Contemporary Black Art

Nick Cave In the company of greatness. Nick Cave at the opening of In Minor Keys — the 61st Venice Biennale, conceived by the late Koyo Kouoh. Cave's Two Points in Time at Once features five works displayed in Arsenale and two of his monumental bronzes installed outdoors. Here he stands with his works Amalgam Meditation and Origin Big Chief Demond Melancon Big Chief Demond Melancon — the first Black Masking Indian to participate in the Venice Biennale — at the opening of In

Installation by A'driane Nieves Review by Ming Joi Speechlessness is seldom experienced by a woman of words like me, but what is there to say when the artworks do all the talking / take the words out of my mouth / speak for the silent moments / phrase it in a way my tongue would never try? In Unbound Narratives: Embodied Language, a group show at Atlanta Contemporary, Bethany Collins, February James, adriene nieves, and Gabi Madrid challenge the unsaid; instead, the inner tho

Top left - Mama Lae by Lavar Munroe Studio; top right - Big Chief Demond Melancon in ceremonial suit — Photo credit: Sophia Germer / The Times-Picayune; Bottom left - Sammy Baloji, Bottom middle - the late Koyo Kouoh, 2026 Venice Biennale curator Cape Town, March, 2024; bottom right - Neo Ramshu. The 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia opens this week under a title borrowed from music: In Minor Keys. Conceived by the late Koyo Kouoh — the first African

Top left Mother & Child (1944) by Elizabeth Catlett; top right Crowd (1988) by Lee Ungno; bottom left Exodus (1972) by Norman Lewis; bottom right Woman Pounding Grain (1957) by Park Son Keun. Standing inside the Art Institute of Chicago's landmark exhibition Korean National Treasures: 2,000 Years of Art, surrounded by 140 works spanning gilt bronze Buddhist sculpture, Joseon dynasty painting, and late 20th-century contemporary art, something unexpected happened — recognition.

Pastor John Hannah's New Life Covenant Church is actualizing the creation of Life in Color Gallery in the city's Grand Crossing neighborhood. A House Blessing ceremony marks the beginning of a new cultural chapter on Chicago's South Side Before a single painting is hung or a sculpture placed, the floor of Life in Color Gallery was already carrying something sacred. In a special ceremony, community members gathered at 7644 S. Greenwood Avenue in Chicago's Grand Crossing neighb

Transcend by Salome Jaffe, 18" X 24" (2026) Artist Salome Jaffe enters a new phase of public engagement with her participation in The People’s Artist Award, an initiative led by Johnny Depp in collaboration with The Art of Elysium and Artforum. Distinct from traditional juried competitions, the award is determined entirely by public vote, positioning audience mobilization as the decisive factor in an artist’s advancement. Jaffe’s work stands apart for its materially driven pr

Top left - Patricia Andrews-Keenan, Pigment International, Claire Rice, Executive Director Arts Alliance Illinois, Nora Daley, Board Chair Illinois Arts Council, Vicki Heyman, Board Member Illinois Arts Council, Joshua Davis-Ruptero ED Illinois Arts Council. Top Middle - Antoinette Simmons, the Urban Ark Media Arts Center, State Representative Kimberly du Buclet, Middle Row Jen Tremblay Chambers, and Alison Cochran, Hyde Park Art Center, Middle Right - Erin Eveland, The Hub,

Pigment Int'l partners with European Cultural Centre (ECC) and plans updates on the exhibition featuring Big Chief Melancon's at the Biennale. Pigment International is proud to announce its return as media partner to the European Cultural Center for Personal Structures, the celebrated parallel program presented during the Venice Biennale. This marks Pigment's second editorial partnership with ECC. Additionally, Pigment plans to share updates on Big Chief Demond Melancon’s par

Agility to Surrender, rebuilt 2026, 34 ¼ X 26 1/8” 14K gold drawing Goldpoint on Indigo by D. Lammie-Hanson Knowhere Gallery's EXPO Chicago presentation yields a landmark acquisition for the Muskegon Museum of Art A luminous work by D. Lammie-Hanson is making its permanent home in a distinguished private collection — and with it, carrying forward a commitment to elevating the voices of women-identifying artists working in figurative realism. Agility to Surrender, a 14K gold d

