# australia news (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 1 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover australia news. Page: Feed: --- ## [Bebe Cave: Swoon review – dazzling portrait of marginalised muses and the male gaze](https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/aug/23/bebe-cave-swoon-review-dazzling-portrait-of-marginalised-muses-and-the-male-gaze) _2026-08-23 · Arusa Qureshi · Art and design | The Guardian_ Pleasance Dome, Edinburgh Smart, slapstick and silly, this chaotic multicharacter comedy sends up the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood Some of the most revered works of art across history feature women as their primary focus. But though they might appear as favoured subjects, so often these women are relegated to the margins, their stories untold as they remain silent and often sexualised via the male… ## [Sydney Marathon admits ‘unfortunate error’ as finisher’s medal depicts Munich stadium as race highlight](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/23/sydney-marathon-medal-allianz-stadium-munich-germany-unfortunate-error) _2026-08-23 · Stephanie Convery · Art and design | The Guardian_ ‘Landmarks’ side of the medal features the Allianz Arena in German city rather than Allianz Stadium in Sydney Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast In a week’s time, the proud runners finishing the Sydney Marathon will receive a medal showing the landmarks they have just sped past – plus one they definitely didn’t. In… ## [The faces behind the feeds: Gen Z’s private lives and public posts – in pictures](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/aug/22/the-faces-behind-the-feeds-gen-zs-private-lives-and-public-posts-in-pictures) _2026-08-22 · Gabrielle Schwarz · Art and design | The Guardian_ For the first digital natives, there are two places to express yourself: in the comfort of your own room and online. Photographer Niccolò Rastrelli set out to find out how the identities compare Social media arrived just as I, a younger millennial, was on the brink of teenhood. My friends and I signed up for accounts on Facebook, Myspace and Twitter, as well as less remembered sites such as the… ## [‘It was dark and deserted. I was drawn by the light’: Christine Rodgers’ best phone picture](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/aug/22/it-was-dark-and-deserted-i-was-drawn-by-the-light-christine-rodgers-best-phone-picture) _2026-08-22 · Grace Holliday · Art and design | The Guardian_ A man at a bank counter in a border town in northern India, tension in the air: how could any photographer resist? Over the last decade, Lancashire-born, London-based Christine Rodgers has trekked in Bhutan, Nepal and the Indian states and regions of Uttarakhand, Ladakh and Sikkim. “I’ve developed something of a passion for the Himalayas,” she says. “I love being in the mountains; not climbing,… ## [Four blokes and a zebra crossing: the banality and beauty of the Beatles’ Abbey Road cover](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/aug/22/the-beatles-abbey-road-album-cover-zebra-crossing) _2026-08-22 · Jonathan Jones · Art and design | The Guardian_ Much-copied and parodied picture captures dynamic between the individuals and the band with eerie perfection It’s not really the four blokes on the zebra crossing who make the cover of the Beatles’ Abbey Road memorable, but the street behind them. Vanishing towards a perfect blue sky, with summer trees veiling in bright green what might otherwise be dour brick houses, it could be a hyperreal vista… ## [From Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma to Brandon Flowers: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/aug/22/entertainment-guide-week-ahead-teenage-sex-death-tyler-creator-fightland-cinema-theatre-art-music) _2026-08-22 · Guardian Staff · Art and design | The Guardian_ A film-maker’s attempt to reboot a horror movie franchise is derailed by her wild relationship with its former star, and the Killers frontman gets rustic Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma Out now Jane Schoenbrun’s third feature builds on their interest in queer horror, with a story about the fictional Camp Miasma slasher franchise, set to be resurrected by an up-and-coming director (Hannah… ## [Australia’s national photographic portrait prize 2026 – in pictures](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2026/aug/22/australia-national-photographic-portrait-prize-2026-nathan-beard) _2026-08-22 · Guardian Staff · Art and design | The Guardian_ Thirty finalists were selected from more than 1,000 entries in the 2026 photographic competition which has a $30,000 