By Julia Radovich
This May, the world feels like it’s opening again – one artwork, one thought, one moment at a time.
From the streets of New York to the quiet corners of Lisbon, new exhibitions invite us not just to look — but to feel, to notice, to slow down.
Here’s a glimpse into what’s moving culture right now – and maybe, a little bit of all of us too.
– NEW YORK
Exhibition:
Superfine: Tailoring Black Style
Why go:
An elegant, courageous story woven through three centuries. Here, style becomes a quiet form of resistance, a loud declaration of pride, and a living archive of Black excellence.
Where:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gallery 999
Dates:
May 10 – October 26, 2025
Mood:
Powerful | Sophisticated | Political
– PARIS
Exhibition:
David Hockney at Fondation Louis Vuitton
Why go:
Seven decades of pure color, light, and unapologetic joy. Hockney reminds us: life, like spring, finds its way back – with pools, blossoms, and bold, laughing lines.
Where:
Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris
Dates:
April 9 – August 31, 2025
Mood:
Joyful | Innovative | Timeless
– LONDON
Exhibition:
Edvard Munch: Portraits
Why go:
Not just faces — echoes of souls. Munch’s portraits feel like miri catching the fragile, furious, quiet parts of being human.
Where:
The Courtauld Gallery, London
Dates:
March 13 – June 15, 2025
Mood:
Expressive | Psychological | Timeless
– MILANO
Exhibition:
Typologien: Photography in 20th-century Germany
Why go:
Structures. Silences. Stories hidden in patterns. This vast exhibition traces how photography tries – and fails — to neatly label a chaotic, shifting world.
Where:
Fondazione Prada, Milano
Dates:
April 3 – July 14, 2025
Mood:
Analytical | Minimalist | Boundary-breaking
– TOKYO
Exhibition:
Ghibli 3D Model Exhibition
Why go:
Magic you can almost touch. Studio Ghibli’s worlds – Totoro’s forest, Howl’s moving castle – rebuilt in three dimensions, so close you might step inside.
Where:
Warehouse Terrada B&C/E Halls, Tokyo
Dates:
May 27 – September 23, 2025
Mood:
Magical | Nostalgic | Immersive
– SEOUL
Exhibition:
Ron Mueck: Hyperrealism
Why go:
Quiet giants, frozen in thought. Mueck’s sculptures magnify the fragile moments of life – birth, rest, death – so raw you almost look away. But stay.
Where:
MMCA Seoul, South Korea
Dates:
April 11 – July 13, 2025
Mood:
Hyperreal | Existential | Monumental
– BERLIN
Exhibition:
Helmut Newton: Polaroids
Why go:
Flashbulbs, glamour, danger. Newton’s instant portraits feel like secret notes passed backstage – beautiful, reckless, honest.
Where:
Museum für Fotografie, Berlin
Dates:
March 7 – July 27, 2025
Mood:
Glamorous Instantaneous Provocative
– LISBON
Exhibition:
Jeff Wall: Time Stands Still
Why go:
Stories that unfold in a single, frozen breath. Jeff Wall builds scenes that feel more real than memory itself – and maybe, even closer to us than reality.
Where:
MAAT – Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, Lisbon
Dates:
From March 16, 2025 (ongoing)
Mood:
Cinematic | Existential | Poetic
– SHANGHAI
Exhibition:
Martin Parr: Short & Sweet
Why go:
Bright, ironic, brutally real. Parr captures everything we love and laugh at — ice cream on beaches, consumer dreams, small glories, big mistakes – and turns them into postcards of humanity.
Where:
Fotografiska Shanghai
Dates:
March 14 – July 13, 2025
Mood:
Vibrant | Satirical | Global
– AMSTERDAM
Exhibition:
Digital & Immersive Art – Studio Irma & Andrés Reisinger
Why go:
A future built of light, reflection, and connection. Step inside a space where empathy glows, and the digital becomes beautifully, unexpectedly human.
Where:
Moco Museum, Amsterdam
Dates:
Ongoing through 2025
Mood:
Immersive | Futuristic | Dreamlike
Selected with love by Vanity Teen. All opinions are our own.