion edition, shifting from pre‑2020 celebrity‑filled celebrations to a poignant artistic response to Russia’s 2022 invasion. The show blends Ukrainian...
Yu-Gi-Oh Art Works Will Exhibit Kazuki Takahashi’s Art
The production committee behind Yu‑Gi‑Oh Art Works announced a one‑time exhibit in Tokyo featuring the late Kazuki Takahashi’s original concept art. Scheduled for Winter 2026, the show will not travel and will be supported by V Jump, e‑plus, Toppan, and the...
Expanding the Geography of Contemporary African Art
Founded in London in 2013, the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair has expanded to London, Marrakech and New York, with the 2026 New York edition running May 13‑17. The fair features more than 20 exhibitors from 12 countries, showcasing over...
T&C Culture Watch: A New Floral Exhibit Opens at the New York Botanical Garden
Town & Country highlights a new exhibition at the New York Botanical Garden that revives the 1960s “flower power” ethos, originally coined by poet Allen Ginsberg. The show pairs the era’s psychedelic spirit with a curated selection of high‑end accessories, including...
Frank Stella’s Personal Collection of Navajo Textiles Goes on View for the First Time
Renowned minimalist Frank Stella’s personal collection of 55 Navajo textiles is being exhibited for the first time. The works, dating from the late 19th to early 20th century and valued at $6,500 to $25,000 each, will debut at Arader Galleries...
France Passes Historic Law for Restituting Colonial-Era Art, American Folk Art Museum Workers Protest, and More: Morning Links for May...
France’s Parliament unanimously approved a landmark law that creates a single framework for returning artworks looted between 1815 and 1972, ending the need for item‑by‑item legislation. The measure establishes two expert committees—one French, one from the claimant country—to assess restitution...
For Steve O Smith, There Is No Barrier Between Paper and Person
British designer Steve O Smith, a Central Saint Martins graduate, has built his reputation on hand‑drawn fashion concepts rather than digital renderings. His East London studio, a stark white space, functions as a literal blank page where sketches evolve into garments....
Richard Lewer’s Iluwanti Ken Portrait Won the Archibald Prize, and Other News.
Australian artist Richard Lewer captured the 2026 Archibald Prize with his portrait of Pitjantjatjara elder Iluwanti Ken, earning the A$100,000 award (about $66,000). The Metropolitan Museum of Art secured a gift exceeding $23 million to fund its fully paid internship program, supporting...
Marina Abramović’s Historic Venice Biennale Exhibition Is a Full-Circle Moment
Marina Abramović, the 80‑year‑old performance‑art pioneer, has become the first living woman to receive a dedicated solo exhibition at Venice’s Gallerie dell’Accademia. Titled “Marina Abramović: Transforming Energy,” the show weaves her seminal works with Renaissance masterpieces, creating a dialogue between...
Thinking Small and Dreaming Big in Isabel Nolan’s Imaginary World
Irish artist Isabel Nolan’s Ireland pavilion, Dreamshook, explores the hazy space between waking and dreaming, using a fictional Aldus Manutius narrative to examine how portable ideas shape culture. She employs intimate media such as textiles to grapple with grand concepts...
‘This Is an Opportunity that Will Never Happen Again’: Syrian Artist Sara Shamma on Rebuilding Her Country
Syria’s national pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale will feature a single artist, Sara Shamma, marking the country’s first post‑war cultural showcase. Shamma’s immersive installation, The Tower Tomb of Palmyra, reconstructs the ancient funerary towers destroyed by ISIS in 2015 using...
Uncovering Meaning
"Joy Like Time" opens at the Sainsbury Centre in Norwich (June 20‑Nov 15, 2026), uniting Marina Abramović, Gillian Wearing and Kalliopi Lemos in a three‑artist investigation of time as material. The show treats duration, repetition and sustained attention as the primary medium, turning endurance performances,...
In Other Worlds by Liam Young Reimagines Cities, Landscapes, and Climate Futures at the Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre will host "In Other Worlds," an immersive exhibition by speculative architect Liam Young from May 21 to September 6, 2026, spread across three venues within the complex. The show blends large‑scale projections, LED installations, soundscapes and artefacts...
