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Arts and culture events across the world will bring together audiences this week, with programs ranging from the Venice Biennale and international book fairs to documentary film festivals, major concerts, and new cinema releases.
The week’s most prominent event will be the 61st Venice Biennale, which opens on May 9 in Venice, Italy, bringing together artists from around the world across visual arts, architecture, dance, cinema, and theater.
The art exhibition will be curated by Koyo Kouoh, while the Türkiye Pavilion, coordinated by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (IKSV), will feature artist Nilbar Gures.
Curated by Basak Doga Temur, Gures’ exhibition, titled "A Kiss on the Eyes" (Gozlerinizden Operim), will present questions of identity and cultural memory through sculpture, photography, video, and performance for an international audience.
Several other art and literature events are also taking place across Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
The Bogota International Book Fair (FILBo), held in Colombia’s capital, with India as this year’s guest of honor, ends today.
The first event of Cultura Collective, a cultural platform developed between Türkiye, Azerbaijan, and Austria, will take place on Tuesday at Palais Niederoesterreich in Vienna. Bringing together art, music, and gastronomy, the event aims to reinterpret cultural heritage through a contemporary perspective and create an international language of cultural exchange.
Turkish artist Rahsan Duren will present her new works on May 6 at San Clemente Palace in Venice. Built around the theme “Play Again,” the exhibition will feature two sculptures and 47 paintings, with the show later continuing in Istanbul from May 20 at Tarhan Han.
In Japan, the International 2026 Art X Toyama Exhibition is being held for the 10th time in Toyama. The exhibition, open at Shinkawa Culture Hall until May 10, hosts 60 artists from Japan, Germany, France, South Korea, Russia, Poland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Türkiye. Works by Turkish artists Ahmet Ozel, Mufit Isler, and Nur Ozalp are also on display.
In Argentina, the Buenos Aires International Book Fair, celebrating its 50th anniversary, will remain open until May 11. Peru is this year’s guest of honor, with the fair hosting publishing professionals, educators, and readers.
Film festivals will also shape the week’s cultural calendar, with several major documentary events opening or continuing across Europe and Asia.
The 69th San Francisco International Film Festival in the United States ends today after hosting films by award-winning directors and emerging talents.
In South Korea, the 27th Jeonju International Film Festival will continue until May 8, screening 237 films from 54 countries.
Taipei is hosting the Taiwan International Documentary Festival (TIDF), a biennial event dedicated to local and international documentary cinema, until May 10.
In Spain, Documenta Madrid, organized by Cineteca Madrid with the support of the Madrid City Council, begins on Tuesday and will continue until May 10. The festival focuses on contemporary films and new aesthetic approaches that move beyond traditional documentary forms.
Germany’s DOK.fest Munchen, one of Europe’s leading documentary film festivals, will take place from May 6 to 17, presenting more than 100 documentaries from nearly 50 countries.
In Barcelona, DocsBarcelona opens on May 7 and will continue until May 17. In addition to screenings, the festival functions as an international industry market and brings together documentary professionals through its distribution network.
Major concerts will also take place across Europe this week.
Violinist Andre Rieu will perform in Poland, with concerts in Gdansk on May 6, Lodz on May 7, Gliwice on May 8, and Krakow on May 9.
Italian singer, songwriter, and composer Eros Ramazzotti will perform in Madrid today and in Lisbon on May 6.
British blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter Eric Clapton will appear in Prague today, followed by concerts in Madrid on May 7 and Barcelona on May 10.
Metallica will perform in Athens on May 9 at the Athens Olympic Sports Complex, located north of the Greek capital.
Tame Impala will continue its tour with performances in Amsterdam on May 4, Antwerp on May 5, London on May 7, Manchester on May 8, Birmingham on May 9, and Glasgow on May 11.
In U.S. cinemas, seven films are set for release this week.
Arnaud Desplechin’s “Deux Pianos” will open May 8, starring Francois Civil as a French piano virtuoso who returns from Asia to his hometown of Lyon and becomes involved in an impossible love story. The cast also includes Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Charlotte Rampling, and Hippolyte Girardot.
“Mortal Kombat II,” based on the video game series, was written by Jeremy Slater and directed by Simon McQuoid. The film will also be released on May 8.
Mystery comedy thriller “The Sheep Detectives,” directed by Kyle Balda and written by Craig Mazin, is adapted from Leonie Swann’s 2005 novel “Three Bags Full.”
Other U.S. releases scheduled for May 8 include “Mistura,” “Iron Maiden: Burning Ambition,” and “Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft, The Tour Live in 3D.”
The film “Labyrinth” is set to return to cinemas on May 10.
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