Cover photo: Installation view of Pacita Abad, on view at MoMA PS1 from April 4 through September 2, 2024. Ph. Kris Graves
Summer is in full swing, but the high temperatures do not make the calendar of exhibitions and events any less intriguing: something true for both Europe and overseas. As mentioned a few months ago, the Venice Biennale 2024 remains a reference for cultural tourism. However, for professionals and enthusiasts, the choice extends to other standout international exhibitions. From Venice to Tokyo, here is a selection of 10 exhibitions not to miss in the world’s most beautiful cities. Perfect for those who, from July to September, seek an artistic outing alongside Mediterranean beaches, sand, and mountain coolness.
Magnificent Product. Vaginal Davis, Moderna Museet, Stockholm
Until 31.10.24
This landmark exhibition marks the first major institutional solo show of Vaginal Davis, a queer filmmaker, performer, and writer who began her eclectic career in late 1970s Los Angeles. From the beginning, Davis has intertwined her art with political commitments, exploring themes of gender, social class, and equality. Her innovative work fuses a range of styles and media: punk collides with glamour, queer activism converges with racial justice and resistance is permeated with joy. The Stockholm exhibition offers an in-depth exploration of Davis’s artistic journey, unfolding across six distinct spaces that allow her work and voice to resonate throughout the city.
Studio Rex – Jean Marie Donat Collection, c/o Berlin, Berlin
01.06.24 – 05.09.24
Studio Rex was a renowned photographic studio located in the popular district of Marseille, founded in 1933 by the Armenian Cypriot Keussayan family and run by Assadour, a survivor of the genocide of the Ottoman Empire who had later settled in Marseille. The studio closed in 2018 but became a significant cultural reference point for migrants, especially from North and West Africa, over the years. A decade ago, French collector Jean-Marie Donat acquired the bulk of the studio’s archive, comprising thousands of photos and negatives taken between 1966 and 1985. This extensive archive, intertwining personal and historical memories, is currently on display at c/o Berlin. The exhibition invites reflection on the role of photo studios in visual culture, the importance of (self)representation, and the challenges in narrating such rich and complex stories.
Survival in the 21st Century, Hall of Contemporary Art, Hamburg
18.05.2024 – 5.11.2024
Climate change, digital revolution, growing injustice, democratic crisis, and community spirit: we live in an age of polycrisis. The project “Survival in the 21st Century”, conceived by George Diex and Nicolaus Schafhausen in collaboration with Deichtorhallen, places art as an essential tool for understanding contemporary life in the subject. Bringing together works by 40 artists, including Olafur Eliasson and Ai Weiwei, the show addresses crucial contemporary issues such as ecology, technology and spirituality. In this space dedicated to learning about the future, a wide variety of works and multimedia installations reflect the need for new cultural practices, emphasised by the exhibition designed by Bundschuh Architekten. The exhibition invites us to reflect on the importance of global challenges in strengthening the sense of community to ensure a sustainable and inclusive future.
Franis Alÿs: Rcochetes, Art Gallery, London
27.06.2024 – 01.08.2024
“Ricochets” is the largest institutional exhibition in the UK by international artist Francis Alÿs. For the occasion, the gallery space has been transformed into a cinematic playground, offering visitors an immersive experience through multi-screen installations documenting children’s games in various contexts and environments, capturing the essence of play across different cultures. Since 1999, Alÿs has travelled the world, documenting games such as “musical chairs” in Mexico, “frog jump” in Iraq, “rope” in Hong Kong, and “wolf and lamb” in Afghanistan. Besides the UK premiere of “Children’s Games,” the exhibition also presents a new series of films depicting both traditional and lesser-known games, expressing the richness and creativity of manual play.
Ellsworth Kelly: Shapes and Color, 1949-2015, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris
04.05.2024 – 09.09.2024
Organized in collaboration with the Glenstone Museum and the Ellsworth Kelly Studio, the exhibition celebrates the centenary of one of the 20th century’s masters. It is the first in France to present such a large body of works: a hundred pieces, including paintings, sculptures, drawings, photographs, and collages. Supported by loans from international institutions like MoMA and Tate, the exhibition explores the relationship between form, colour, line, and space through key works from various phases of Kelly’s career. The route spans two floors, immersing visitors in the visual richness that has inspired generations of artists, present since early works like “Tableau Vert” (1952) and “Painting in Three Panels” (1956). Exceptionally, the Fondation hosts the last commissioned work by the artist, born from the dialogue with Frank Gehry‘s architecture.
