After being closed for six decades, Bristol’s Ashley Down train station reopened last year and will soon be graced with a massive mural by local artist Andy Council. Commissioned by the Severnside Community Rail Partnership, Council’s design will weave the region’s wildlife, sporting history and heritage into a giant collage, drawing on his signature style of building animals out of Bristol landmarks. Working with community organisations like the Lockleaze Neighbourhood Trust and local sports clubs, he plans to unveil the piece later this month, aligning with the modern railway’s bicentennial.
Politics Meets Pop Art at the Smithsonian
In Washington D.C., the Smithsonian museum is courting controversy with “Trump Bunch Lunch,” an exhibition that uses painting, sculpture and memes to deconstruct the persona of former President Donald Trump. Many see the show as an important critique of power, while others argue that a publicly funded museum shouldn’t engage in such overt satire. The debate highlights the tension between free expression and institutional responsibility—a tension that resonates far beyond the museum walls.
Global Fascisms and the Politics of Fear
Berlin’s Haus der Kulturen der Welt confronts authoritarianism head‑on with “Global Fascisms.” This expansive show brings together more than 50 artists—including Maria Lassnig, Roee Rosen and Mimi ọẹhúà—to explore how fascist ideas proliferate through patriarchy, surveillance culture and national myths. Instead of seeing fascism as a relic, the exhibition positions it as a global, evolving threat, challenging visitors to recognise how authoritarian aesthetics seep into everyday life.
Lee Bul: Cyborg Dreams and Dystopian Vision
Okayama Art Summit: The Parks of Aomame
In Japan’s Okayama City, the 2025 Art Summit will transform parks and overlooked spaces into a city‑wide exhibition curated by filmmaker Philippe Parreno. Inspired by Haruki Murakami’s novel *1Q84*, this edition invites artists, architects, musicians and scientists to blur the boundaries between daily life and art. From open‑air concerts to site‑specific installations by creators like Holly Herndon & Mathew Dryhurst and Sou Fujimoto, the Summit reimagines public space as a stage for dreamlike encounters.
Seoul, the Leeum Museum of Art charts more than two decades of Korean artist Lee Bul’s work. Best known for her cyborg sculptures and metallic zeppelins, Lee creates truncated silicon bodies inspired by anime and cyberpunk, exploring themes of utopian failure, body modification and the blurred boundaries between organic and machine. Her immersive installations invite visitors to navigate labyrinthine landscapes where desire, technology and politics collide.