The Art World This Week, 30 May 2025
Save to My OculaThe Venice Biennale will realise the plans of late curator Koyo Kouoh, Art Basel Paris announces 200 galleries for its fourth edition, and more. Here’s Ocula’s briefing of art world developments and news you might have missed.
Institutions
Venice Biennale to Honour Late Curator Koyo Kouoh’s Vision
On Tuesday, the Venice Biennale said the exhibition designed by curator Koyo Kouoh would be realised ‘as she imagined it’. Titled In Minor Keys, the central event will invite a ‘tired world’ to ‘breathe’, ‘heal’, and highlight artists whose practices ‘bleed into society’. Read more.
South Korea Welcomes a New Dedicated Photography Museum
A branch of city-run institution Seoul Museum of Art, the Photography Seoul Museum of Art opened its doors on Thursday with 20,000 artworks and archival pieces across 7,048 square metres. Two exhibitions exploring Korean photography’s past and present are currently on view.
Creative Australia’s Chair Steps Down
Australian Pavilion commissioner Creative Australia announced the retirement of chair Robert Morgan, who was central to the appointment and removal of artist Khaled Sabsabi and curator Michael Dagostino as Australia’s 2026 Venice Biennale representatives.
Centre Pompidou to Open Brazil Outpost
The French museum has signed a five-year deal with Brazil that will see a new branch open near UNESCO heritage site Iguaçu falls, on the border of Argentina and Paraguay, in November 2027. The centre will host exhibitions, performances, and festivals centred on the cultures of the three countries.
Art Fairs and Market
Art Basel Paris Confirms Fourth Edition
Art Basel’s French fair will return to the Grand Palais with 200 galleries and 160 returning exhibitors, including Thaddaeus Ropac, Kaufmann Repetto, and Kiang Malingue. The 2025 edition will feature 25 first-time participants, with Parisian galleries comprising one-third of the lineup. Read more.
Artnet Acquired by U.K. Investment Group
Artnet is being taken private in a €65 million ($73.7 million USD) acquisition by London firm Beowolff Capital. The deal will see the platform join Beowolff’s portfolio alongside online marketplace Artsy. CEO Andrew Wolff announced plans to integrate Artnet’s market data and news platform into a broader AI-powered art ecosystem.
Frieze and KIAF Seoul Announce 2025 editions
The fairs will host 120 and 176 exhibitors respectively from 3 to 6 September, returning to Gangnam convention centre COEX. KIAF will feature some 120 Korean galleries and international exhibitors like Galerie Marguo (Paris), Sundaram Tagore Gallery (Singapore), and Whitestone Gallery (Beijing). Read more on Frieze Seoul’s fourth edition.
Marseille’s Art-o-rama Announces 19th Edition
Southern French fair Art-o-rama is set to welcome 65 galleries at Friche la Belle de Mai from 29 to 31 August. An established stepping stone for young European galleries, the fair will host more Marseille galleries this year, with French exhibitors accounting for 30 percent in the main gallery sector.
EXPO Chicago Director Tony Karman Steps Down
Founding director Tony Karman will leave his role at EXPO Chicago in June, the Midwestern fair announced on Wednesday. Karman launched EXPO Chicago in 2012, succeeding legacy fair Art Chicago. He will continue to serve in an advisory capacity, retaining his title until the event finds a new head.
Gallery Representations
Elizabeth Neel Is Now Represented by Jack Shainman Gallery
The Brooklyn-based painter has joined the New York gallery who will represent her alongside Vielmetter (Los Angeles) and Pilar Corrias (London). Jack Shainman will present Neel’s work at Art Basel this June, followed by her debut at their Tribeca space in February 2026.
Gala Porras-Kim Joins Sprüth Magers
The American artist, known for her multidisciplinary practice interrogating museological practices, is now represented by the London gallery, who will present her first solo exhibition during London Gallery Weekend on 3 June. Sprüth Magers will represent Porras-Kim alongside her Los Angeles gallery Commonwealth and Council.
The Estate of Susan Rothenberg Joins Hauser & Wirth
Mega-gallery Hauser & Wirth will represent American artist Susan Rothenberg’s estate, starting by bringing her work to Art Basel in June and dedicating an exhibition to her in New York this September.
Awards
Auckland Artist Ruth Ige Wins 2025 Rydal Art Prize
Nigerian-born artist Ruth Ige received the $25,000 NZD award ($14,900 USD) at Auckland gallery Te Uru, recognising her as one of New Zealand’s most innovative contemporary painters. Ige’s work centres the Black female figure. She is represented by Stevenson Gallery in South Africa.
Obituaries
Eva, from the German Performance Artist Duo Eva and Adele, Died at an Unknown Age
The artist died in Berlin last Wednesday after undergoing spine surgery, German news outlet dpa reported. The Guardian’s Adrian Searle has spoken of the pair as art world fixtures who ‘add a bit of colour’ in their playful subversion of gender norms. —[O]
Main image: Photography Seoul Museum of Art. Courtesy ⓒ PhotoSeMA. Photo: Yoon Joonhwan.
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