Merola Opera Program to Present ‘La Tragédie De Carmen’
The Merola Opera Program in San Francisco will stage a stripped‑down French version of Bizet’s Carmen, titled “La Tragédie de Carmen,” on July 9 and July 11, 2026 at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. The adaptation, created by Peter Brook, Jean‑Claude Carrière and Marius Constant, emphasizes...
Why Is Shoji Yamasaki Pretending to Be a Discarded Piece of Paper?
Performance artist Shoji Yamasaki’s "Littered Mvmnts" series pairs split‑screen videos of drifting trash with his own choreography mimicking the objects’ wind‑driven movements. The project, launched on TikTok and Instagram in 2023, has amassed millions of views and now appears on...
Frieze New York 2026
Frieze New York 2026 showcased a mix of provocative installations, market highlights, and cultural commentary. Austrian sculptor Erwin Wurm presented his oversized, consumer‑culture‑satirizing pieces, while a panel of artists and city officials warned that New York’s soaring living costs are...
You Can Wait Ages for a Rothko — Now Five Have Come Along All at Once
New York’s spring auction season will feature five Mark Rothko paintings, with estimates ranging from $10 million to $100 million. The flagship piece, "Brown and Blacks in Reds" (1957), is slated between $70 million and $100 million, while other works span 1949 to 1969...
Portrait of Iluwanti Ken by Richard Lewer Wins $100,000 Archibald Prize
Melbourne‑based artist Richard Lewer has captured the $100,000 Archibald Prize with his portrait of Pitjantjatjara elder and ngangkari Iluwanti Ken. Lewer spent a week on Country in the scorching 47 °C APY Lands, immersing himself in Ken’s community before completing the life‑size...
The Biennale by Subtraction
The Venice Biennale opened amid a wave of political absences, with Iran withdrawing, the U.S. pavilion left essentially empty, and Pussy Riot disrupting the Russian pavilion. Simultaneously, European and U.S. arts funding faces cuts: a French parliamentary report proposes a 25%...
Inside Radiohead’s Immersive Motion Picture House: 6 Takeaways
Radiohead’s Kid A Mnesia Motion Picture House opened in Brooklyn’s Navy Yard, offering a two‑month New York run that blends a 75‑minute film, immersive art installations, and spatial‑audio mixes. The exhibit, originally built for Coachella in a 17,000‑square‑foot bunker, now tours Chicago, Mexico...
The Most Provocative Performance in Venice
Austrian artist Florentina Holzinger is headlining the 2026 Venice Biennale with a daring pavilion titled “Seaworld Venice.” The installation transforms Austria’s Giardini pavilion into an underwater theme park that also functions as a working sewage‑treatment system. Visitors are invited to...
He Couldn’t Choose Between Dance And Visual Art. He’s Ended Up Putting Dancers In His Art Installations.
Chicago’s Driehaus Museum has appointed interdisciplinary artist Brendan Fernandes as its artist‑in‑residence for the immersive project “In the Round.” The installation transforms the Murphy Auditorium’s historic space with a dodecagonal arrangement of mirrored benches that capture dancers’ handprints, footprints, and...
Radiohead Spectacle in Brooklyn Teems with World-Building Paintings, Sculpture, and Film
Radiohead is staging a multimedia installation titled Motion Picture House KID A MNESIA at Brooklyn's Navy Yard through June 28, blending artwork from the Kid A and Amnesiac eras with a 30‑minute film and large‑scale sculptures. Tickets cost $72 for...
Johns Hopkins Acquires Major Work by Artist Lindsay Adams
Johns Hopkins University announced the acquisition of Lindsay Adams' large‑scale diptych *Kind of Blue (1959)*, a 14‑foot‑wide, six‑foot‑tall abstract work inspired by Miles Davis' iconic jazz album. The piece will be installed in the renovated Milton S. Eisenhower Library, slated...
What Iran’s Absence From The Venice Biennale Means
Iran announced it will not take part in the 2026 Venice Biennale, citing no official reason. The decision reflects severe logistical hurdles caused by restricted internet, suspended flights, and a sharply devalued rial that limits funding for overseas projects. It...
