Canvas Magazine

CANVAS ISSUE 122: RESHAPING TIME IS OUT NOW Our cover depicts Ali Cherri’s ‘A Mouth, A Wound’ (2024), which will be shown at the Centre for Contemporary Arts Tashkent’s (CCA)(@cca_tashkent ) inaugural exhibition. The work represents how knowledge can emerge from wounds and trauma, and how wisdom can be passed on from moments of vulnerability. In ‘Reshaping Time’, we delve into the realm of history and archives to examine how contemporary cultural narratives are shaped and who or what shapes them. This issue also features Gayane Umerova (@gayane_umerova ), Studio KO (@studioko ), Lulwah Al Homoud (@lulwah_al_homoud ), Desert X AlUla (@_desertx , @artsalula ), Ali Eyal, Ala Younis, Hazem Harb (@hazemharb ), Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale (@contemporaryartbiennale_sa , @biennale_sa ), Walid Raad, Lamia Joreige (@marchymelo ), Mashael Alsaie (@mashaelalsaie ) and more! Click the link in our bio to purchase your copy! Image: Ali Cherri. A Mouth, A Wound. 2024 | Photography by Aurélien Mole/ Pinault

Join us for the second part of our tour of the Art Dubai Special Edition (@artdubai ) with Alexie Glass-Kantor (@alexieglass )! Here, the executive director of curatorial at Art Dubai Group takes us through the fair to discover the three pavilions designed by Ahmed and Rashid bin Shabib, conceived as places to gather and connect with the community, as well as two monumental site-specific sculptures by Khalid Al Banna (@khalidalbanna ), ‘The Path, Sculpture 1’ and ‘The Path, Sculpture 2’ (both 2025). Art Dubai is taking place at Madinat Jumeirah under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, with presentations from 75 galleries from around the globe, a number of site-specific installations, special exhibitions, performances, talks, screenings and the 20th edition of the Global Art Forum, commissioned by Shumon Basar (@shumonbasar ). The fair also expands its institutional partnership programme this year, collaborating with leading local institutions, including Alserkal Avenue (@alserkalavenue ), Art Jameel (@art_jameel ), Barjeel Art Foundation (@barjeelart ), Dubai Collection (@thedubaicollection_ ) and Sharjah Art Foundation (@sharjahart ). Art Dubai runs from 15 to 17 May

CANVAS REVIEW // VIMA ART FAIR 2026 Check out our review of VIMA Art Fair (@vima.artfair ) via the link in bio. The second edition of the Cyprus-based art fair returns to Limassol, with a focus on showcasing contemporary art from Cyprus and other countries from the Eastern Mediterranean, alongside galleries with an interest in the region. With a total of 150 artists and participants from over 20 countries, the fair also hosts a curatorial project entitled ‘The Waves Crashing’ led by Kostas Stasinopoulos (@kostasstas ) as well as extensive parallel programming across Limassol, Nicosia and further afield. VIMA Art Fair runs until 17 May Images: Serapis Maritime. MOTHER TRADE 3 ( I love My Boat). 2026. Photography by Daria Makurina | NIKA Project Space (Dubai, Paris) at VIMA Art Fair, Limassol, Cyprus. 2026. Photography by Daria Makurina | Kalfayan Galleries (Athens_ Thessaloniki) at VIMA Art Fair, Limassol, Cyprus. 2026. Photography by Daria Makurina | Öktem Aykut (Istanbul) at VIMA Art Fair, Limassol, Cyprus. 2026. Photography by Daria Makurina | Sarah Awad. The Third Line (Dubai) at The Warehouse by IT Quarter, VIMA Art Fair, Limassol, Cyprus. 2026. Photography by Daria Makurina

