#contemporary-art

#contemporary-art

I find them so alluring, almost like perfume bottles or snow globes, but so grotesque, she explains as we handle the etched and sculpted objects, which each have a precious drop of crude oil at their centre. They have these shiny, dazzling exteriors, but when you get close you see the death mulch inside. All presentations of power are fragile; they collapse once you get close enough.

A soundtrack of a 16th-century Lutheran hymn and peals of church bells create an unresolvable conflict with the small photographs trapped behind glass on a low shelf in Rene Matic's installation. The voices of Nina Simone and bell hooks are dragged from the ether, along with the chants of trans rights activists and commuters calling for a free Palestine. Rihanna sings Lift Me Up a cappella

Though born into wealth, which she used in part to establish an unparalleled private art collection, Gund gave and gave and gave some more, promising many works to institutions, where they might be enjoyed by all, and selling others to raise money for political and social initiatives. By the time of her death, noted the New York Times, the first publication to report her passing, the cupboard was bare.

Hong Kong's beloved cultural destination Duddell's is stepping into a new chapter with a refreshed look and a powerful curatorial statement. Following an extensive redesign by the award-winning Andre Fu Studio, the restaurant and gallery hybrid has reopened its doors and is marking the occasion with Let's start over, a solo exhibition by Vietnamese-Danish artist Danh Võ. The exhibition, curated by William Zhao, runs from September 17, 2025, through April 6, 2026, and serves as both a celebration of Duddell's revival and a retrospective of Võ's acclaimed practice.

Madrid has long been celebrated as a sanctuary for the Old Masters, a city where works by Picasso, Goya, and Bosch are revered in world-class museums. Yet over the past decade, the Spanish capital has been reshaping its artistic identity, carving out space in the global conversation around contemporary art. The latest - and perhaps most ambitious - development in this evolution is SOLO CSV, a new arts and culture space from the internationally renowned Madrileño project, SOLO.

Meet The Artist Selling Real Carved Human Skulls Ukrainian Artist Dinara Kasko Continues To Push The Boundaries Of Pastry Design 700 Metres Of Wool Went Into Making This Epic Cross Stitch Mural "Weapons of Mass Seduction": The Superb Dark Humor Paintings of Victor Castillo Masks For Dog Walking: This Girl Makes Unusual Face Masks To Keep Walking With Her Dog Tales of Defiance: Where Princesses Refuse Their Thrones in Illustrations by Olga Esther BKID's Minimalist 'Happy Face' Magnets for Dongdaemun

London already boasts a formidable art and gallery scene - and soon it's getting three more arty institutions. Even more intriguingly, they'll be inside one of the most aesthetically controversial buildings in the city (and City): No 1 Poultry. The new galleries have been launched by art charity Hypha Studios, and they'll open next week (on September 24). The venues will then be open to the public for 12 months and totally free to access.

The Almaty Museum of Arts has opened its doors in Kazakhstan's cultural capital, welcoming visitors to a monumental new space for modern and contemporary art. Designed by British practice Chapman Taylor, the 10,060-square-meter museum stands at the edge of the city with the Tian Shan mountains rising behind it, an architectural gesture that captures the tension between urban life and the natural landscape.

"Commissioning for us is important but it's not only about financing, [it is about] realising the works and obviously showing them. "When the idea of developing a joint project arose, it felt like a natural and fantastic opportunity to really align with the vision of my foundation, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year."

Coinciding with the launch of The Unibrow magazine, T&Y Projects will host The Unibrow: A Post-Juxtapoz Story at 30, Part 2, an exhibition curated by Juxtapoz editor and The Unibrow co-founder, Evan Pricco. The show marks the last years of Juxtapoz magazine and the beginning of a new arts biannual, The Unibrow. The exhibition is seen as a bridge between cultures, a nuanced look at the long-standing conversation between Japan and California in both conceptual ways and direct narratives.

KADIST, the art gallery at 20th and Folsom streets known for its video and modern art, is shutting its Mission District outpost after 14 years. Instead the organization will continue to shift focus to international collaborations curating and connecting artists with museums. Most Mission residents may know the gallery best for its rotating window displays overlooking Folsom Street - a neon green marijuana leaf for a few months gives way to another neon sign exhibition by artist Mungo Thomson.

When a virulent material enters an ecosystem, it can wreak havoc on existing life. Bittersweet vines in Upstate New York, for example, were brought to the region in the second half of the 19th century to combat erosion and for their sinuous, woody beauty. Native to eastern Asia, these largely poisonous plants quickly became invasive, smothering other specimens and even uprooting trees.

Even though apartheid ended in the 1990s, "the residue of 300 years of exploitation and oppression is still very much with us," Kentridge told DW in 2016 of an era that remains a key theme in his work. The "Listen to the Echo" exhibition traces William Kentridge's artistic development from the late 1970s when deep racial divisions persisted in his homeland. In addition to drawings and films from the renowned "Drawings for Projection" that explored the social and political undercurrents of life in apartheid South Africa, the show includes prints, sculptures, tapestries, and multi-channel film installations.

Renzo Piano Building Workshop, in collaboration with Betaplan Architects (Athens) and landscape architect Camille Muller (Paris), has revealed the first images of a new cultural center under development in Piraeus, the port of Athens. Commissioned by The Dinos and Lia Martinos Foundation (DLMF), the project seeks to establish an international hub connected to similar art centers abroad, open to the local community, students, and visitors, and contributing to the urban and cultural fabric of the Athens metropolitan area.

The Gunton Arms is not your average country pub however. Rather than being in the heart of cute little village, it's tucked inside the 1,000-acre grounds of Gunton Park, surrounded by wide open fields and lots and lots of deer. It's run by art dealer Ivor Braka, and his eclectic collection is scattered throughout the pub and bedrooms - think Tracey Emin in the dining room, Damien Hirst in the bar - making it as much gallery as gastropub.

Berlin, September 2025 - Mark your calendars for an unmissable event during Berlin Art Week: MATERIAL, a revolutionary hybrid exhibition, is set to debut at the iconic Alhambra Berlin, located at Kurfürstendamm 68. Curated by the visionary Julian Daynov and created in collaboration with artist Peter-Maximilian Ronsdorf and 3D stage designer Finn Dudek, this exhibition will not only redefine your understanding of art but will also bridge the gap between physical and digital spaces.

Continuing the Biennial's approach of engaging directly with Istanbul through a dispersed model rather than a fixed venue, this edition will use eight sites located within walking distance along the Beyoğlu- Karaköy axis. Over this period, works by 47 artists from more than 30 countries will be presented to the public, accompanied by a program of performances, screenings, and live events during the opening week.

Naomi Beckwith, the artistic director of documenta 16, has unveiled her creative team for the next edition of the contemporary art exhibition, which will take place in 2027 (12 June-19 September). This marks the first time that the influential show, which is held in the German city of Kassel every five years, will be led by an all-female team. Beckwith, the deputy director and chief curator of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, was announced as the curator of the 16th edition of Documenta in December last year.