Invisible Questions That Fill the Air: James Lee Byars and Seung-taek Lee, Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Venice
17.05.2024 – 25.08.2024
Supported by the Michael Werner Gallery, the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere ed Arti brings together the works of American artist James Lee Byars and Korean artist Seung-taek Lee in an exhibition conceived by curator Allegra Pesenti. “The otherworldly fabric of Venice and the historical backdrop of Palazzo Loredan create a unique stage for both artists,” says Pesenti. “The combination of gold, stone, wood, and rope in their respective works reflects the traditional materials of Venice’s built environment.” Both born in 1932, Byars and Lee, although they have never met, share an interest in the immaterial. Lee describes his “non-sculpture” as an invisible air’s visualisation, while Byars believes that “seeing is never enough”. The exhibition spans more than six decades, highlighting the contributions of Byars and Lee to the avant-garde movements of the 20th and 21st centuries: despite their differences, there is a notable closeness in their thinking, marked by an affinity for spirituality, ritual, and the purity of form.
Arles 2024: Beneath the Surface, Arles
01.07.2024 – 29.09.2024
Every summer, the city of Arles becomes the centre of photography thanks to the festival founded in 1970 by photographer Lucien Clergue, writer Michel Tournier, and historian Jean Maurice Rouquette. In collaboration with the C/O Berlin Foundation, the 2024 edition pays tribute to the work of Mary Ellen Mark (1940-2015), a renowned American photographer.
Also, the exhibition “Tremors and Turmoil” offers a fascinating experience through photographs and art, exploring new perspectives. Cristina De Middel, inspired by Jules Verne, documents migration from Mexico to California, while Mo Yi portrays 20th-century China with a touch of humour. “I’m so Happy You Are Here” celebrates Japanese women photographers since 1950, including authors like Ishuichi Miyako. Works by Mustapha Azeroual, Nicolas Floc’h, and Marine Lanier capture the beauty of nature and human impact on the planet. Other special events like “Finir en beauté“, which present works by artists like Sophie Calle, Vimala Pons, and Nhu Xuan Hua, make Arles a must.
Pacita Abad, MoMA, New York
04.04.2024 – 02.09.2024
This exhibition is the first major retrospective dedicated to artist Pacita Abad (Philippines, 1946–2004), spanning her 32-year career and featuring over 50 works, many of which are being shown in the United States for the first time. A self-taught artist, Abad is renowned for her “trapuntos“, three-dimensional paintings created by sewing and padding canvases. Emigrating to the United States in 1970 to escape political persecution under the Marcos regime, Abad dedicated her art to the visibility of political refugees and oppressed peoples, asserting that “an artist must remind society of its social responsibility.” The exhibition, organized by the Walker Art Center in collaboration with Abad’s estate, celebrates the multifaceted work of an artist who used vibrant language to explore critical contemporary issues such as globalization, power, and resilience.
Yoshimoto Nara, Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Bilbao
28.06.2024 – 03.11.2024
Yoshitomo Nara is one of the most renowned artists of his generation. His bold, cartoon-like images primarily feature figures, animals, and hybrid beings with large heads and expressive eyes. These works convey a wide range of emotions – from anger to melancholy to serenity – inviting viewers on a true journey into “Nara’s World.” The exhibition spans four decades of his career, encompassing painting, drawing, sculpture, and installation. Nara’s characters narrate his personal story, expressing his deepest thoughts and emotions, which are deeply bound with his childhood memories, passion for music and literature, and the history of Japanese and European art. The exhibition is thematically organized to reveal Nara’s true self and the ideas that inspire him, showcasing his recurring motifs, the evolution of his formal approach, and his diverse techniques.
A personal view of japanese contemporary art: Takahashi Ryutaro Collection, MOT Art Museum, Tokyo
03.08.2024 – 10.11.2024
The Takahashi Ryutaro Collection, with over 3,500 works, is one of the most important collections of contemporary Japanese art in quality and quantity. This exhibition draws from this vast archive to offer a deep analysis of today’s Japan through the eyes of a collector born in 1946. Takahashi Ryutaro, an emblematic figure of post-war Japan and the baby boomer generation, experienced the intense cultural and political ferment of the 1960s in Tokyo, participating in the Zenkyoto student movement. A psychiatrist by profession, he dedicated part of his life to caring for the local community. Since the mid-1990s, he has been collecting contemporary Japanese art, following artistic trends of the 1990s and 2000s and the changes after the Great East Japan Earthquake.
