Basel Social Club Wants You to Go Back to the Office
Basel Social Club’s 2026 edition adopts an "Office" theme, featuring 106 artists across a vacant multi‑story building in Basel. Highlights include Marina Abramović’s bus‑capsule installation, Beni Bischof’s indoor golf parody, and Alicia Framis’s glass‑ceiling protest addressing gender bias. The venue is staged as a functional office with reception desks, HR bars, break rooms and an underground nightclub, operating daily from 4 pm to 3 am between 14‑20 June. Organisers frame the fair as a critical reflection on the post‑pandemic workplace and late‑capitalist structures.
Why South Asian Art Is Booming in London
During London Gallery Weekend, Mayfair’s No 9 Cork Street launched two Indian‑focused shows, while dozens of other venues presented South Asian artists ranging from established modernists to emerging creators. The surge reflects India’s near‑quadrupling economy, which has expanded the domestic collector...
Atelier Lanza’s 2026 Serpentine Pavilion Invites Play, But at What Cost?
Atelier Lanza’s first built work in England, the 2026 Serpentine Pavilion, opens in Kensington Gardens as a modular, brick‑based structure that encourages visitors to rearrange its custom hardwood furniture. The pavilion is constructed from 30,000 mortar‑free bricks assembled in six...
10 Exhibitions to See Around the World This June
Ocula’s editors spotlight ten must‑see exhibitions launching in June, ranging from Los Angeles’ reinterpretation of the Light and Space movement to a comprehensive de Kooning drawing showcase in Chicago. The lineup includes a Chinese contemporary art survey in Auckland, Anne Imhof’s performance‑laden "Citizen"...
'You Begin with a Vision You Cannot Shake': Sara Flores Brings Peruvian Wisdom to Venice
Peruvian Shipibo‑Konibo artist Sara Flores, born in 1950, is the first Indigenous representative for Peru at the Venice Biennale, showcasing her ancestral geometric practice called kené. The massive textile works, created with natural vegetal dyes and without preliminary sketches, were...
New Head of Art Basel Paris Wants to ‘Sharpen the Contours’ of the Fair
Art Basel Paris announced its full roster for the October 2026 edition, featuring more than 200 exhibitors from 41 countries, including nearly 30 newcomers. The French market, which grew 9% year‑on‑year in 2025, now represents 8% of global art trade,...
Cheryl Finley, Champion of Black Arts Professionals, Wins 2026 Driskell Prize
Cheryl Finley, an award‑winning art historian and curator, has been named the 2026 recipient of the David C. Driskell Prize. The High Museum will present her with a $50,000 award in September, recognizing her work championing Black arts professionals and scholars....
Rene Matić, Chronicler of British Class, Wins 2026 Deutsche Börse Photography Prize
London‑based artist Rene Matić has been awarded the 2026 Deutsche Börse Photography Prize, receiving a £30,000 award (approximately $38,000). The win recognizes the photographer’s 2025 solo show *As Opposed To The Truth* at Berlin’s Center for Contemporary Arts, which interrogates British working‑class...
Gallery Weekend Beijing Reveals 10th Anniversary Programme
Gallery Weekend Beijing marks its 10th anniversary with a city‑wide programme from May 22‑31, featuring 30 galleries and ten non‑profit institutions across the capital. Originating in 2017 as a Berlin‑inspired initiative, the event has grown under the state‑run 798 Art Zone...
Art Basel Doubles Down on Digital Art with Zero 10 Expansion
Art Basel is expanding its Zero 10 digital‑art segment for the June 2026 Basel fair, featuring 20 exhibitors across 16 solo and four shared booths. The program is co‑curated by MacArthur‑fellow Trevor Paglen and former Yuga Labs director Eli Scheinman, signaling a blend...
Palestinian-Saudi Artist Dana Awartani: ‘Art Gives You a Reason to Live’
Saudi artist Dana Awartani rushed to assemble the Kingdom’s national pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale, constructing 29,221 hand‑made clay‑earth bricks in just ten days after war‑related shipping delays. Her floor‑based installation, “May your tears never dry, you who weep...
Indonesian Artist Dian Suci Wins Max Mara Art Prize for Women
Indonesian artist Dian Suci has been named the winner of the 10th Max Mara Art Prize for Women, a program that has traditionally supported emerging female creators in the UK. The prize is expanding its reach by partnering with Jakarta’s Museum...
Amid Escalation in the Middle East, Venice Light Art Rallies Against War
Chris Levine illuminated Venice’s Grand Canal with a 432 Hz military‑grade laser, creating the monumental light installation “Higher Power” at the 61st Biennale. The artwork, described as a beacon of hope, arrives as the Biennale grapples with heightened Middle East tensions,...
Koyo Kouoh’s Death and the Politics of the Silent Black Subject
Koyo Kouoh, the first Black woman appointed to curate the 2026 Venice Biennale, died suddenly in May 2025, leaving the exhibition "In Minor Keys" without its lead visionary. The unprecedented loss forces her appointed team to interpret and execute her...
Monumental Portrait of Late Biennale Curator Koyo Kouoh Unveiled in Venice
A monumental portrait of the late Venice Biennale curator Koyo Kouoh was unveiled in Venice on May 4, 2026. Created by American artist Derrick Adams, the work titled *Heavy is the head that wears the crown* will hang near the Arsenale until September 24....