Studio Museum in Harlem Debuts, Tate Staff to Strike, and More Art World News

George Condo makes waves with gallery change-up, Bologna and Manila become home to new gallery expansions, and Canada’s top art award is announced. Here’s Ocula’s briefing on the past seven days in the art world.

Art Fairs and Market

Shanghai Art Fairs Get Under Way

The Asian art market looks to Shanghai this week, with West Bund Art & Design and Art021 Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair open until Sunday, along with newcomer micro-fair Hang Over Shanghai. First-time West Bund participant Mandy Zhang Art cited optimism after making a sale on VIP day, with strong interest and several works in ‘substantive discussions with collectors’. Thaddaeus Ropac also reported several preview day sales, including a Martha Jungwirth canvas for €500,000.

Biennials and Institutions 

Studio Museum Debuts New Home in New York

The long-awaited David Adjaye-designed Studio Museum in Harlem will reopen to the public tomorrow with a free programme of workshops, performances and music in celebration. A solo presentation of works by the late African American artist and community organiser Tom Lloyd, who was the subject of the museum’s first show in 1968, inaugurates the new space.

Dana Awartani to Represent Saudi Arabia at 2026 Venice Biennale

The Saudi-Palestinian artist, whose practice centres on Arab cultural heritage, will represent the Kingdom next year for its fifth Venice Biennale participation. Art Jameel director Antonia Carver will curate the exhibition at the Arsenale alongside Saudi curator Hafsa Alkhudairi.

Carnegie International Artists Announced

The Carnegie Museum of Art has announced the first 14 artists to be included in the 59th edition of the Pittsburgh institution’s quadrennial exhibition opening in May next year. Among them are Alia Farid, Abraham González Pacheco, Eric Gyamfi and Cinthia Marcelle, with the complete list of around 50 artists to be announced in early 2026.

Tate Workers Vote to Strike

Staff across Tate’s four locations in London, Liverpool and St Ives have voted for industrial action, with an overwhelming 98 percent of participating union members voting to strike after rejecting the institution’s pay rise offer. The strike, further catalysed by redundancies, staff canteen closures and pension scheme changes, is scheduled from 26 November, coinciding with the opening of Tate Britain’s major Turner & Constable exhibition.

Galleries

Gajah Gallery Expands to the Philippines

The gallery, which focuses on spotlighting Southeast Asian artists, has announced the opening of its fourth site in Manila, joining spaces in Singapore, Jakarta and Yogyakarta. Gajah Gallery Manila will debut with a group exhibition organised by Singaporean curator Joyce Toh on 28 November.

Herald St to Open Italian Outpost

While others such as Thaddaeus Ropac and Ben Brown have begun looking to Milan, London-based gallery Herald St will plant its flag in another northern Italian city. The gallery, which opened in 2005 and currently represents 28 international artists, will open in central Bologna in early 2026 with an exhibition of work by Matt Connors.

Gallery Representations

George Condo Exits Hauser & Wirth

The American painter has returned to his former longtime gallery Skarstedt, which represented Condo from 2004 to 2019 before he left for mega-gallery Hauser & Wirth. Condo will continue to be jointly represented by Sprüth Magers, which has represented him for more than 40 years.

A few days following the announcement, it was revealed that Hauser & Wirth London has been charged by U.K. tax authorities for allegedly breaching sanctions by making available a work on paper by Condo to a person connected with Russia.

Artists Make Moves in Berlin

The Berlin-based Galerie Thomas Schulte has announced the representation of Philadelphia-born artist Dan Walsh, whose solo show of geometric canvases at the gallery’s Charlottenstrasse location closes next week.

Berlin-based artist Katharina Grosse, meanwhile, has joined White Cube, which will co-represent the German painter alongside Gagosian, Galerie Max Hetzler, and Galerie nächst St. Stephan.

Lawrie Shabibi to Represent Omar Al Gurg

Lawrie Shabibi announced last Friday the representation of Emirati photographer Omar Al Gurg in the Middle East and North Africa. The Dubai gallery presented his first solo exhibition earlier this year and will show select photographs at Abu Dhabi Art next week.

California Galleries Grow Their Rosters

David Kordansky Gallery has added Los Angeles-based Canadian painter Tristan Unrau to its artist list. The gallery will bring Unrau’s varied canvases to Art Basel Miami Beach next month and host his first solo show with the gallery in Culver City in March.

Up in the Bay Area, Anthony Meier has announced the representation of the estate of Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, who died last year, in collaboration with Basel-based gallery von Bartha. Meier plans to ‘ensure that [Solomon’s] transformative vision and signature playfulness continue to spark new ideas for generations to come.’

Awards and Residencies

Tania Willard Wins Prestigious Canadian Award

The National Gallery of Canada has selected Secwépemc artist Tania Willard as the recipient of the 2025 Sobey Art Award. The artist, whose work centres Indigenous practices and techniques, will receive CAD $100,000 in prize funds. —[O]

Editor’s Note: This article was updated on 14 November 2025 to reflect that Hauser & Wirth London allegedly breached sanctions by making available a work on paper to a person connected with Russia. A previous version also speculated over whether this news influenced George Condo’s departure from the gallery. A gallery spokesperson has since confirmed that the artist’s decision has no connection to the case.

Main image: The Studio Museum in Harlem’s new terrace, with views to the south. Courtesy Studio Museum in Harlem, New York. Photo: © Albert Vecerka/Esto.