cash prize for first place. This year’s winner is Nathan Beard’s portrait of his Thai-born aunt Mae Khong, who was recuperating after a debilitating fall. Judges said Beard’s portrait has an ‘immediate and compelling emotional pull’ and offers an insight into the relationship… ## [The week around the world in 20 pictures](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2026/aug/21/the-week-around-the-world-in-20-pictures) _2026-08-21 · Jim Powell · Art and design | The Guardian_ Wildfires in Europe, Russian strikes in Kyiv, the Meta trial and swimming in Gaza – the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists Continue reading... ## [Kapoor’s blockbusting blobs, terrible Tudors and Emin’s proteges – the week in art](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/aug/21/the-week-in-art-anish-kapoor-france-lise-mcgurn-tracey-emin) _2026-08-21 · Jonathan Jones · Art and design | The Guardian_ Lose yourself in Anish Kapoor’s black holes while Horrible Histories’ illustrator visits Preston and Margate hosts Tracey Emin’s students’ graduation show – all in your weekly dispatch Anish Kapoor If you are looking for a summer blockbuster, here’s your show – Kapoor’s exhilarating spectacular boasts black holes and a mountain over your head. • Hayward Gallery, London, until 18 October Continue… ## [Gillian Spencer obituary](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/aug/21/gillian-spencer-obituary) _2026-08-21 · James Hamilton · Art and design | The Guardian_ My former boss, the art gallery and museum director Gillian Spencer, who has died aged 95, was one of the pioneering curators in Yorkshire in the 1970s and 80s. With Frank Constantine in Sheffield and Robert Rowe in Leeds, she led the renaissance of museum services in the county, brightening their local appeal with a sense of purpose, direction and style. When appointed in 1973 to Wakefield as… ## [One platform, from silicon to agent (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/UCrY2F8Oj20r) _2026-08-21 · **Sponsored**_ Serverless inference plus Inference Router to optimize cost and latency at scale. ## [‘She had this divine calling’: the incredible and transporting art of Minnie Evans](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/aug/21/minnie-evans-whitney-museum-outsider-artist) _2026-08-21 · Veronica Esposito · Art and design | The Guardian_ Just over 50 years after she was one of the first Black artists to have a solo show at the Whitney, the museum gathers some of her most remarkable paintings for a new exhibition Surprisingly, the term “outsider art” was coined fairly recently – in 1972, when the art historian Roger Cardinal made it the title of the book with which he introduced the idea to the English-speaking world. Since then,… ## [See the Light: Tracey Emin and Steve McQueen illuminate Durham gallery’s revival](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/aug/21/durham-art-gallery-opens-with-works-by-tracey-emin-and-steve-mcqueen) _2026-08-21 · Mark Brown North of England correspondent · Art and design | The Guardian_ Art of international significance planned for £17m redevelopment of museum whose closure sparked uproar Works by Tracey Emin, Steve McQueen and Olafur Eliasson have gone on display at a new contemporary art gallery and museum in north-east England which aims to show works of international significance. The Light is a £17m redevelopment of a museum in Durham that closed 10 years ago to local… ## [Mary Heilmann obituary](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/aug/20/mary-heilmann-obituary) _2026-08-20 · Charles Darwent · Art and design | The Guardian_ Playful American painter whose works were informed by her previous focus on ceramics and sculpture Visitors to Mary Heilmann’s show at the Whitechapel Gallery in 2016 were offered the novel experience of looking at art while scooting about on wheeled wooden chairs. These, too, turned out to be artworks. One, Sunny Chair for the Whitechapel , had been made by Heilmann for the occasion. Rough-hewn… ## [Dozens of ‘dangerous’ artworks are buried under dirt in Sydney, and visitors will be asked to dig deep](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/aug/21/festival-of-dangerous-ideas-sydney-heap-art-installation-buried-dirt-dig) _2026-08-20 · Dee Jefferson · Art and design | The Guardian_ Part of the Festival of Dangerous Ideas, Heap takes place in the cavernous foyer of Carriageworks and features work from eight Australian artists I’m watching a Hitachi earthmover bury a suitcase in a mound of dirt inside Carriageworks when my mind peels off on a surreal tangent: does the machine have job satisfaction? I happen to know that