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At the press conference for the 42nd edition Art Brussels fair (April 23–26), director Nele Verhaeren was refreshingly straightforward. “We’re not going to hide it,” she said, referring to the event’s smaller numbers: 138 participating galleries, or 26 fewer than last year. The downsizing has meant a shift toward a “quality-first” approach, per organizers, who framed the current edition as an opportunity to create a different kind of art-fair experience that allows for both seeing a lot of art, but also taking it slower. Art Brussels “embraces a clear shift this year towards more focused, legible fairs in which the quality of the experience prevails over quantity,” according to a pre-fair press release. The reduction in exhibitors by 15 percent also meant that all the fair’s exhibitor booths could now fit in one hall of the Brussels Expo instead of 1.5 halls as it had in previous years. With mounting operational costs and ongoing geopolitical and economic tensions straining dealers, ...

Canada is putting new weight behind Nunavut’s future, announcing more than $13 million for four major projects designed to strengthen the territory’s economy, improve critical infrastructure and reinforce Arctic security. Unveiled in Iqaluit by Rebecca Chartrand, the funding through Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency will support initiatives across all three of Nunavut’s regions, with a focus on long-term economic opportunity and immediate community benefits. “These four projects reflect the Government of Canada’s commitment to working in partnership with Inuit governments and Nunavummiut to strengthen Nunavut’s economy, protect the North, and advance locally-led priorities. By investing in infrastructure, capacity building, cleaner energy, and defence readiness, these initiatives are laying the groundwork for lasting prosperity, resilience, and security for a strong Nunavut and a strong Canada,” expressed the Honourable Rebecca Chartrand, Minister of Northern and Arctic A...

The Venice Biennale is upon us, returning for its 61st edition. Thousands will pour into the Italian city for the opening of one of the art world’s most prestigious events—barring a few interruptions—since 1895. When it closes in late November, more than 800,000 people will likely have attended (if last year’s record–breaking numbers are any indication). Awards will also be given and rising new stars in contemporary art identified. Though the Venice Biennale is one of the most known in the world, replete with a rich history and an engaging mythos, it has also seen a number of changes since it began. The 61st edition will be on public view May 9 to November 22, 2026. Below, are the answers to some frequently asked questions. What is the Venice Biennale? Dubbed “the Olympics of the art world,” the Venice Biennale is an international art festival that is now comprises three parts: 1) a central exhibition organized by an artistic director in the Central pavilion in the public ...

In the 15 years since his 81-day detention by China’s Ministry of Public Security, artist and dissident artist Ai Weiwei has explicitly addressed the harrowing experience in his work. This summer, he will do so again, in what will likely be the most demanding presentation to date. As part of his site-specific exhibition called “Button Up!” at Factory International’s Aviva Studios in Manchester, England, Ai will present Sewing a Button , a 24-hour performance piece in which he will reenact his detention. The performance will activate a re-creation of Ai’s cell, which measured 7.2 meters by 3.6 meters (about 23.6 feet by 11.8 feet). Sewing a Button , scheduled to start at 5 p.m. on July 3 and running until July 4, will take place the day after the opening of “Button Up!” on July 2. Visitors will be able to book two-hour slots, as well as a full 24-hour ticket that allows them to come and go, to see the performance. (Some of the footage will also be broadcast online.) Sewing a Button ...

Hundreds of paintings lost to the ravages of war—including multiple works by Peter Paul Rubens, Paolo Veronese, Anthony van Dyck, and Caravaggio—will soon be viewable online courtesy of a digitization initiative by Berlin’s Gemäldegalerie. The museum’s formidable collection of Old Master paintings was damaged by two fires around the end of World War II. But as reported by the Art Newspaper , digital renderings made from high-resolution glass negatives from a photo-documentation campaign started in 1925 are bringing the works back to life, in a way. “The losses have long represented a major gap in the visual record and in attribution, provenance and conservation research,” according to TAN . But records by way of the glass negatives—most of them made by the German photographer Gustav Schwarz, as part of an ongoing process related to new acquisitions that continued until 1944—stand to make the works accessible. “They have tremendous documentary value—not only for the museum and the ...

Above: Trytime for Ories in their one-point Anzac Day win over Pōneke in 2015.  Saturday’s fourth round of the 2026 Swindale Shield will be the fifth time that club rugby has been played on Anzac Day since our records began in 2002 (Anzac Day also fell on a Saturday in 2001 but we don’t have...