Ngununggula Debuts International Project with Lisa Reihana

Ngununggula, the first regional art gallery in New South Wales’s Southern Highlands, will present “Voyager,” its inaugural international presentation featuring Aotearoa New Zealand artist Lisa Reihana, from September 6 to November 9. This Australian-exclusive survey features works created between 2018 and 2025, some of which will be shown in the country for the first time. Renowned for her multidisciplinary practice that spans moving image, sculpture, photography, costume, and textiles, Reihana explores colonial history, identity, and their intersections with place and community. Exhibition highlights include Belong (2025), a commissioned site-specific installation featuring hundreds of reflective disks, and Māramatanga (2024), a large-scale video installation that depicts performers representing Māori deities (ātua) and other ancestral figures. 

13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale Unveils Program Details

The 13th Seoul Mediacity Biennale—titled “Séance: Technology of the Spirit” and scheduled to run from August 26 to November 23—explores how communal acts of attention can conjure psychic, ancestral, and imaginary worlds. The event will feature programs that span film, sound, and theater. For film, two distinct programs will take place at Cinematheque Seoul Art Cinema and the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) rooftop, respectively, probing the spiritual and mystic dimensions of cinema. The screening series at SeMA is hosted in partnership with Frieze Film. For sound, an international group of artists will present works at the historic Nakwon Sangga, examining how music can bridge the human and supernatural realms. For theater, the ORTA Collective (founded by Alexandra Morozova and Rustem Begenov) will showcase a new commission, titled The New Genius Experience of The Great Atomic Bombreflector (2025), at Seoul Artists’ Platform_New&Young. Combining a broad range of inspirations, including ancient Chinese philosophy and atomic test survivors’ testimonies, the piece guides viewers into “a multiphase ritual of transformation staged in an immersive environment,” according to the press release.  

Chaney Diao and Taey Iohe Receive the 2025 Loewe Foundation / Studio Voltaire Award

Chaney Diao and Taey Iohe are among the seven winners of the 2025 Loewe Foundation / Studio Voltaire Award that honors talent, creative thinking, and individuality in contemporary art. Diao, a Chinese installation and performance artist, investigates the traces of affect, desire, and labor within the body, drawing upon facets of subcultural knowledge gleaned from BDSM, raving, and club cultures. Iohe, a Korean multidisciplinary artist and writer, sutures ecological research and disability studies in their practice, deploying modes of social engagement and attunement oriented toward care and resistance. Established in 2021, the prize aims to provide infrastructural support for underrepresented artists. This year’s edition comes with a GBP 5,000 (USD 6,700) grant, a rent-free studio space at Studio Voltaire for two years, a mentoring and professional development program, curatorial and pastoral support, and increased access to both local and international audiences through public events. In addition to Diao and Iohe, the five other recipients are Lulu Bennett, Jesse Glazzard, michael., Shenece Oretha, and Bryan Giuseppi Rodriguez Cambana. 

Loribelle Spirovski Wins 2025 Archibald Prize People’s Choice Award

Manila-born artist Loribelle Spirovski has received the 2025 Archibald Prize people’s choice category, along with AUD 5,000 (USD 3,230) for her portrait of Kalkadunga musician William Barton, a virtuoso of the Aboriginal wind instrument yadaki (didgeridoo). The Archibald Prize, hosted annually by the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) in Sydney, invites artists to submit portraits of individuals “distinguished in arts, letters, science, or politics.” The people’s choice category, introduced in 1988, is determined by public vote and garnered a record-breaking 40,842 votes this year. Spirovski, who migrated to Australia from the Philippines when she was eight years old, is a largely self-taught painter and four-time finalist of the Archibald Prize. She painted her winning piece, Finger Painting of William Barton (2025), using only her fingers due to a severe hand injury that made it difficult to hold a brush.

Francis Belin to Depart from Christie’s Asia

Francis Belin, who served as president of Christie’s Asia Pacific since 2019, will step down this September. Until a successor is appointed, his role will be jointly held by Kevin Ching, chairman of Asia, and Audrey Shum, managing director for Asia Pacific. Belin joined Christie’s in 2016 as global managing director of Asian art and succeeded Rebecca Wei as president of Christie’s Asia in 2019. Under his leadership, the regional business achieved steady growth, including exceeding USD 1 billion in sales in 2021, the highest annual total ever recorded in the region. Last year, Belin led the launch of Christie’s new Asia Pacific headquarters at The Henderson, a recently developed office building in Hong Kong’s Central district.

Elaine Holt Leaves Sotheby’s Hong Kong After One Year

Elaine Holt, who joined Sotheby’s in July 2024 as chair of modern and contemporary art, Asia, has stepped down after just one year. Jasmine Prasetio, managing director of Southeast Asia, will temporarily assume the role and relocate from Singapore to Hong Kong. Meanwhile, Alex Branczik, chair of modern and contemporary art for Sotheby’s Europe and based in London, will oversee strategy for the Asia department remotely. Prior to joining Sotheby’s, Holt spent a decade at Christie’s from 2013 to 2023 in positions such as deputy chairman for Asia and international director for impressionist and modern art.