Pigment Salon Talk Glory! Glory! at Adler University. From left Phyliss North, Patricia Andrews-Keenan, Jane Carpenter-Rock, Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM); State Rep. Kimberly du Buclet; Lisa Coleman, PhD. President of Adler University; Artist D. Lammie-Hanson; Patrica Jones Blessman, PhD.; Valerie Francis, Knowhere Gallery, and Allison Casselberry. Spring Art Week Chicago 2026: A Roundup We go deeper on specifics in later issues — this week, let the photos do the

Martha Wade at William Blair, her 3D chair, and work by Briana McNeil Scott. On Wednesday, at William Blair , Martha Wade debuted not just new work, but her work took new form when she created a chair. Wade's calm, consistency and commitment to community shone through in her interview with Blair’s curator Isidora K. Lagos under the theme Expressive Journeys: The panel of self-taught artists also included Grace Federighi, Briana McNeil, and O’Neil Scott.

As the United States stands on the threshold of its 250th Anniversary, Pigment International® invites Chicago’s cultural community to a landmark gathering during Spring Art Week 2026. The Pigment International Salon Talk will convene artists, institution leaders, policymakers, and patrons for an intimate morning of dialogue, reflection, and celebration—timed to coincide with Spring Art Week in the city. Pigment International continues its focus on national identity, ancestr

Ra Joy, Executive Director Bronzeville Center For The Arts (BCA) This year America will celebrate its semi-quincentennial and the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. As the nation reflects on its founding, it also finds itself wrestling with fundamental questions around what we choose to remember, who we choose to honor, what we collectively celebrate, and why it all matters. With America’s 250th birthday rapidly approaching, the stakes are high. Poli

Artwork Orbiting by Alma Thomas Curators, artists, and arts professionals gather for a landmark series of conversations during Spring Art Week Dialogues, presented by Northern Trust, brings together curators, artists, and arts professionals for a series of panel discussions, forums, and artistic discourse on the themes defining contemporary culture. Highlights include a reflection on the legacy of Alma Thomas featuring artists Lindsay Adams and Amanda Williams alongside cur

Photo by Barrington Darius When Frieze tapped Essence Harden to curate the Profile section of Expo Chicago 2026, it wasn't simply a curatorial appointment — it was a statement about what the fair intends to become. Multi-generational Bay Area roots, an academic foundation in African Diaspora Studies, and a practice built on long-term relationships with artists: Harden arrives in Chicago as someone who understands what it means to belong to a place before you've ever lived t

Work of Kari Black April 9–12, the independent fair spotlights emerging artists — and makes space for those too often left out  The Other Art Fair Chicago arrives April 9–12 with its signature blend of accessibility, interactivity, and discovery — and this edition leans into both nostalgia and urgency. Anchored by the theme Nostalgia Core , the fair transforms Saatchi Art's independent platform into an immersive playground where visitors don't just view art — they touch, pl

Panelists Arlene Crawford, Janice Bond, Dorian Sylvain, and Brenda Dickerson at the Women of the Wall at Zhou B Art Center in Chicago. The Salon Talk was moderated by Monique Brinkman Hill. The Women of the Wall Salon Talk , presented by Pigment International at the Zhou B Art Center, closed the exhibition, Glory! Glory! with a powerful intergenerational conversation about public art, cultural memory, and the enduring legacy of the historic Wall of Respect. Panelists Do

By Dontae Muse  When you think of the Biennale, you might think of Venice. I wish. This one was nearly chosen, except for the lack of water. I hopped over the water, the Hudson River, to experience the Whitney Biennial 2026 during the preview at the Whitney Museum of American Art, before it opened to the public, courtesy of my membership. I have to say that observing the exhibition in its quiet state, before the reactions unfold, allows for a deeper appreciation of its const

Dr. Teddy Rashaan, National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC); Monetta White, Museum of the African Diaspora; Dr. Leronn P. Brooks, Getty Research Institute; and moderator Ed Gordon. Guardians of History: Shaping Narratives in Museums was a powerful conversation at the Black Empowerment Summit during LA Art Week, examining how museums, cultural leaders and communities collectively shape the historical record. Moderated by journalist and media executive Ed

Pigment International will present Women of the Wall , a Pigment Salon Talk marking the closing of the Glory! Glory! exhibition on Friday, February 20 from 6–8 pm at the Zhou B Art Center . The panel will feature artist Arlene Crawford, Janice Bond , Executive Director of the Chicago Public Art Group ; interdisciplinary artist Dorian Sylvain , whose work is part of the public art program at the Obama Presidential Center ; and Brenda Dickerson , an arts advocate dedi