This Week's Can’t-Miss Art Stories & Inspo

Sharp, bold, and right on time.🙂

July 16, 2025

Welcome to your weekly quick drop of the boldest art and creative ideas worth saving. In just 5 minutes.

TOP 3 ART STORIES THIS WEEK

1. 🇦🇺 Case Solved: Sabsabi & Dagostino Going to Venice

After months of backlash, resignations, and one giant censorship debate, Khaled Sabsabi and Michael Dagostino are officially back to lead the Australian Pavilion at the 2026 Venice Biennale.

Creative Australia dropped them in February. The reason: Sabsabi’s 2007 film You featured a speech by Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, sparking accusations of “supporting terrorism” in the Australian Senate.

The months-long controversy caused resignations, boycotts, and a broad conversation about artistic freedom and censorship. There was even an idea in the air of leaving the Australian pavilion empty in 2026. 🛑

Now, in a dramatic U-turn, after an external review, Sabsabi and Dagostino were officially invited back, and they accepted.

‘We would not have reached this point without the unwavering support of the Australian and international creative community,’ Sabsabi and Dagostino said. 

‘We accept this invitation and welcome the opportunity to represent our country on this prestigious international stage.’ 🙂 

📅 Venice Biennale: 9 May–22 Nov 2026.

2. Notre-Dame’s Towers Are Back

After six years of silence after the big fire, the towers of Notre-Dame de Paris are finally reopening in September, and they’ve had a serious glow-up.

So here’s what’s new:

  • A whole new visitor route

  • Immersive soundscapes, fresh models, and behind-the-scenes fire restoration stories

  • A new entrance: no more north tower, now you climb from the south

Climb all 424 steps, and you’ll pass chimeras, bells, and medieval beasties, all the way to a panoramic 69-meter-high view of Paris.

When coming back down - expect a custom sound experience, plus a majestic oak staircase that looks like it was built by time travelers.

Why the delay? The south tower had hidden damage from water infiltration (not fire) so restoration work had to stretch longer than planned. And while the cathedral reopened symbolically in December 2024, this is the first time the towers are fully back in action.

🔜 Coming up: spire statues rise again, and full restoration continues till 2028.

Maximilien Luce - The Quai Saint-Michel and Notre-Dame - Google Art Project.jpg

3. Art’s Nobel Goes to Abramović & Doig 🏆

It’s official, the 2025 Praemium Imperiale (aka the Nobel of the art world) crowned two giants.

Peter Doig takes the prize for painting. The Scottish-born artist (who’s lived almost everywhere) is known for dreamy, memory-soaked landscapes.

His work is rare, hypnotic, and highly sought after. He paints just 3–6 canvases a year, and they’ve sold for millions. The jury praised him for “redefining the expressive potential of painting.”

Marina Abramović wins for sculpture - though let’s be honest, she’s redefined performance art. From letting strangers use 72 objects on her body to locking eyes in silence for 700+ hours at MoMA, her work is about presence, risk, and raw humanity.

“Receiving this tremendous recognition… The real performance, the creativity, and the conversation continue,” she said.

Other 2025 winners:

  • 🎭 Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker (theater/film)

  • 🎹 András Schiff (music)

  • 🏛️ Eduardo Souto de Moura (architecture)

Each award comes with ¥15 million (~€92,000) and eternal bragging rights. Ceremony’s set for October 22 in Tokyo.

One Inspirational Quote

“I think it’s terribly dangerous for an artist to fulfil other people's expectations. If you feel safe in the area you’re working in, you’re not working in the right area. Always go a little further into water, go a little bit out of your depth. And when you don’t feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you’re just about in the right place.”
— David Bowie

This is your permission slip to stop playing it safe.
To quit painting what you know will work.
To walk past the edge of your usual style, and keep going.

If you feel wobbly? Perfect, cause that’s where the real work begins.

Try something that risks failure, but might just unlock your next breakthrough. ✨

Poetry Recommendation

AKA: August is Poetry Month in Australia, and You’re Invited

Australia is throwing a month-long poetry party, and you're welcome, even from afar. So why not to take a look? It features:

  • 🎤 Live performances across the country

  • 💻 Online workshops you can join from anywhere

  • 📝 Daily poems from top voices (30in30)

  • 🎭 Events mixing poetry with music, film, debate & more

“Poetry leaps off the page every day in August,” they say. ✍️
Let’s celebrate with them. Link to their Instagram page.

Music for Your Studio 🎸

If your creative work needs grit, power, and a little darkness, this is your soundtrack.

🎤 On July 5, Ozzy Osbourne and the original Black Sabbath lineup took the stage one last time in Birmingham - where it all began.

Ozzy, 76 and battling Parkinson’s and many other health issues, sang seated on a black throne, in front of 40,000 fans, on the rotating stage.

💥 The vibe:

  • Sabbath classics like “Paranoid,” “War Pigs,” “Iron Man”

  • Emotional solos (“Mama, I’m Coming Home” had fans crying)

  • Guest chaos: Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Tool, Steven Tyler, and yes—Yungblud covering “Changes” with a piano

“Let the madness begin,” Ozzy yelled, and it did.

(P.S. This concert raised millions for charity. What a nice gesture!)

(P.P.S Watch a clip from their final gig here.)

That’s it for this time. Thank you for reading 🙂 

Wishing you awesome days — and see you again next time! 😎

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