Arts and culture news today

Earlier this week

• Diwali brings lights, worship and family gatherings

  

  More than one billion people celebrate the festival in India and across its diaspora, with traditions that include prayers, clay lamps, fireworks, feasting and time with family.

  Sun 8 Nov, 10:01 am AEDTFrom France 24, PBS NewsHour and 2 more

• Archaeologists find 280 Ice Age engravings in Catalonia cave

  

  The engravings in Cova de la Font Major, Spain, include images of animals and abstract designs. Researchers estimate they are about 26,000 years old.

  Sat 7 Nov, 4:40 am AEDTFrom Smithsonian Magazine and ARTnews

• Meg Onli and Zack Winokur to curate 2028 Whitney Biennial

  

  The Whitney Museum has named the pair to lead the 83rd edition of its Biennial, which is set to open in March 2028. Onli also co-curated the 2024 edition.

  Fri 6 Nov, 11:40 pm AEDTFrom ArtReview and ARTnews

• Powerhouse Parramatta opens with five exhibitions

  

  Powerhouse Parramatta opens to the public on Saturday with five exhibitions, including British artist Es Devlin’s immersive works. The museum is part of a wider opening festival in western Sydney.

  Fri 6 Nov, 5:58 am AEDTFrom Dezeen, The Sydney Morning Herald and 3 more

• Bass-baritone Ildebrando d’Arcangelo joins IMG Artists

  

  The opera singer will be represented by senior artist manager Mattia Campetti, though reports differ on whether the agreement covers general or worldwide management.

  Fri 6 Nov, 3:00 am AEDTFrom OperaWire and Slipped Disc

• Met sets everyday fashion theme for 2027 exhibition

  

  The Costume Institute’s replacement show will explore how designers rework familiar clothes and ordinary materials, after the museum cancelled an exhibition dedicated to John Galliano.

  Fri 6 Nov, 2:16 am AEDTFrom NBC News and ARTnews

• Paul Hamlyn Foundation names recipients of artist and composer grants

  

  Five artists and five composers have been selected for £75,000 grants from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. The foundation says recipients can use the funding as they wish.

  Thu 5 Nov, 11:58 pm AEDTFrom The Art Newspaper and Slipped Disc

• Long-lost Georgia O’Keeffe landscape heads to auction

  

  O’Keeffe’s 1930 landscape resurfaced after decades in a New York City apartment closet and is expected to fetch around US$3 million.

  Thu 5 Nov, 11:00 pm AEDTFrom Artnet News and Hyperallergic

• Chanel brings first Australian runway show to Sydney

  

  Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie and Kylie Minogue attended the Chanel Cruise 2026/27 show in Barangaroo, the fashion house’s first runway event in Australia.

  Thu 5 Nov, 9:12 pm AEDTFrom The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and 1 more

• Garth Brooks announces 10 concerts across Ireland for 2027

  

  The country singer says the tour will visit five cities across the island, including Belfast. Tickets are due to go on sale next Thursday.

  Thu 5 Nov, 7:33 pm AEDTFrom The Standard, Irish Examiner and 1 more

• Sydney Mardi Gras party returns in 2027 after year off

  

  The all-night celebration will be held beneath Allianz Stadium, after the 2026 event was cancelled because of significant financial losses.

  Thu 5 Nov, 12:41 pm AEDTFrom The Sydney Morning Herald, ABC News and 2 more

• Batpod and Indiana Jones fedora lead £10m London film auction

  

  Propstore will offer more than 1,400 film and television lots from December 4 to 6, including Batman’s motorcycle and items from Indiana Jones and Game Of Thrones.

  Thu 5 Nov, 11:03 am AEDTFrom BBC News and The Standard

• Dickens’ writing chalet added to England’s heritage at risk register

  

  The chalet in Rochester and Hastings Castle are among 197 sites added to Historic England’s register. The list now has 4,991 entries, while 85 sites have been removed after work to address their risks.

  Thu 5 Nov, 11:01 am AEDTFrom The Standard, The Art Newspaper and 2 more

• Bob Dylan meets Pope Leo XIV in brief Vatican City visit

  

  The American singer-songwriter met the pope at his official residence on Wednesday, during a break in his Italian tour. They exchanged gifts, including a rosary and Dylan’s autobiography.