another machine on this job has an MOU with its human… ## [‘All the watering places are crammed with hot people’: on holiday with Dickens](https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/aug/20/holiday-charles-dickens-exhibition) _2026-08-20 · Caroline Davies · Art and design | The Guardian_ Exhibition at Charles Dickens Museum in London looks at writer’s holiday pursuits, from Kent to the Isle of Wight It’s summer in the city, the pubs are crowded, and the coast beckons. In a year that has so far brought five significant heatwaves , it is a fair description of the current holiday season. But the same was true, too, of the much less frequent hot, dry summers of the past, including 186… ## [Ref, I barely brushed him! The artist who’s painted all of Roy Keane’s red cards](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/aug/20/seanie-harte-paintings-roy-keane-red-cards-manchester-united) _2026-08-20 · Larry Ryan · Art and design | The Guardian_ Before he was an irascible TV pundit, the Irish midfielder was equally feared on the pitch. Irish painter Seánie Harte has documented all the times Keane was sent off playing for Manchester United. ‘It’s a bit of fun,’ he says Across his career in the 1990s and early 2000s, Roy Keane, the Ireland and Manchester United footballer, was a widely decorated midfielder with a relentless will to win. He… ## [Blizzards, nuclear anxiety and a fragile bond: two sisters in Japan – in pictures](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2026/aug/20/sayuri-ichida-two-sisters-japan-exhibition) _2026-08-20 · Guardian Staff · Art and design | The Guardian_ Sayuri Ichida and her sister used to be distant – until their mother died. This exhibition traces their close relationship through sun, wind and snow Continue reading... ## [Capture the Dark 2026: Winning photographs](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2026/aug/20/capture-the-dark-2026-winning-photographs) _2026-08-20 · Guardian Staff · Art and design | The Guardian_ A selection of winning images from DarkSky International’s 2026 Capture the Dark photography contest. It is the sixth edition of the annual night-time photography competition, which drew 2,288 submissions from 30 countries Continue reading... ## [Monstera magic: Barbican hands out cuttings as ‘green lung of the city’ closes](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/aug/20/barbican-hands-out-plant-cuttings-green-lung-city-closes) _2026-08-20 · Helena Horton · Art and design | The Guardian_ Five hundred people turn up to adopt plants from conservatory that will reopen in 2030 after renovation project Above the waxy monstera leaves and bright pink hibiscus flowers in the Barbican conservatory hangs a giant net to catch the panes of glass that are at risk of falling from the ceiling on the unwitting plant lovers below. This precarious situation has caused the estate to shutter its… ## [Matthew Higham obituary](https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2026/aug/19/matthew-higham-obituary) _2026-08-19 · Nicky Stainton · Art and design | The Guardian_ My former partner and friend Matthew Higham, who has died aged 79, lived a cheerfully chequered life: running away from London to Scotland as a teenager to marry his pregnant first wife, Kay, when their parents forbade it; training as a blacksmith and at the E15 theatre school in London, alongside Mike Leigh; spending a brief stint in Berlin in an undisclosed role for MI6; selling knickers at… ## [Meet Claude, an AI assistant (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/AJUTnR6SH1iG) _2026-08-19 · **Sponsored**_ Chat with Claude at claude.ai — a conversational AI assistant. ## [‘Jim Crow must go’: the artists and everyday heroes who fought injustice – in pictures](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2026/aug/19/turn-the-volume-up-nasher-museum-of-art) _2026-08-19 · Curated by Briana Ellis-Gibbs · Art and design | The Guardian_ Turn the Volume Up! at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University highlights the activism of everyday people who have confronted injustice. New York’s mayor, Zohran Mamdani, quoting the Bronx rapper KRS-One’s song Turn the Volume Up during his election-day victory speech inspired the name of the exhibit. Featuring work by artists such as Kara Walker, Carrie Mae Weems and the Guerrilla Girls, the… ## [David Shrigley London exhibition will find the funny side of old masters](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/aug/19/david-shrigley-dulwich-picture-gallery-old-masters) _2026-08-19 · Caroline Davies · Art and design | The Guardian_ Dulwich Picture Gallery show to feature British artist’s