Art
Koyo Kouoh, Curator of 2026 Venice Biennale, Dies at 57
SummaryCameroonian curator Koyo Kouoh has passed away after a recent cancer diagnosis.Announcement comes just five months following her appointing and days before presenting of next year's theme.She is leaving a legacy of elevating African voices in a global artistic dialogue.Koyo Kouoh, the renowned curator celebrated for reshaping global perspectives on African contemporary art, has died unexpectedly at the age of 57 following a recent cancer diagnosis.In December 2024, Kouoh was named curator of the 2026 Venice Biennale, poised to become the first African woman to lead the exhibition. Her death comes just months after the historic announcement. “Her passing leaves an immense void in the world of contemporary art,” the Biennale’s organizers said in tribute.Born in Douala, Cameroon in 196...
Ballroom Marfa’s New Group Show Probes Into Everyday Poetics
SummaryLos Encuentros is opening at Ballroom Marfa on July 4.The exhibition features work by Ozzie Juarez, Justin Favela, Antonia Lechuga, Narsiso Martinez and Yvette Mayorga.The works unpack social realities through painting, sculpture and installation.This summer, Ballroom Marfa will lift the veil on Los Encuentros, a group exhibition featuring newly commissioned works from five pioneering Latinx artists – Ozzie Juarez, Justin Favela, Antonio Lechuga, Narsiso Martinez and Yvette Mayorga – bound by the allure of everyday materials.A commitment to community, collaboration and the expression of Latinx culture, threads throughout the showcase of painting, sculpture and installation, with Marfa's proximity to Mexico adding a rich layer of context. Together, the artists confront colonial narra...
Jewels Linked to Buddha Go Under the Hammer
A cache of ancient jewels linked to the remains of Buddha is set to go up for auction at Sotheby’s Hong Kong on May 7, with estimates reaching $100 million HK (roughly $12.9 million USD).The 334-piece collection, known as the Piprahwa Gems of the Historical Buddha, includes an array of pearls, rubies, topaz, sapphires and patterned gold sheets dating back to the Mauryan Empire (240-200 BCE). Unearthed in 1898 by British engineer William Claxton Peppé at a stupa near present-day Uttar Pradesh, India — near the Buddha’s birthplace — the relics were found alongside bone fragments believed to be the Buddha’s remains.For over a century, the jewels remained largely hidden in the private collection of Peppé and his descendants — until now. The upcoming sale has sparked major criticism from Buddhi...
‘A Poem for Deep Thinkers’ Is Rashid Johnson at His Most Vulnerable
SummaryOver 90 works spanning Rashid Johnson’s three-decade career"Sanguine" installation transforms the Guggenheim’s rotunda into a living archiveThemes of race, identity, mental health and collective expressionNYC's Guggenheim Museum is showing Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers, the artist’s most extensive solo exhibition to date. Curated by Naomi Beckwith and Andrea Karnes, the show takes over the museum’s spiraling rotunda with more than 90 works that examine race, personal history, mental health and cultural inheritance.At the top of the ramp, a new site-specific installation titled "Sanguine" anchors the experience. Steel structures hold live plants, books by Black writers, and an upright piano intended for public performances. The installation was designed to interact with th...
Steven Harrington Debuts at Frieze With a Tech-Powered Ode to LA Cool
Steven Harrington is making his Frieze New York debut with a sunny slice of Los Angeles. Known for his psychedelic-pop aesthetic and his beloved character, Mello, few artists can pull off such chaotic yet composed illustrative acts.Staged at The Shed’s top-floor lounge, Harrington transforms the space into a lush technicolor environment where a moment of meditative play cuts through the clamor of Art Week, inviting viewers to slow down, linger in the now and, as the title suggests, stop to smell the flowers.For his cozy, living room-like immersive installation, Harrington teamed up with LG to bring his vibrant universe into motion on their ultra-thin OLED screens. At the heart of the display, Mello waves from blooming fields on a transparent TV turned digital canvas. Elsewhere, he can be s...
The Rising Stars of Focus Shine at Frieze New York 2025
New York Art Week has arrived and with it comes the much-anticipated 2025 edition of Frieze New York. Staged at The Shed through May 11, the fair brings together 67 galleries from over 25 countries – everything from blue-chip heavyweights to the next wave of contemporary artists.The spotlight shines brightly on the Focus which is turning heads for its most expansive edition yet. Curated for the second year by Lumi Tan — the former curatorial director of Luna Luna’s revival — the section serves as a launchpad for younger galleries and emerging talent, Gwith a notable shift toward international voices, first-time participants and the synergy shared between artists and galleries.Video art makes a welcome return to Focus this year. Tech meets tenderness as Berlin-based Danielle Braithwaithe-Sh...