Aspen Art Fair Names More Than 35 Exhibitors for 2026 Edition at Hotel Jerome
The Aspen Art Fair will stage its third edition at the historic Hotel Jerome from July 29 to August 1, featuring more than 35 galleries in an invitation‑only format. Kelly Cornell, who also directs the Dallas Art Fair, takes the helm, aiming...
The Art of Macy’s Flower Show
Macy’s flagship stores in Chicago and New York launched the 2026 Flower Show, centering on a Homegrown theme that celebrates American gardens. The pop‑up features over 50,000 stems, 200 flower varieties, and interactive installations, including a Confetti Celebration Wall. As...
Judd’s Objects
The Judd Foundation keeps 101 Spring Street, Donald Judd’s former SoHo studio, exactly as he left it, offering a rare glimpse into his minimalist living and working environment. Built in 1870, the five‑story cast‑iron building houses white‑cube galleries, original hardwood...
Lina Lapelyte Takes over Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin with 400,000 Wood Cubes
Lithuanian artist Lina Lapelyte’s new installation “We Make Years Out of Hours” occupies Hamburger Bahnhof’s 2,500 sq m hall with 400,000 hand‑cut wooden cubes. The work, commissioned by the Chanel Culture Fund, invites visitors and local performers to build, dismantle, and interact with the towering forest of blocks while...
Here’s Why the Venice Biennale Main Show Lost One Artist During the Planning Stages
The 2026 Venice Biennale, curated posthumously by Koyo Kouoh, opened under the title “In Minor Keys” with 110 artists, down from the originally announced 111. The exhibition blends contemporary creators with a handful of deceased figures such as Marcel Duchamp, preserving historical...
‘Ian Curtis: Insight’ Explores the Joy Division Frontman’s Short, Impactful Life
Voltz Clarke Gallery in New York is hosting "Ian Curtis: Insight," the first U.S. exhibition dedicated to Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis. The show features archival items from the John Rylands Library’s British Pop Archive, including handwritten lyrics, photographs, letters...
Parasol Unit Returns with a Showcase of Women From Central Asia and Beyond
London’s nonprofit gallery Parasol Unit, closed since 2020, reopens in Venice as a collateral event of the Biennale. Curated by founder Ziba Ardalan, the new show “Turandot: To the Daughters of the East” presents 11 women artists from Central Asia and...
Lotus Kang Channels Desire Into Bvlgari's Venice Biennale Pavilion
Lotus Kang has created a site‑specific installation for Bvlgari’s pavilion at the Venice Biennale, titled “The Face of Desire is Loss.” Bvlgari, which will sponsor the next three Biennale editions, chose Kang for her material‑focused, liminal practice. The work cloaks...
Don’t Call It Entertainment
J. Hoberman’s review of *Everything Is Now* chronicles the confrontational New York avant‑garde of the 1960s. Exhibitions like MoMA’s 1965 “The Responsive Eye” and performances by LeRoi Jones, Archie Shepp, Yoko Ono and La Monte Young deliberately eschewed entertainment, using sensory overload to challenge audiences. The...
S&M-Inspired Greek Pavilion in Venice Confronts Its Fascist Chains
The Greek pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale, titled Grecia, presents an S&M‑inspired, neon‑lit installation that doubles as an escape‑room. Curated by Andreas Angelidakis and Ioli Kavakou, the work mixes drag performance, queer memorabilia, and fractured marble columns to question...
Beware the Technology Rat Trap: Cooper Jacoby’s Standout Contribution to New York’s Whitney Biennial
Cooper Jacoby’s installations at the 2026 Whitney Biennial turn AI‑driven data extraction into a visceral experience. His "Estate" series uses custom models to let a deceased creator’s social‑media archive speak through an intercom that reacts to visitors and objects. In...
Roe Ethridge on the Art of Collaboration
Roe Ethridge’s new monograph *Rude in the Good Way* arrives as the photographer marks nearly three decades of work that straddles high‑fashion campaigns and fine‑art exhibitions. The book is a deeply collaborative effort with his partner, Lulu Sylbert, who appears...