Biennales Under Fire, A.I. Rewrites the Canon

Punk feminist group Pussy Riot is trying to take over the controversial Russia pavilion at the Venice Biennale with an alternative exhibition of works by Russian political prisoners. The collective has criticized Russia’s planned return to the Biennale, which opens next month, after the country dropped out in February 2022 just days after invading Ukraine. Founder Nadya Tolokonnikova says the goal is to expose how Russia is “once again turning into a gulag,” arguing that political prisoners can best express the system’s “fear and suffering.” The proposed show, “Resistance Imprisoned,” opened April 19 at Ritsche-Fisch Galerie in Strasbourg and runs through May 31, matching the Biennale’s opening period.

Staying in Venice, one of the artists asked to represent the United States at the 61st Venice Biennale has now spoken about why she declined. Artist and author Barbara Chase-Riboud told the Financial Times, “this was not the moment.” She added, “Participating in the 61st Venice Biennale would have been splendid. Art is the only thing that proves that anything has ever happened in the world. For me, as a world citizen, this was not the moment.” Chase-Riboud was among the initial artists fielded by the recently formed American Arts Conservancy to represent the US for the 2026 Biennale. The selection process has been marked by controversy after the US State Department updated grant guidelines last May in line with President Donald Trump’s dismantling of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.

ARTnews adds more context to that US pavilion turbulence. Barbara Chase-Riboud was offered the pavilion by the American Arts Conservancy, a nonprofit founded in 2025 by Jenni Parido, who previously operated a pet food supply store in Tampa, Florida. Chase-Riboud’s comments appeared in the Financial Times in a feature by Julia Halperin, following reporting in the New York Times by Zachary Small. Both the Times and the Financial Times, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, also reported that photographer William Eggleston was offered the pavilion and declined; Eggleston has not publicly commented. Meanwhile, sculptor Robert Lazzarini has said his proposal was selected but later taken away amid what he described as “bureaucracies failing to mesh.”

Across the Mediterranean to Greece, a major philanthropic initiative is winding down. NEON, the Athens-based organization founded by collector Dimitris Daskalopoulos, will conclude later this year after 14 years, saying it has fulfilled its cultural and social mission. Its final project is a trilogy of exhibitions by Chicago-based artist Michael Rakowitz titled “Michael Rakowitz & Ancient Cultures,” presented with the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, the Acropolis Museum, and the Ephorate of Antiquities of Athens. The last chapter will be a new Rakowitz commission installed at the Old Acropolis Museum when it reopens in the second half of 2026 after a 19-year renovation closure—the first contemporary artwork installed at the ancient site.

Now to Spain via an art mystery with a high-tech twist. New research using artificial intelligence has suggested El Greco painted most of The Baptism of Christ, an altarpiece installed in 1624 in the church of Hospital Tavera in Toledo—despite long-standing scholarly suspicion that it was largely by his son, Jorge Manuel, and workshop hands. Researchers from Western Reserve University in Ohio published findings in Science Advances on April 17. Their machine-learning model, Patch, scans a painting’s surface with high-resolution 3D imaging to map brushwork texture, then compares sections centimeter by centimeter. The model found underlying connections across areas previously attributed to assistants, though it also detected a region at the bottom that is undeniably later work.

Shifting to the Caribbean, an unauthorized event at Haiti’s Citadelle Laferrière ended in a deadly crowd crush and stampede that killed at least 25 people, including a pregnant woman and young children. The gathering, promoted by TikTok influencers, drew more than three thousand attendees to the 19th-century hilltop fortress on the evening of 11 April. Overcrowding led to asphyxiation and a rush to escape, worsened by heavy rainfall and a crush at the narrow entrance as people tried to enter and exit at once. Local tour guide Rose Beaulieu said the usual Holy Week celebrations typically finish on Good Friday, but learned “TikTokers prolonged the festivities.” Three days of national mourning followed; the government promised to cover funeral costs, and the citadel is now closed until further notice.

Across to Mexico, a gunman opened fire at Teotihuacan shortly after 11:30am on Monday, 20 April, shooting from atop the Pyramid of the Moon. Authorities said one Canadian woman was killed and 13 people were injured—Colombian, Russian, US, Brazilian, Dutch, and Canadian citizens, including two children. Seven were shot, while others were hurt running down the steep pyramid. A Canadian tourist, Brenda Lee, told CTV News there were “thousands of people” and “a lot of gunshots that just kept coming.” The attacker shot and killed himself at the scene. Officials identified the shooter as Julio César Jasso Ramírez, a 27-year-old Mexican national. Teotihuacán will reopen 22 April with reinforced security; the Pyramid of the Moon remains closed.

Staying in Mexico City, Museo Anahuacalli is set to receive more than one hundred fifty thousand objects donated by Juan Rafael Coronel Rivera, the grandson of Diego Rivera. The gift ranges from 16th-century ceramics to textiles, photographs, wooden objects, prints, and archival material tied to Rivera and his circle, and will transfer in stages over the coming months, beginning with ceramics, then manuscripts and correspondence, with completion expected by year’s end. Coronel Rivera, a photographer and art historian, spent more than four decades assembling the collection. It does not include paintings by Rivera or Frida Kahlo. Museum director Teresa Moya said it strengthens Anahuacalli’s role in research, conservation, and study, as architect Mauricio Rocha develops preliminary proposals for new buildings.

From markets to geopolitics, a conflict is already rippling through the Gulf’s cultural economy. After US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, Iran responded with attacks on the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia, and shaky ceasefire talks followed. The Art Newspaper reports Art Dubai was postponed from April to May and scaled back from more than 120 galleries in 2025 to 50 after roughly 75 exhibitors withdrew; it’s now set for May 15–17 at Madinat Jumeirah. Luxury sales have also shown strain: LVMH reported first-quarter revenue of €19.1 billion, down 6 percent year over year, while Kering reported an 11 percent revenue drop and created a “crisis unit” for its Middle East business.

Back to New York, Hyperallergic’s editors and critics dug into MoMA PS1’s “Greater New York,” a massive survey attempting to capture the city’s art world with more than 150 works by more than 50 artists. Their write-up is built around a list of about 20 artists they felt strongly about—works they loved, works they didn’t, and pieces they’re still puzzling through—leaning into the idea that disagreement is part of the point. Among the highlights they discuss are Dean Millien’s aluminum sculptures, which some described as both cinematic and emotionally accessible, and an installation by the grassroots collective Red Canary Song combining sculpture, audio interviews, mock posters, and data visualization around migrant massage work and other intimate labor.

That’s today’s download—links to every story are in the show notes. Come back tomorrow for more art-world news you can actually use. Chinga la migra

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