Shanghai Biennale Reveals Artist Lineup for 15th Edition

The Shanghai Biennale has announced the full list of participating artists for its 15th edition, “Does the flower hear the bee?,” which is set to open on November 8. The event will present more than 250 works by 67 artists and collectives from around the world, including Francis Alÿs, Theaster Gates, Lotus L. Kang, Christine Sun Kim, Jaffa Lam, Haegue Yang, Allora and Calzadilla, and Rirkrit Tiravanija, among others. The lineup also features various Chinese artists, such as Hao Liang, Hu Xiaoyuan, Cheng Xinhao, Huang Yongping, and Shao Fan. Led by chief curator Kitty Scott, the exhibition is inspired by the “network of communication” among bees and flowers, aiming to explore sensorial dialogues in a “more-than-human world.” The biennale will run through March 31, 2026, at the Power Station of Art in Shanghai.

Dubai to Construct New Contemporary Art Museum

Dubai is set to welcome the Dubai Museum of Art (DUMA), which will be located on the banks of the Dubai Creek, a natural saltwater inlet in the city. Designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando and developed by the Al-Futtaim Group, the curved, five-story structure is inspired by seashells and pearls, and will seemingly float on the water. Comprising galleries, libraries, as well as recreational and cultural spaces, the forthcoming institution will host exhibitions, educational initiatives, artist talks, panel discussions, and even art fairs. Though a construction timeline is yet to be announced, DUMA is expected to enrich Dubai’s art scene and strengthen the emirate’s status as a global cultural hub. In a statement, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, described the museum as “a new beacon for the city.”

Tibetan Activists Denounce Cai Guo-Qiang’s Firework Display in Paris

Following Cai Guo-Qiang’s fireworks performance along the facade of Paris’s Centre Pompidou on October 22, the activist group Students for a Free Tibet France rallied outside the institution to demand a boycott of the Chinese artist. Titled Le Dernier Carnaval (The Last Carnival), the explosive spectacle was staged to mark the museum’s five-year closure for renovation. However, it elicited mixed reactions as Cai is still under fire for his recent pyrotechnic project in Tibet’s Shigatse region. For the latter work, titled Ascending Dragon, Cai had ignited 1,050 fireworks in the Himalayan foothills, which drew widespread criticism for its impact on the plateau’s fragile ecosystem. The event had also led to protestors gathering outside White Cube’s Bermondsey gallery in London, where the artist is currently holding a solo exhibition. Students for a Free Tibet France denounced the Centre Pompidou and White Cube for their continued collaboration with Cai, claiming they are complicit in “symbolic and environmental violence.” On their social media, the group emphasized that “Tibet is not a backdrop, and spirituality is not a marketing product.”

New Works by Lee Ufan Permanently Installed at Hoam Museum

The Hoam Museum of Art has permanently installed South Korean artist Lee Ufan’s new work, Silentium (2025), in its gardens. Silentium, meaning “silence” in Latin, comprises three indoor works and one outdoor installation that are designed to encourage quiet contemplation. Born in 1936 in Seoul, Lee rose to prominence in the late 1960s as a founder of the Japanese avant-garde Mono-ha (School of Things) art movement, garnering widespread acclaim for his conceptual and minimalist approach. Commenting on his work in a statement, the artist said: “[W]hat matters is the vibration that arrives together with spring, something you can immediately feel as vitality or energy with your senses or your heart.” He added, “I hope viewers stay in silence and feel the world moving through relationships and encounters, through the resonance and breath shared between things.” Following a week-long preview, the exhibition will open to the public on November 4.

National Gallery Singapore Debuts Rooftop Commission by Tuan Andrew Nguyen

On October 25, the National Gallery Singapore (NGS) unveiled Vietnamese American artist Tuan Andrew Nguyen’s Temple (2025) for the eighth edition of its annual Ng Teng Fong Roof Garden Commission series. Presented in collaboration with the Singapore Art Museum as part of the eighth Singapore Biennale, the multisensorial installation is displayed on the rooftop garden space at NGS, comprising a painted orange-red steel framework and suspended metallic instruments made from defused ordnance found in Vietnam’s Quảng Trị province. These instruments are tuned to specific frequencies, creating an ambient soundscape that contrasts with the materials’ violent past during the American War in Vietnam. Commenting on his work, Nguyen said: “Visitors will pause to reflect and contemplate the great potential of generating compassion, how ideas of reincarnation could open up space for empathy, and the healing possibilities generated through material transformation.”

Nomin Zezegmaa and Meher Afroz Win 2025  RAK Art Foundation Prize

On October 24, Bahrain’s nonprofit RAK Art Foundation announced Nomin Zezegmaa and Meher Afroz as the winners of its 2025 RAK Art Foundation Prize, which is granted to two artists participating in Asia NOW in Paris. Zezegmaa, represented by Dubai’s NIKA Project Space, is an Ulaanbataar-based artist, researcher, and writer whose multidisciplinary practice explores history, materiality, and time through the lens of Mongolian cosmogony. Afroz, represented by Lahore-based O Art Space, is a Pakistani printmaker and painter whose work critically engages with questions of culture, religion, and identity. As part of the award, the winning artists will take part in a one-month residency between December 2025 and December 2026 at The Art Station in Bahrain, where they will collaborate with local artisans to produce new works for an exhibition at the RAK Art Foundation.