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The Headlines
Straight to the Top
South Africa’s planned presence at this year’s Venice Biennale has taken an unexpected turn. The government abruptly canceled its own pavilion, leaving the selected artist, Gabrielle Goliath, and curator Ingrid Masondo in a state of uncertainty. They are now appealing directly to President Cyril Ramaphosa and the foreign ministry, hoping to revive a project that was shut down just days before the deadline, as reported by the Art Newspaper. The artwork, titled "Elegy," is a powerful video installation featuring seven trained women singers who sustain a single B note for an hour, passing it from breath to breath in a ritual of mourning. The piece, which has long focused on victims of femicide in South Africa, expanded its scope to include Namibia and Gaza, with an experimental ghazal written by South African poet Maneo Mohale. This final movement proved to be the catalyst for the cancellation. Sports, Art, and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie deemed the Gaza section "divisive" and canceled the pavilion outright. Goliath calls the decision cruel and unjust, arguing that art must be free to confront violence wherever it occurs. The presidency, however, has yet to intervene, leaving South Africa’s cultural voice conspicuously absent from Venice.
Paper Trail
The Smithsonian has handed over a digital paper trail to the Trump Administration, submitting photographs of wall labels, placards, and exhibition texts in response to an ultimatum framed as a "content review." The demand, delivered in December, warned that federal funding could be withheld unless the museums complied with an effort to purge what the administration calls "improper ideology." In an email to staff obtained by the Washington Post, Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III confirmed the materials were submitted by the deadline, while emphasizing that curatorial authority remains with the institution. The White House, however, has made clear it expects museums to project a "positive view of American history," citing a 2025 executive order titled Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History. Though long insulated by its status as a public-private trust, the Smithsonian now finds itself under unusually close political scrutiny. As Trump’s second administration flexes its influence over cultural institutions, the question is no longer just about funding, but about who gets to write the labels on American history itself.
The Digest
Roland Augustine, cofounder of Luhring Augustine, is stepping down to focus on philanthropy, marking the end of an era for the New York gallery. Lawrence Luhring will continue to lead the 40-year-old gallery alongside directors Lauren Wittels and Donald Johnson Montenegro.
Four of Jimmy Carter’s paintings are included in Christie’s auctions this month, highlighting the late president’s creative side.
The Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art in Porto will host the first full-scale exhibition of the Duerckheim Collection, featuring monumental installations and rare works by artists like Anselm Kiefer and Theaster Gates that tackle urgent contemporary issues.
A recent study details the devastating impact of Trump-era arts funding cuts on museums across the US, fueling widespread concern about what lies ahead for the sector.
The Kicker
Gossip Girls
According to Artnet News, on a bitter cold December evening, 11 women artists, including artist Langdon Graves, huddled in the lobby of a downtown Manhattan office building, trading warmth, ideas, and close looking. They had gathered at 125 Maiden Lane to see "Mental Model," Graves’ exhibition produced by Art in Buildings, on view through January 23, 2026. The meeting was less an opening than a ritual: a collective pause to look, talk, and think together. All belong to Gossip, a long-running crit group of roughly 20 artists who convene in studios, galleries, and borrowed corners of the city to exchange feedback, sharpen ideas, and indulge a shared obsession with art. Its roster has shifted over time, but currently includes artists like Jenna Gribbon, Erin M. Riley, and Julie Curtiss.