Hadani Ditmars

Antoine Predock, architect of distinctive museums in the US and Canada, has died, aged 87

His Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Tang Teaching Museum and Tacoma Art Museum were typical of an approach that melded modernism and post-modernism into a characteristically unpredictable aesthetic

Prizesnews

Eight artists and curators receive Canada’s Governor General’s Award

This year’s winners of the prestigious Canadian honour include the Inuk artist Shuvinai Ashoona and Saskatchewan-based curator Michelle Jacques

New show dedicated to Palestinian art to open in London

The exhibition, originally held at the 2022 Venice Biennale, will open at P21 Gallery with new works on show

Art Gallery of Ontario under pressure to explain Indigenous art curator’s ousting

Wanda Nanibush left the institution after a letter accusing her of “hate speech” was circulated by the group Israel Museums and Arts, Canada

Archaeologyanalysis

Why the ancient Amazonian cities recently discovered in Ecuador are so significant

The findings in the Upano Valley, researchers say, counter racist and dismissive attitudes about Amazonian heritage

Toronto construction crew unearths ancient Indigenous burial ground

Work on a water line near the city’s Greektown section has turned up human remains believed to be at least 700 years old

A tangled mess: Canadian forgery scandal comes into full public view

An exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery grapples with how the museum ended up with ten fake works previously attributed to J.E.H. MacDonald, a member of the famous Group of Seven

Protesters calling for Gaza ceasefire stage die-in at Canadian Museum for Human Rights

The action, staged on International Human Rights Day, lasted 64 minutes in observance of the 64 days since the Israel-Hamas war began

Artists, writers and cultural workers sign open letters criticising Art Gallery of Ontario over departure of Indigenous art curator

Wanda Nanibush's departure has been linked to a leaked letter accusing her of “posting inflammatory, inaccurate rants against Israel”

Vancouver artists donate works to fundraiser for social housing in hardscrabble neighbourhood

Stan Douglas, Ken Lum, Douglas Coupland and others are helping efforts to raise C$8m for housing for Vancouver’s homeless

Following protests, Toronto museum reinstates Palestinian artists’ work in exhibition on 'Death'

The Royal Ontario Museum had edited wall text and cropped an image of a painting, which the artist says amounted to “censorship and alteration”

Egypt’s Pyramids of Giza form backdrop for spectacular contemporary art show

The annual exhibition is one of several contemporary art events taking place in the region

‘I've never unearthed anything this big in my life’: Assyrian sculpture with rich history dug up in northern Iraq

The 2,700-year-old lamassu—a protective deity—had been excavated previously, in 1992, but was reburied for its protection

Warnews

Palestinian artists killed in Gaza amid Israel-Hamas war

Two artists, Heba Zagout and Muhammed Sami Qariqa, are among the nearly 4,000 Gazans who have died in the escalating conflict

Gazanews

Historic Greek Orthodox church in Gaza hit by deadly missile strikes

Saint Porphyrius, a sanctuary for both Christians and Muslims and believed to be the world's third oldest church, was bombed on Thursday with at least 18 Christian Palestinians reportedly killed

Film review

One artist’s decades-long quest to build the largest brass and copper structure in the world

A new documentary chronicling Nyoman Nuarta’s 28-year struggle to build the world’s fifth-tallest statue also doubles as a portrait of contemporary Indonesia

Leaked report suggests Canada may abandon prime minister's crumbling home

The historic property in Ottawa needs more than $27m worth of repairs, but creating a brand new residence could cost more

Prizesnews

Lakota artist Dana Claxton, whose work subverts assumptions about Indigenous identity, wins one of Canada’s top art prizes

The Audain Prize, given annually to an artist based in British Columbia, comes with a C$100,000 cash prize

Unesco’s addition of West Bank archaeological site to World Heritage list fans Israel-Palestine tensions

The ancient site of Tell es-Sultan in Jericho is one of many archaeological sites in the region whose status has been mired in political and territorial disputes

Vancouver Art Gallery launches construction of new $295m building with ceremony, donation and new acquisitions

The celebratory event marked a major milestone in a process begun in 2004; the new building is expected to be complete in 2028

Morocco earthquake leaves key heritage sites severely damaged

Affected sites include the Tinmel mosque in the High Atlas Mountains, which is feared to have been almost completely destroyed

Artist duo Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller open dedicated space for their work in rural Canada

The work and life partners converted a former furniture showroom into a venue for their complex, large-scale installations

Remnants of First Nation village, including 1,000-year-old fish trap, discovered in Canada

A dig on Vancouver Island has revealed archaeological remnants of a 250-person fishing community

Curator Eva Respini joins Vancouver Art Gallery at transformative moment for the institution

Respini, previously the chief curator at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, comes to the Vancouver museum as it plans a major building project

‘Rare intact Roman burial site’ with more than 125 tombs discovered in the Gaza Strip

The find unearthed by Palestinian archaeology students includes sarcophagi decorated with dolphins and vineyards

Iraqnews

Outrage over demolition of 300-year-old minaret in Iraq

Cultural heritage officials are calling for greater protections of historic structures as the Siraji minaret in Basra is torn down for road expansion

Chinese Canadian Museum opens with timely reflection on national identity

Marking the centennial of the Chinese Exclusion Act, the museum’s inaugural exhibition is “the story of the Chinese community’s darkest period in Canada”

After leader’s resignation, Canada’s Royal British Columbia Museum faces uncertain future

While plans for an off-site storage and research building move forward, questions remain about the museum’ aging facilities, its community engagement efforts and who will lead it next

Abenaki artist and film-maker Alanis Obomsawin’s remarkable career comes into focus at the Vancouver Art Gallery

A survey of the 90-year-old activist, artist and documentarian’s tells a parallel story about the shifting relationship between Canada and its First Nations peoples

Emily Carr painting, unseen for more than a half-century, acquired by Canada’s Audain Art Museum

The painting was one of four Carr works featured in the first Canadian presentation at the Venice Biennale, in 1952