Alicja Kwade Sculpts the Shape of Time in ‘Telos Tales’
There’s something slippery about Alicja Kwade’s work. It’s a characteristic that defines her multifaceted practice, and encapsulates a hungry curiosity for the world around her and the possibility that resides within and beyond its systems.Kwade is currently presenting a new exhibition at Pace Gallery, marking her first solo show with the New York gallery since joining in 2023. The presentation expands on the artist’s long-standing fascination with material, form and perception, challenging viewers to consider: What is time, really? What exactly does it encapsulate, and what slips through it?At the heart of Telos Tales are three towering sculptures — rigid, geometric steel frames that dissolve into molten, tree-like limbs of bronze. Self-contained yet interwoven at once, each piece is titl...
Björk and Michéle Lamy Link Up to Launch 2025 Circa Prize
SummaryCIRCA kicks off its annual prize for emerging artists.The jury includes Björk, Michéle Lamy, Alvaro Barrington and more.The winner will receive £40,000 GBP and their work will be screened at London’s Piccadilly Lights.Earlier this week, Björk and Michéle Lamy came together kick off the 2025 CIRCA Prize. Staged at London's Piccadilly Circus, the event drew a crowd of creatives, broadcasting clips from the Björk's recent film Cornucopia.Founded in 2020 by the London-based Cultural Institute of Radical Contemporary Arts (CIRCA), the annual prize invites early-career artists of all creative backgrounds to submit work circling this year’s manifesto, REFUGIA – ecological sanctuaries where life thrives, especially in the face of an uncertain future.The jury will include Björk, Alvaro Barri...
Must-See Booths at NADA New York 2025
SummaryNADA New York will take place May 7-11120 exhibitors across 19 countries and 50 citiesThe fair explores themes of ritual, perception and resistanceFrom a haunting altar of memory by Maya Perry to the elemental tactility of Jun Tsunoda’s nature-inspired paintings, the pieces on show at the 11th edition of NADA New York probe personal mythologies while touching on diverse, cultural counterpoints. Taking place May 7–11 at Chelsea’s Starrett-Lehigh Building, this year’s edition features 120 exhibitors across 19 countries and 50 cities, including 54 first-time participants like Gallery Common (Tokyo).The TD Bank Curated Spotlight, helmed by Owen Duffy of Asia Society Texas, focuses on artists from Mexico and Texas who explore this year’s themes of ritual, perception and resistance. Meanw...
La Art Book Fair 2025 to Open With Mario Ayala Ticket Edition
SummaryLA Art Book Fair 2025 runs May 15–18 at ArtCenter in PasadenaMario Ayala created a special ticket for opening night on May 15The new venue brings workshops, installations and hands-on programsThe LA Art Book Fair returns this May with a new setting and energy, led in part by celebrated Los Angeles artist Mario Ayala. Now in its 12th edition, LAABF 2025 takes place from May 15 to 18 at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, marking a new chapter for the longstanding fair that first launched in 2013.Ayala, known for his airbrushed visual language that draws from lowrider culture, Chicano muralism, and SoCal iconography, has been tapped to create this year’s limited-edition ticket artwork for the opening night on Thursday, May 15. Running from 6 to 9pm PT, the celebration will of...
‘Arc ZERO: Eclipse’ Brings Mist and Light Installation to Seoul’s Skyline
SummaryArc ZERO: Eclipse by Studio JT brings a glowing ring of mist and light to SeoulThe installation uses water and light, not screens, for a real-time atmospheric effectBuilt with The Ton, it follows a CODA Award-winning version in TaiwanA monumental new public artwork has landed in Seoul, turning heads and shifting the skyline with an ethereal presence. Titled Arc ZERO: Eclipse, the large-scale oculus installation by designer James Tapscott and his team at Studio JT forms a ring of mist and light suspended in space.The structure, fabricated with a bespoke diamond-profile ring, disperses water vapor in a precise, controlled flow. As the mist rises, it catches the shifting light of Seoul’s day and night, creating a glowing halo that subtly evolves with the atmosphere. Designed to minimiz...
Adrian Cheng’s Cultural Vision of Hong Kong
Hong Kong is a global nexus of global art and culture, but it wasn’t unanimously seen that way as recently as five years ago. Political shifts, economic transitions, and evolving cultural policies had cast uncertainty on the city’s artistic future, but Adrian Cheng’s belief never wavered. He’s spent the last decade strategically paving the way for Victoria Dockside, one of the city’s iconic landmarks, to serve as the center of Hong Kong’s art and culture scene.Amalgamating the expertise of over 100 designers, architects, and creatives — including James Corner, the landscape architect and urban planner of New York’s iconic High Line — Victoria Dockside and its multi-purpose buildings offer an immersive, hyper-curated lifestyle experience. With K11 MUSEA, the city’s premier retail destinatio...
