Bronx Museum Appoints Shamim M. Momin as Director and Chief Curator

The Bronx Museum of the Arts in New York has announced Shamim M. Momin as its new director and chief curator, effective this September. Momin succeeds Klaudio Rodriguez, who departed last year to lead the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida. Momin most recently served as director of curatorial affairs at the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle and has also held positions at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the now-closed Whitney Museum at Altria. Her appointment coincides with a major USD 42.9 million renovation and expansion of the Bronx’s South Wing, set for completion later next year. In a statement, Momin shared: “It is an honor to accept the role of director and chief curator at the Bronx Museum of the Arts. . . . The Bronx Museum’s commitment to amplifying diverse voices and upholding social justice aligns strongly with my own practice and values, and I look forward to leading this singular museum into its next exciting era with the opening of its world-class renovation.” 

Kimsooja Awarded Officer Rank in French Order of Arts and Letters

South Korean artist Kimsooja was named an Officer of the French Order of Arts and Letters, the second-highest of France’s three-tier cultural honor which recognizes significant contributions to art, literature, and cultural exchange. Previously named a Chevalier in 2017, Kim received the Officer rank at the French ambassador to Korea's residence in Seoul on July 9. Known as the “bottari artist,” Kimsooja often employs traditional wrapping cloth and bed covers in her installation works, exploring themes of identity, memory, and migration. Kimsooja’s major projects in France include a solo show at the Centre Pompidou-Metz, a stained-glass installation at the Metz Cathedral, and an urban project in Poitiers. Last year, she became the first Korean artist to be given “carte blanche” at the Bourse de Commerce in Paris, an honor that granted her complete artistic freedom to present the exhibition “To Breathe – Constellation.”

Rattanamol Singh Johal to Lead 14th Experimenter Curators’ Hub

The 14th edition of the Experimenter Curators’ Hub will take place on July 18–19 at Experimenter gallery in Kolkata. This edition is marked by a change in leadership, with curator and art historian Rattanamol Singh Johal serving as co-convener and moderator, succeeding Natasha Ginwala, who helmed the Hub for a decade. The event will bring together eight leading curators from India and abroad to share their recent projects and engage in conversations on curating and exhibition-making. In an e-flux announcement, Johal stated: “Building on the legacy of rigorous discourse and transnational exchange around notions of the curatorial at the Hub, we continue to invite participants to reflect on the trajectories and stakes of their work, encouraging them to articulate the animating impulses and urgencies of their practices across different formats and contexts.” 

Sophia Al-Maria Wins 2025 Frieze London Artist Award

London-based, Qatari American multidisciplinary artist and writer Sophia Al-Maria is the recipient of the 2025 Frieze London Artist Award. Organized in partnership with Forma, the award supports early to midcareer artists in debuting newly commissioned works. Responding to the theme “Future Commons,” Al-Maria will perform Wall Based Work (a Trompe LOL), which takes the form of a “drop-down” comedy show, using the rituals and language of comedy to explore subjects that are not necessarily funny. As noted in a Frieze article, “Al-Maria may be performing on her own, but the experience is a collective one, tapping into shared fears of exposure, vulnerability, and creative openness.” Al-Maria will be performing daily at the fair, which runs from October 15–19, inside the Frieze London tent at Regent’s Park.

18th Istanbul Biennial Unveils Venues for its First Leg

The 18th Istanbul Biennial, titled “The Three-Legged Cat,” has announced the venues for its first leg, which will take place from September 20 to November 23 across eight locations throughout the Beyoğlu district. Venues include the restored Galata Greek School; the refurbished Zihni Han, previously a shipping agency headquarters; the ground floor of building number 35 on Meclis-i Mebusan Avenue; Muradiye Han, originally designed as a trading house; Galeri 77, a former wine cellar; a revitalized former ice cream cone factory; the former French Orphanage; and Elhamra Han, built in 1827 as one of the city's earliest theater halls. As each of the venues are located in close proximity, visitors will be able to explore the biennial entirely on foot, directly engaging with Istanbul's urban fabric.

Tuan Andrew Nguyen, Walid Raad, and Amanda Ross-Ho Receive Trellis Art Fund’s 2025 Milestone Grant

Tuan Andrew Nguyen, Walid Raad, and Amanda Ross-Ho are among 12 recipients of the 2025 Milestone Grant from the private, New York-based Trellis Art Fund. The fund supports artists who are based in the US or are eligible to work there, with a focus on those coming from historically underrepresented communities and working outside the commercial market. Several grants are reserved specifically for artists who are active caregivers. Nguyen, a Vietnamese American artist based in Ho Chi Minh City, creates interdisciplinary works exploring trauma in communities shaped by colonialism, war, and displacement. Raad, a Lebanese American artist born in Chbaniyeh, is known for projects that reflect on the impact of historical violence. Ross-Ho, an American artist based in Los Angeles, employs a multidisciplinary approach to sculptural installations that reflect on the landscapes and ecologies of labor and time. Each of this year’s recipients will receive USD 100,000 over two years, along with development support including workshops and a community-building retreat in November. 

Japanese Sound Artist evala’s Installation Wins Isao Tomita Special Prize 

Sound artist evala has received the Isao Tomita Special Prize for his installation ebb tide (2024), marking the first time a Japanese artist has been recognized with this award. Presented by the TOMITA information Hub and Prix Ars Electronica in Linz, the prize was established to honor the legacy of pioneering Japanese electronic musician Isao Tomita. evala’s winning piece was part of his solo exhibition “Emerging Site / Disappearing Sight” (2024–25) at the NTT InterCommunication Center in Tokyo. Installed in the facility’s largest space, ebb tide is an immersive large-scale sound installation produced by various sound apparatus and environmental recordings collected from around the world. Now in its third edition, the award offers the recipient EUR 5,000 (USD 5,840) and the opportunity to perform at the Ars Electronica Festival in Linz, scheduled to run from September 3–7.