  Thu 5 Nov, 8:04 am AEDTFrom BBC News, PBS NewsHour and 2 more

• Guillaume Cerutti named to lead Versailles palace in France

  

  Cerutti’s appointment ends an eight-month vacancy at the institution. He returns to public service after senior roles at Sotheby’s, Christie’s and the Pinault Collection.

  Thu 5 Nov, 4:33 am AEDTFrom The Art Newspaper and ARTnews

• Sydney’s Powerhouse museum opens amid leadership and funding controversy

  

  The A$915m arts, design, science and technology museum is due to open on Saturday, while disputes over its leadership, spending and the future of its Ultimo site continue.

  Wed 4 Nov, 10:56 pm AEDTFrom ARTnews and The Art Newspaper

• Charlotte Miles wins 2026 ABC Young Performers Awards

  

  The cellist won the final at the Sydney Opera House with a performance of Elgar’s Cello Concerto. The award includes A$40,000 and an album with ABC Classic.

  Wed 4 Nov, 9:01 pm AEDTFrom Sydney Arts Guide, ABC News and 1 more

• Phoebe Waller-Bridge offers rent-free London flat to new writers

  

  The flat is part of Writers’ Block, a theatre initiative supporting playwrights from disadvantaged backgrounds. Its resident will pay bills but no rent, The Standard reports.

  Wed 4 Nov, 8:06 pm AEDTFrom BBC News and The Standard

• Australia’s National Songbook opens with Midnight Oil and Yothu Yindi

  The first 10 songs have been inducted into a digital archive intended to preserve music that has helped shape Australia’s cultural identity. The list will grow each year.

  Wed 4 Nov, 6:00 pm AEDTFrom Happy Mag, The West Australian and 2 more

• V&A exhibition brings Constantinople and Istanbul together

  

  The London show pairs more than 200 objects from Byzantine and Ottoman times, tracing nearly 1,600 years of the city’s imperial history from its Roman beginnings to 19th-century Istanbul.

  Wed 4 Nov, 11:01 am AEDTFrom Smithsonian Magazine and The Guardian

• Laneway Festival adds Australian sideshows for 2027

  

  Kim Petras, ADÉLA, Gurriers and other international acts are set to play headline shows in Sydney and Melbourne next February. Tickets go on sale from 6 November.

  Wed 4 Nov, 9:19 am AEDTFrom The AU Review and Happy Mag

• Hungary ends state opera chief’s contract after audit

  

  Szilveszter Ókovács, who led the Hungarian State Opera in Budapest for 15 years, says he intends to take legal action. An acting director will serve during the transition.

  Tue 3 Nov, 11:00 pm AEDTFrom OperaWire and Slipped Disc

• Diego Matheuz named conductor at Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Italy

  

  The Venezuelan conductor is set to lead the opera house. He has held a similar role at Teatro La Fenice in Venice.

  Tue 3 Nov, 3:00 pm AEDTFrom OperaWire and Slipped Disc

• 'Mogging' named Collins' word of the year

  

  The slang term means outshining someone or something, often in appearance. Collins says its use rose sharply in 2026 as it moved into mainstream language.

  Tue 3 Nov, 12:52 pm AEDTFrom BBC News, 1News and 3 more

• Amsterdam museum offers tattoos of Rembrandt’s work through 7 November

  

  The Poor Man’s Rembrandt Project has brought a pop-up tattoo studio to the Rembrandt House Museum. Sessions cost roughly US$110 to US$390, and the project runs through 7 November.

  Tue 3 Nov, 7:25 am AEDTFrom Smithsonian Magazine and ARTnews

• Glasgow, Scotland museum confirms request to return priest’s remains to Egypt

  

  Glasgow Life says it has received a request to repatriate the mummified remains of Nekht, which were removed from display at Kelvingrove last month. It has not confirmed who made the request.

  Tue 3 Nov, 4:41 am AEDTFrom The Art Newspaper and The Standard

• Christie’s Abu Dhabi debut sale totals US$8.9 million

  The auction house’s first fine art sale in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, featured works from the Middle East and North Africa and set records for 10 artists.

  Tue 3 Nov, 1:28 am AEDTFrom Artnet News and ARTnews