work hung next to paintings by Dutch and Flemish greats The contemporary UK artist David Shrigley will apply his trademark arch humour and distinctive artistic practice “in dialogue” with old masters of Dutch and Flemish painting in a major new solo exhibition in London. The celebrated visual artist will explore the 17th-century paintings… ## [The digital child: how tech is changing play – in pictures](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2026/aug/19/wendy-mcmurdo-digital-child-tech-computers-internet) _2026-08-19 · Guardian Staff · Art and design | The Guardian_ From the early days of computers and the internet, Wendy McMurdo has let tech infuse her photography. Now, in her largest exhibition yet, she looks at its impact on the future generation Continue reading... ## [‘Even its loos are on the outside’: hi-tech, inside-out marvel the Lloyd’s building is partying with the public](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/aug/18/lloyds-building-hi-tech-inside-out-open-house-parthenon) _2026-08-18 · Alice Fisher · Art and design | The Guardian_ It has been likened to a monster, an oil rig – and the Parthenon. Now, for its 40th birthday, the astonishing London landmark has joined the Open House festival, to grant admirers a rare look around the inside In his 2012 book A New Kind of Bleak, the critic Owen Hatherley called it “monstrous, compelling” and utterly messed-up. Back in the 1980s, a then Prince Charles suggested it had been… ## [Vans, ghosts, sofas and a kiss from Katy Perry: artist France-Lise McGurn and her paint-everything ethos](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/aug/18/france-lise-mcgurn-interview-katy-perry-dundee-contemporary-arts) _2026-08-18 · Eliza Goodpasture · Art and design | The Guardian_ Tackling grief, time, parties and spaceflight, the Scottish artist uses film stills, magazine ads, family photos and even her own furniture to create a show you can settle into and figure out ‘I love parties,” says France-Lise McGurn, “but they’re complicated, and there’s a time when you leave.” Her new show at Dundee Contemporary Arts, called The Charm Offensive, carries her dynamic, vital… ## [How architect Paul Revere Williams fought racism and changed the face of Los Angeles](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/aug/18/architect-paul-revere-williams-racism-los-angeles) _2026-08-18 · Paula Mejía · Art and design | The Guardian_ Creating homes for Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant and Lucille Ball made Williams a star. A trio of new exhibitions shows he belongs among the 20th century’s greats When you fly into the Los Angeles airport LAX, a spindly space-age contraption is the first thing that greets your eyes outside the window. Built in the early 1960s, the Theme Building – which once attracted travelers to its in-house… ## [Giddy up! Stage Coach Mary rides again – in pictures](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2026/aug/18/giddy-up-heroic-horsewomen-ride-again-in-pictures) _2026-08-18 · Guardian Staff · Art and design | The Guardian_ Using ‘equestrian embodiment’, photographer Ayana V Jackson celebrates great horsewomen who galloped through prejudice • The best of Arles 2026 – in pictures Continue reading... ## [Pacific Airshow takes to the skies above the Gold Coast – in pictures](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2026/aug/18/gold-coast-pacific-airshow-2026-pictures) _2026-08-17 · Trent Mitchell · Art and design | The Guardian_ Aerobatic feats and big military jets drew crowds of plane-spotters to Surfers Paradise beach for the return of the Pacific Airshow over the weekend. First held in California in 2016, the event came to Queensland in 2023 but was cancelled last year due to damage caused by Cyclone Alfred Continue reading... ## [Douglas Gordon by Douglas Gordon review – a brave glimpse inside the mind of the Scottish artist](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/aug/17/douglas-gordon-by-douglas-gordon-review-a-brave-glimpse-inside-the-mind-of-the-scottish-film-maker) _2026-08-17 · Andrew Pulver · Art and design | The Guardian_ Director Finlay Pretsell captures Gordon setting things alight with a miniature blowtorch, smearing himself with silver paint and throwing shapes with a bullwhip Here is a brave and not entirely orthodox artist documentary; not so much a dates-and-shows-and-talking-heads profile, but resembling something of an act of art in itself. The subject is Douglas Gordon, the Scottish film and video-maker,… ## [Life behind bars in Britain’s surviving Victorian prisons – photo essay](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/aug/17/incarcerated-life-behind-bars-victorian-prisons) _2026-08-17 · Andy Aitchison · Art and design | The Guardian_ Dozens of prisons were built in Britain between 1842 and 1877, many of which are still in use today. For more than 20 years, Andy Aitchison has photographed behind the walls. His book Incarcerated explores how Victorian prison infrastructure has persisted, and what these old buildings mean for the people who live and work inside What is now HMP Lincoln opened at the end of the most prolific period… ## [AI publishing with human taste (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/WMsk8vAjIqxw) _2026-08-17 · **Sponsored**_ Convert AI research into blogs, podcasts, and newsletters with optional human review. ## [John D Edwards obituary](https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2026/aug/16/john-d-edwards-obituary) _2026-08-16 · Stan Beanland · Art and design | The Guardian_ My civil partner’s brother John David Edwards, who has died from heart disease aged 74, was a painter and sculptor who exhibited widely as John D Edwards and inspired community arts projects. He gave immense personal support to people living with cancer and to others recovering from life-threatening addiction. His selfless dedication to helping people in need was also reflected in a generosity of… ## [Renaissance paintings by Antonello da Messina stolen from Sicilian museum](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/aug/16/antonello-da-messina-renaissance-paintings-stolen-sicilian-museum-holiday) _2026-08-16 · Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo · Art and design | The Guardian_ Theft of four works on national holiday described as wound to historical memory and cultural identity of city of Messina Four of the most important works of art by the 15th-century Renaissance master Antonello da Messina were stolen during a national holiday from a museum in the Sicilian port city of Messina. Thieves gained access to the Regional Museum of Messina , or MuMe, on Saturday evening,… ## [Corgi high fashion and at the races: in pictures](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2026/aug/15/corgi-high-fashion-and-at-the-races-in-pictures) _2026-08-15 · Pejman Faratin · Art and design | The Guardian_ Lithuania’s capital Vilnius has been billed as the ‘European corgi capital’. Corgi Race Vilnius began during the pandemic as a friendly bet between two owners, and now features sprint heats, a costume parade, a loudest bark contest, and new agility and ‘run and return’ races. Continue reading... ## [Salt flats and ancient riverbeds: aerial photography from Western Australia’s midwest – in pictures](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2026/aug/16/salt-flats-ancient-riverbeds-aerial-photos-western-australia-stunning-pictures) _2026-08-15 · Martine Perret · Art and design | The Guardian_ Martine Perret’s latest aerial images reveal the land at a scale that invites both awe and urgency; ancient riverbeds that have carved the land over millenia, the immense salt flats reflecting incredible colours and a unique marine biodiversity. These images are part of an ongoing photo series from the last five years showing sweeping landscapes from the Abrolhos Islands, Gascoyne, and Wheatbelt… ## [‘From this perspective, the bullfrog feels powerful and mythical’: Steven Scott Grogin’s best phone picture](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/aug/15/steven-scott-grogin-best-phone-picture-bullfrog) _2026-08-15 · Grace Holliday · Art and design | The Guardian_ The photographer was on an early-morning hike by a lake in Michigan when he spotted the unusually large amphibian, so he dipped his lens below the waterline to get the shot Steven Scott Grogin describes his mornings in Michigan as a ritual. He wakes up at 6am on the dot to get ready for a hike. His favourite lake, once a quarry pit, is a 30-minute walk away, so he tends to arrive by around 7am.… ## [From Tony to Jungle: your complete entertainment guide to the week ahead](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2026/aug/15/entertainment-guide-week-ahead-tony-movie-bourdain-jungle-band-mortal-shell-2-ludwig-end-oak-street) _2026-08-15 · Guardian Staff · Art and design | The Guardian_ Dominic Sessa plays Anthony Bourdain in a fun biopic, and the ever-danceable UK funksters are back with a sun-dappled new album Tony Out now This comic biopic of Anthony Bourdain focuses on the celebrity chef and documentarian’s late adolescence, as he gets a summer job at a restaurant in Cape Cod at the age of 19. Dominic Sessa (The Holdovers) plays Bourdain, with Matt Johnson directing. Rich… ## [Vile statues, writhing liquorice and kids marooned