Gearing Up for Venice
Get our guide to the 2026 Venice Biennale.
The art world Olympics — that is, the Venice Biennale — is just about two weeks away. Today, the awards jury announced it will not be considering artists from countries that are charged with crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court: namely, Israel and Russia. Read Staff Writer Rhea Nayyar’s report below. In the meantime, bookmark Editor-at-Large Hrag Vartanian’s guide to the intricate and sprawling exhibition — he explains the ins and outs of the event more clearly than anywhere I’ve seen, and this year’s seems like a particularly promising edition.
In news, satellite imagery confirms that Azerbaijan has demolished a prominent church in Artsakh in a continuation of its attacks on Armenian cultural heritage — this, just days before the anniversary of the genocide. Also, the World Press Photo of the Year winners have been announced, with the top prize going to Carol Guzy’s heartrending photo of ICE agents detaining the father of girls who tearfully cling to his shirt.
— Lisa Yin Zhang, associate editor
Hyperallergic’s Guide to the 2026 Venice Biennale
Here’s what to see and do at this year’s edition, including national pavilions, collateral exhibitions, and notable events. | Hrag Vartanian
Parallax(e): Perspectives on the Canada–US Border
Works by five Indigenous artists respond to the legacy of the Northwest Boundary Survey (1857–62) in this exhibition at The Reach. On view through May 30.
News
- A heart-wrenching image of a tearful family torn apart by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has won the 2026 World Press Photo Award’s top prize.
- The awards jury for this year's Venice Biennale has announced that they will omit Israel, Russia and other “countries whose leaders are currently charged with crimes against humanity by International Criminal Court.”
- Satellite imagery confirms that Azerbaijan destroyed the Armenian Holy Mother of God Church in Artsakh’s former capital city of Stepanakert.
- Ides Kihlen, the beloved Argentinian abstract painter whose first solo exhibition came at age 85, died at age 108.
Community
Art Movements: Meet the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s New Director
Plus: Turner Prize shortlist announced, Print Center New York’s 2026 New Voices cohort, and a surprising acquisition backstory.
Required Reading
This week, a museum as a site of motherhood, the amazing and terrible ways writers make their livings, Nara Smith as a performance artist? And more.
Member Comment
Butch Murphy on Ed Simon’s “Hans Holbein Painted the Human”
From the Archive
Arshile Gorky’s Gaze
Across the street from the painter’s former studio in Manhattan’s Union Square, 20 trees had been planted to honor the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide. | Jesse Lambert
