Balloon Museum photo
Audio By Carbonatix
Summer is nearly upon us, and you know what that means: Group shows, group shows, and more group shows! We’ve got a semiquincentennial exhibition at PAMM, landscapes at NSU Art Museum, Afro-Cuban art at the Lowe, ambient musicians making art at Voloshyn Gallery — and that’s just the beginning. There’s a World Cup-themed video installation at The Bass, a look at freaky new-age cults at the Museum of Sex, and terrifying Japanese woodblock prints at the Morikami. With so much to see, dive into our favorite May art openings below.
All presentations are listed in the order in which they opened. Unless otherwise noted, events are free to attend and open to the public.
“Fragments of Displacement Part II” at Voloshyn Gallery
The artist lineup for this group show at Allapattah’s Voloshyn gallery, originally staged at the Miami Produce Center, includes a couple of stars of the ambient music world: legendary musician Brian Eno, who invented the genre, and Malibu, best known for her NTS Radio show United in Flames. Other famous names on the bill include Dial-a-Poem creator John Giorno and Miami Mountain sculptor Ugo Rondinone. The show opened on Saturday, April 25, and runs through Saturday, May 23. Voloshyn Gallery, 802 NW 22nd St., Miami; 305-400-8525; voloshyngallery.art.
Manuel Chavajay / Manoucher Yektai at ICA Miami
Following the unveiling of its Harmony Korine retrospective last month, two additional new shows have opened at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami. “The Stranger and the Tree” is the first U.S. solo museum show for Manoucher Yektai, an underrecognized abstract expressionist painter of Iranian origin who was active in the legendary New York School. Another show marks the solo museum debut of Tz’utujil Maya artist Manuel Chavajay, whose paintings and ceramics address his people’s culture and their concerns about pollution near their ancestral lands. Both shows open on Thursday, April 30, and run through Sunday, November 22. Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami, 61 NE 41st St., Miami; 305-901-5272; icamiami.org.
“El Pasado Mio/My Own Past: Afrodescendant Contributions to Cuban Art” at Lowe Art Museum
Fifty-two works by 43 artists make up this major survey of Afro-Cuban art from the 1820s onward, with well-known names such as Wifredo Lam and Belkis Ayón alongside many underrecognized creators. The show comes to UM’s Lowe Art Museum from Harvard University’s Cooper Gallery of African & African-American Art and opens on Friday, May 1, running through Saturday, September 12. Lowe Art Museum, 1301 Stanford Dr., Miami; 305-284-3535; lowe.miami.edu.
NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, bequest of Ira D. Glackens
Juanita Richards at Dale Zine
Dale Zine is staging an exhibition for British-Jamaican photographer Juanita Richards, featuring work from her book She Drives She Surfs. The project sees Richards profiling two separate subcultures among Jamaican women, custom cars, and the surf collective Surf Girls Jamaica. Expect striking images of Japanese-style itasha on white-sand beaches and other surreal scenes. The show opens Saturday, May 2, and runs through Sunday, May 31. Dále Zine, 50 NE 40th St., Miami; dalezineshop.com.
“Defining Landscapes” at NSU Art Museum
Fort Lauderdale’s primary art museum is staging a show of landscape art to celebrate the restoration of neighboring Huizenga Park. Artists shown include Joel Meyerowitz, Tracey Emin, George Segal, Antonia Wright, Catherine Opie, Karel Appel, and others. The show opens Saturday, May 2, and runs through Sunday, July 26. NSU Art Museum Fort Lauderdale, 1 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-525-5500; nsuartmuseum.org. Admission costs $16 for adults, $10 for seniors, $8 for military, and $5 for students. Admission is free for members, NSU students, faculty and staff, and children under 12. Admission is free every first Thursday of the month.