Alexie Glass-Kantor (@alexieglass ), the executive director of curatorial at Art Dubai Group, takes Canvas around the Art Dubai Special Edition (@artdubai ). We discover Sudarshan Shetty’s large-scale installation ‘A Song, A Story’ (2017) while Glass-Kantor discusses the broader ‘Moving’ programme, in which Shetty showcases an additional video work. In collaboration with Alserkal Avenue (@alserkalavenue ), the ‘Moving’ programme focuses on moving image works by artists from Alserkal Avenue galleries, including Sudarshan Shetty (@sudarshanstudio ), Abeer Sultan (@abm_sultan ), Anahita Razmi (@anahita__razmi ), Bady Dalloul (@badydalloul ), Dima Srouji (@dimasrouji ), Faisal Samra (@faisalsamra_ ), Huda Lutfi (@hudalutfi7 ), :mentalKLINIK (@mentalklinik ), Mohammed Kazem, Mounir Fatmi (@mounirfatmiofficiel ), Raed Yassin (@raedyassinstudio ), Sadik Alfraji (@sadikalfraji ), and Sumayah Fallatah (@sum088 ). Participating galleries include Ayyam Gallery (@ayyamgallery ), Carbon 12 (@carbon12gallery ), Efie Gallery (@efiegallery ), Gallery Isabelle (@gallery.isabelle ), Lawrie Shabibi (@lawrieshabibi ), Leila Heller Gallery (@leilahellergallery ) and The Third Line (@thethirdlinedxb ). The Special Edition of Art Dubai is taking place at Madinat Jumeirah under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and brings together more than 75 galleries, institutional participants and partners to showcase contemporary, modern and digital practices. Stay tuned for part 2! Art Dubai runs from 15 to 17 May

Take a look with Canvas at Zineb Sedira’s (@zinebsedira ) new installation at the Tate Britain (@tate ) in London. ‘When Words Fall Silent, Cinema Speaks…’ is the most recent in a series of commissioned works by contemporary artists for the neo-classical Duveen Galleries at Tate Britain. Sedira’s installation, curated by Jessica Vaughan (@jessievaughan ), curator of Contemporary British Art at Tate, with assistant curator of Contemporary British Art, Celeste McEvoy (@celeste__mcevoy ), draws on African cinema from the 1960s and 1970s, with the commission particularly focusing on Algeria after its independence in 1962. The country became a hub for cinema and activism in the wake of colonialism’s dismantling across the African continent, drawing activists and filmmakers from around the world to exchange ideas and collaborate. ‘When Words Fall Silent, Cinema Speaks…’ celebrates film as a form of resilience, navigating its role in forming collective cultural memory and solidifying solidarity with political movements worldwide. ‘When Words Fall Silent, Cinema Speaks…’ runs until 17 January 2027

Bvlgari (@bvlgari ), in celebration of its first year as exclusive partner to the Venice Biennale (@labiennale ), has inaugurated two art initiatives in the city. Bvlgari is the exclusive partner of the Biennale until 2030, reinforcing the Maison’s strong commitment to promoting arts and culture. Marking the debut of this partnership, two special initiatives have been launched at the 61st Venice Biennale. In the Giardini della Biennale, Lotus L Kang (@lotuslkang ) presents ‘The face of desire is loss’ at the Bvlgari Pavilion, while at the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, the Fondazione Bvlgari (@fondazionebvlgari ) has unveiled two site-specific installations. Monia Ben Hamouda’s (@monia.benhamouda.studio ) ‘Fragments of Fire Worship’ illuminates the Vestibule spaces of the Biblioteca, while Lara Favaretto’s (@lara_favaretto ) final chapter of ‘Momentary Monument – The Library’ takes over the Salone Sansovino. The 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia runs until 22 November

CANVAS REVIEW // THE WHISPERINGS Check out our review of Zayn Qahtani’s (@zaynqahtani ) ‘The Whisperings’ at Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery (@kristinhjellegjerdegallery ) in London via the link in bio. In ‘The Whisperings’ Qahtani creates a dream-like universe where organic materials, spiritual symbolism and imagined landscapes come together to explore healing and humanity’s search for connection beyond the visible world. ‘The Whisperings’ runs until 16 May Images: Zayn Qahtani. Watching the World Fall | Manifesting | To Feed A Garden | All 2026. Images courtesy of the artist

As part of the Venice Biennale’s collateral events, Canvas stopped by ‘TURANDOT: To the Daughters of the East’, a group exhibition held at ACP–Palazzo Franchetti (@acppalazzofranchetti ). Curated by Dr Ziba Ardalan (@ardalanziba ), the group show is presented by the Parasol Unit Foundation for Contemporary Art (@parasolunit ) as a parallel exhibition to the 61st Venice Biennale of Art. Bringing together 11 artists from Central Asia and wider regions of the East, the exhibition explores mythology, identity and cultural memory through a range of media, including video, sculpture, installation, painting, textile and sound works. Featuring artists Lida Abdul, Hera Büyüktaşcıyan (@hera.buyuktasciyan_studio ), Daria Kim (@dariakimdariakimdariakimdaria ), Tala Madani (@talamadani ), Afruz Amighi, Saodat Ismailova (@saodatismailova ), Nazira Karimi (@nazirakar ), Huma Bhabha, Mona Hatoum, Farideh Lashai (@lashaifoundation ) and Madina Joldybek (@madikendraws ), the exhibition draws together diverse practices that engage with shared and layered narratives. ‘TURANDOT: To the Daughters of the East’ runs until 31 October

