The Red Sea Museum Opens in Jeddah

On December 7, the Red Sea Museum was inaugurated in Historic Jeddah, a UNESCO World Heritage site on the Red Sea coast. Housed in the historic Bab Al Bunt building, once the main maritime gateway for pilgrims traveling to Mecca, the museum spotlights cultural exchanges around the region throughout history, currently presenting more than 1,000 contemporary artworks and ancient artifacts across 23 galleries. Also on view is a solo exhibition of works by Saudi artist Moath Alofi, titled “The Gate of Gates,” which uses photography to trace the mysteries of the building before its renovation. At the opening ceremony, minister of culture Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan Al Saud remarked that the museum “reflect[s] the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s vision and commitment to preserving its cultural and natural heritage.”

Mao Tongqiang’s Photographic Installation Donated to Asian Art Museum in Berlin

The Asian Art Museum of the National Museums in Berlin has acquired Mao Tongqiang’s photographic installation Family Tree, as a donation from the Sigg Collection, a landmark archive of Chinese contemporary art assembled by Uli and Rita Sigg. Spanning around 400 square meters and comprising photographic materials of roughly 1,000 families in China, the work exemplifies Mao’s practice of using large-scale installations and rigorous field research to confront historical and social realities with stark clarity. In a press release, Raffael Dedo Gadebusch, head of the Asian Art Museum, noted that the bequest “broadens [the institution’s] holdings with a major contemporary perspective” and “sharpens [its] ability to articulate the social relevance of art.” On view to the public since November 28, the work is part of the exhibition “All Under Heaven: Harmony in Family and State” at the Humboldt Forum, Berlin.

Yokohama Triennale Reveals Artistic Directors for 2027 Edition

Writer, curator, and critic Cosmin Costinaș and art historian Inti Guerrero have been appointed joint artistic directors for the ninth Yokohama Triennale, scheduled to run from April 23 to September 12, 2027. Selected by a six-person organizing committee after an extensive search, Costinaș, senior curator at HKW in Berlin and former executive director and curator of Para Site in Hong Kong (2011–22), and Guerrero, an adjunct professor at City University of Hong Kong and PhD supervisor at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts, have collaborated frequently over the past decade, including on the 24th Biennale of Sydney in 2024 and the 13th Dakar Biennale in 2018. Announcing the appointment, Yukie Kamiya, chair of the Triennale’s selection committee, stated: “Their blueprint suggests a new vision of the Yokohama Triennale: one that takes in the local realities and challenges of our time through vast and deep metaphors of the ocean, allowing for slow and thoughtful reflection. . . . we sincerely hope this will give rise to a practice that enables a sustainable form of interconnection.”

Vancouver Art Gallery Receives Donation of Hong Kong Contemporary Art

An anonymous patron has donated 131 works of Hong Kong contemporary art to the Vancouver Art Gallery. Titled “Art Continuum Hong Kong (ACHK),” the collection spans three decades and features works by 78 artists. Speaking to the South China Morning Post, curator Diana Freundl emphasized that this donation strengthens the museum’s ability to narrate Hong Kong’s contemporary art history. Since the 2019 anti-government protests in Hong Kong, Vancouver’s Hong Kong diaspora has grown significantly, lending this acquisition particular cultural resonance. The collection includes works that have become difficult to exhibit in Hong Kong following the 2020 enactment of the National Security Law, such as South Ho Siu-nam’s photographic series documenting the 2014 Occupy movement and Warren Leung Chi-wo’s Help! (2016), which reflects on the city’s fraught political history. Described by the institution as a “living collection,” ACHK is envisioned to evolve over time through further contributions from its benefactor. The collection will be unveiled in a major exhibition in 2027, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from British to Chinese sovereignty.

India Art Fair Announces Program Details for 2026 Edition

The 17th edition of the India Art Fair (IAF), a key platform for modern and contemporary South Asian art, will return to New Delhi next February with a record 133 exhibitors. The fair will present its most expansive program to date, including the Talks Programme, large-scale outdoor art projects, and a landmark performance collaboration with HH Art Spaces. Further highlights include major exhibitions at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Modern Art, as well as Ai Weiwei’s first solo show in India. In a press statement, fair director Jaya Asokan remarked: “South Asian art is entering a new moment of possibility, and we are proud to have supported its evolution throughout the fair’s 17-year legacy.” IAF will take place at New Delhi’s NSIC Exhibition Grounds from February 5–8, 2026.