online: Edinburgh art festival review](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/aug/14/edinburgh-art-festival-review) _2026-08-14 · Eddy Frankel · Art and design | The Guardian_ Various venues, Edinburgh From queer narratives to secret histories, this year celebrates the underground and the unheralded. Our writer uncovers so many stories, he feels like Columbo By the time you’re done with Edinburgh art festival you’ll have uncovered so many hidden stories you’ll feel like Columbo. We’re talking queer narratives, secret histories, undiscovered archives: the whole festival… ## [Volcanic raunch hits Edinburgh, blooms sweep Brussels and Henri does the can-can: the week in art](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/aug/14/the-week-in-art-volcano-edinburgh-brussels-lautrec) _2026-08-14 · Jonathan Jones · Art and design | The Guardian_ Edinburgh art festival erupts with Del LaGrace Volcano, Belgium lays down a marker for public art and Toulouse-Lautrec captures a dancer – all in your weekly dispatch Edinburgh art festival Science-minded artist Katie Paterson finds a natural home in the Collective Gallery’s repurposed observatory on Calton Hill, while Del LaGrace Volcano, Eva Rothschild and more show in the many other memorable… ## [The Beverly Hills Housewife by James Cahill review – a trip inside Hockney’s world](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/aug/14/the-beverly-hills-housewife-by-james-cahill-review-a-trip-inside-hockneys-world) _2026-08-14 · Ben Eastham · Art and design | The Guardian_ Muse Betty Freeman sits at the centre of this sun-drenched book about art, eccentricity, and the spirit of Los Angeles David Hockney was 29 years old when he came to Betty Freeman’s house to photograph her swimming pool. Scouting locations for the pool paintings that would make him a household name, he took preparatory snaps of his partner, Peter Schlesinger, emerging naked from the water. And yet… ## [Clover Moore unveils 4,500 sq metre Sydney plaza design after more than 40 years of planning](https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/aug/11/clover-moore-unveils-4500-sq-metre-sydney-plaza-design-after-more-than-40-years-of-planning) _2026-08-11 · Kat Wong · Art and design | The Guardian_ Lord mayor says town hall square will be ‘fantastic’ – but business advocate says project’s scale of demolition presents ‘unwanted disruption’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Sydneysiders have been given a first glimpse of a new public square set to “unify” the CBD, more than 40 years after the project was… ## [Le Corbusier’s social housing was meant to be the dream. In a summer of extreme heat, it is a nightmare | Anna Richards](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/07/le-corbusier-social-housing-france-dream-summer-extreme-heat-nightmare) _2026-08-07 · Anna Richards · Art and design | The Guardian_ When temperatures get to 40C inside, and French building regulations won’t even allow shutters, these tenants’ listed homes are simply unlivable The population of Firminy, south-east France, has been dwindling for decades. Its recent history is one of factory closures in a region built by steel, and locals tell me that many people leave for better opportunities in neighbouring Saint-Étienne, or to… ## [Australia’s best sustainable architecture for 2026 – in pictures](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2026/aug/07/australias-best-sustainable-architecture-for-2026-in-pictures) _2026-08-06 · Alyx Gorman · Art and design | The Guardian_ This year’s finalists for the National Architecture awards’ sustainability category include a compact Canberra housing development and the largest commercial use of hempcrete in the country. Architecture ‘holds a mirror up to who we are as a society – what we value, what we’re willing to invest in, what we want to leave behind,’ says Adam Haddow, the chair of the jury for the awards. ‘The… ## [Foster + Partners cleared over man’s death when window fell from London penthouse](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/aug/06/foster-partners-cleared-death-window-fell-london-penthouse) _2026-08-06 · Matthew Weaver · Art and design | The Guardian_ Court rules architecture firm not responsible for safety breaches before fatal incident but project managers and contractors found guilty The architecture firm founded by Norman Foster has been cleared over the death of a man killed by a window that fell 90 metres from a newly constructed London penthouse. Foster + Partners (F+P), the practice behind some of the world’s most recognisable buildings… ## [Portrait of a City review – master photographers capture