Opening this week, Art Dubai’s (@artdubai ) special edition marks 20 years of the fair with a reimagined format. The fair brings together international and regional galleries alongside an extensive programme developed in collaboration with leading cultural institutions across the UAE. With presentations from regional and international galleries, the programme features large-scale installations, performances and screenings, complemented by daily talks and artist-led activations, the fair brings together diverse voices, fostering dialogue and connection across global communities. Presented in partnership with A.R.M. Holding, (@a.r.m.holding ) with Dubai Culture (@dubaiculture ) as Strategic Partner, Art Dubai takes place from 15 until 17 May 2026 at Madinat Jumeirah. Registration form at the link in bio. This post is in partnership with Art Dubai. Images: Hashel Al Lamki. Maat. 2025 | Kevork Mourad. Towe. 2019 | Yaw Owusu. Heart of a Place. 2022. Image courtesy of the artist and Efie Gallery | Neda Razavipour. Silk Road. 2012 | Sudarshan Shetty. A Song, A Story. 2016 #ArtDubai #AD20 #ADSpecialEdition

CANVAS NEWS // BMW TO STAGE LANDMARK ART CARS EXHIBITION BMW (@bmw ) has announced that a landmark exhibition of BMW Art Cars is due to take place from 29 July to 31 August. The exhibition, entitled ‘BMW ARTS CARS – 20 ARTISTS, 50 YEARS OF INNOVATION. REUNITED AT BMW WELT’, will be showcased at BMW Welt in Munich, bringing together the 20 Art Cars of BMW in one place for the first time in the brand’s history. As the final stage in the BMW Art Car World Tour, the touring exhibition celebrating 50 years since the first Art Car, the Welt show will reunite cars designed by artists including Olafur Eliasson, Julie Mehretu, Frank Stella, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Esther Mahlangu, David Hockney, Jenny Holzer, Jeff Koons and Cao Fei, among others. Image courtesy of BMW

While in Venice, Canvas visited ‘A Necessary Fiction: Maps, Art, and Models of Our World’ at the Abbazia di San Gregorio in Dorsoduro. Organised by the Saudi Ministry of Culture (@mocsaudi ) and coinciding with the 61st Venice Biennale of Art, the exhibition is led by the curation of Sara Almutlaq (@sara.endipity ) and Aurora Fonda, with associate curation by Zaira Carrer (@zaira.carrer ) and Amina Diab (@aminabdiab ). ‘A Necessary Fiction: Maps, Art, and Models of Our World’ brings together nearly 30 artists to examine the persistent human desire to create models of the world, with maps as a point of departure. Participating artists include Wael Shawky (@wael_shawky ), Filwa Nazer (@fillimore ), Ahmed Mater (@ahmedmater ), Abdullah Miniawy (@abdullahminiawyofficial ), Basmah Felemban (@basmah_felemban ), Simone Fattal (@simonefattal ), Aseel AlYaqoub (@aseelalyaqoub ), Nasser Al Salem (@studionasseralsalem ), Marwah Almugait (@maralmugait ), Manal AlDowayan (@manaldowayan ), Abdulmohsen Albinali (@albinali.arts ), Monira Al Qadiri (@moniraism ) and Sarah Abu Abdallah (@sarahabuabdallah ), among others. ‘A Necessary Fiction: Maps, Art, and Models of Our World’ runs until 22 November

CANVAS NEWS // ARTISTS WITHDRAW FROM VISITOR LION AWARDS AT VENICE BIENNALE 2026 On 9 May, artists participating in the exhibition, ‘In Minor Keys’, curated by the late Koyo Kouoh for the 61st Venice Biennale (@labiennale ), along with artists from several National Pavilions including Türkiye, UAE and France, withdrew from consideration for the Visitor Lion awards. In a collective statement, the artists expressed that the withdrawal is an act of solidarity with the jury, whom Kouoh selected, following their resignation on 30 April. In response, the biennale organisers introduced the Visitor Lion awards, which the public will decide through voting open throughout the biennale’s public opening period. Photography by Baloncici. Image courtesy of Getty Images