the US cityscape in all its grime, grit and glory](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/jul/28/portrait-of-a-city-a-century-of-american-photography-review-london) _2026-07-28 · Charlotte Jansen · Art and design | The Guardian_ Dulwich Picture Gallery, London Era-defining photographs from the likes of Alfred Stieglitz, Saul Leiter and Dorothea Lange showcase the urban landscape, from midnight crime scenes to gloomy corridors In pictures: Great American cities in pictures This – only the second photography exhibition in Dulwich Picture Gallery’s history – is a quietly contemplative but gripping show that traces two… ## [My advice to new Tate director – show us more art | Brief letters](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/jul/24/my-advice-to-new-tate-director-show-us-more-art) _2026-07-24 · Guardian Staff · Art and design | The Guardian_ Empty galleries | Cooking real food | Enigma of Alan Turing | DIY desperation | Futility rooms One thing that the new director of Tate could do ( Jessica Morgan named new Tate director – with ‘big pay cut’ to take job, 22 July ) is display a lot more of the art they have in store. There are acres of Tate Modern and (to a lesser extent) Tate Britain that are empty. No one wants a display like the… ## [Entangled and Woven review – exquisitely spun textiles that cross borders, culture and time](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2026/jul/21/entangled-and-woven-review-textiles-the-whitworth-manchester) _2026-07-21 · Hannah Clugston · Art and design | The Guardian_ The Whitworth, Manchester Manchester’s past as a centre of textile production forms the starting point of this seamless showcase of skills How many hands did it take to make this show? That is to say, how many artisans, craftspeople, weavers and artists’ hands did these pieces pass through? For this is a textile exhibition that doesn’t just celebrate a short list of singular artists, but rather… ## [AI and artists can click – a new manifesto for modern creativity](https://www.theguardian.com/britains-ai-powered-creative-economy/2026/jul/13/how-ai-and-artists-are-redefining-modern-creativity) _2026-07-13 · Jonathan Weinberg · Art and design | The Guardian_ The UK is both an epicentre of global creative industries and a budding AI powerhouse. Here’s how it can balance support for creatives while also embracing technological changes What does it mean to be a creator in today’s modern world when artificial intelligence is reshaping relationships between humans and technology? That’s one critical question the UK creative industry has been asking itself… ## [Tall tales: the gumtree in art – in pictures](https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2026/jul/08/gum-tree-in-art) _2026-07-07 · Captions by curators Alisa Bunbury and Sophie Gerhard · Art and design | The Guardian_ A new exhibition at Melbourne’s Potter Museum of Art celebrates the cultural and ecological significance of the eucalypt. Translating as ‘breathing for us’ in Woi Wurrung, the show Ngarn Wa’ngal brings together more than 160 works that capture this defining feature of the Australian landscape. Ngarn Wa’ngal: Art of the Gum Tree opens on 10 July; admission is free Young Archie competition:… ## [Culture wars: the fight to save Ukraine’s art – podcast](https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2026/jun/18/fight-to-save-ukraine-art-podcast) _2026-06-18 · Presented by Annie Kelly with Charlotte Higgins; produced by Ivor Manley, Guy Szafman, Jacob Antigha and Joshan Chana; executive producer Eli Block · Art and design | The Guardian_ The Guardian’s chief culture writer, Charlotte Higgins, on the citizens risking their lives to salvage Ukraine’s cultural heritage The Chornobyl Museum in Kyiv, recently renovated to mark the 40th anniversary of the disaster, stood as a vital site of memory for an independent Ukraine. But just weeks after its reopening, a massive missile strike left its halls in ruins. Charlotte Higgins, the… ## [The hill I will die on: Let me tell you the one big problem with art galleries. There’s too much art | Isabel Brooks](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/30/big-problem-art-galleries-too-much-art) _2026-05-30 · Isabel Brooks · Art and design | The Guardian_ They often boast thousands of great works – but who needs that? I can only really engage with one or two before feeling exhausted Visiting an art gallery always goes the same way for me. I look at one artwork. I look at the next artwork. And then the next. What was the first one again? Was it of a farm? Who knows? I reach the inevitable conclusion: there are simply too many paintings. After about…