Isis Aquarian Source Family Archives photo
“Utopia: Three Centuries of Sexuality in American Cults & Communes” at the Museum of Sex Miami
Ever wanted to know more about those freaky sex cults you hear about in true crime documentaries? Now you can, thanks to the Museum of Sex’s latest exhibition. Curated by filmmaker Jodi Wille, “Utopia” tries to move past the lurid headlines and deeply analyze how the transgressive ideals of utopian societies, from the early American era’s Shakers and Oneida Community to 20th-century groups like the Source Family, have shaped our culture. The show opens on Thursday, May 7, and runs through November. Museum of Sex, 2200 NW 24th Ave., Miami; 786-206-9210; museumofsex.com. Tickets cost $24 to $30.
“Swathed in Color, Line and Stitches” at the CAMP Gallery
North Miami’s CAMP Gallery returns to its frequent subject of fabric art with a show analyzing the use of line work in the medium, a theme usually associated with abstract painting. Four artists will exhibit art: Brittany Clifford, Evelyn Politzer, Gabrielle Torres, and Eden Quispe. The show opens Friday, May 8, and runs through Friday, July 24. The CAMP Gallery, 791 NE 125th St., North Miami; 786-953-8807; thecampgallery.com.
Purchase by the Aoki Endowment for Japanese Arts and Cultures, Scripps College, Claremont
“Yōkai: Scenes of the Supernatural in Japanese Woodblock Prints” at Morikami Museum
It may be a long way from Halloween, but in Japan, summer is the season for spirits and spookiness as the Obon holiday approaches. The Morikami Museum and Gardens is marking the occasion with a show of ukiyo-e prints and picture books depicting yōkai, the famous ghosts, goblins, and ghoulies that populate your favorite anime. Famous artists such as Hokusai and Yoshitoshi make appearances. The show opens on Saturday, May 9, and runs through Sunday, August 30. Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens, 4000 Morikami Park Rd., Delray Beach; 561-495-0233; morikami.org. Admission costs $18 for adults, $16 for seniors and military with ID, $14 for students, and $12 for children ages 6 to 17. Admission is free for children ages 5 and under.
“Pop Air” at Balloon Museum
This is one museum where you can touch the art: The Balloon Museum is “popping up” at Mana Wynwood with “Pop Art,” a show dedicated to inflatable artworks that invite interaction, featuring pieces by Quiet Ensemble, Christopher Schardt, Cyril Lancelin, and others. Maybe it’s more of a novelty attraction than the actual fine art exhibits elsewhere on this list, but the stuff on display is functionally no different than the Yayoi Kusama “Infinity Room” PAMM exhibited a few years ago, so whatever. Take the kids! The show opens Saturday, May 16. Please be aware that ticket prices are quite exorbitant. Mana Wynwood, 318 NW 23rd St., Miami; balloonmuseum.world. Tickets cost $41 for adults, $36 for seniors and children ages 13 to 17, and $32 for children ages 4 to 12. Discounts are available for families and people with disabilities.
Collection Pérez Art Museum Miami, gift of Debra and Dennis Scholl. Image courtesy the Philadelphia Art Museum. © Zoe Strauss
“Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait” at The Bass
Timed to coincide with the Miami-hosted matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, The Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach is showing Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno’s two-screen video portrait of legendary French soccer player Zinedine Zidane. The film offers a radical departure from traditional nonfiction filmmaking, building a profile of Zidane from footage of a single 2005 match between Zidane’s team, Real Madrid, and fellow Spanish side Villarreal. Scottish post-rock band Mogwai provides the soundtrack. The film is also being shown at the Guggenheim Museum in New York. The Bass’ presentation begins on Wednesday, May 20, and runs through Sunday, July 19, the day of the World Cup final. The Bass Museum of Art, 2100 Collins Ave., Miami Beach; 305-673-7530; thebass.org. Admission costs $15 for adults; $8 for seniors, students, and youth. Admission is free for children 6 and under, Miami Beach and Surfside residents, City of Miami Beach employees, military and veterans, SNAP EBT cardholders, people with disabilities, and their caregivers.
“This Is America: Selections from PAMM’s Collection” at Pérez Art Museum Miami
In case you weren’t aware (and we don’t blame you, considering the, uh, general state of things), the United States is turning 250 years old this year — a veritable semiquincentennial! (Try saying that three times fast!) The Pérez Art Museum Miami is marking the occasion with a collection show featuring work from a whole mess of great contemporary artists: Alfredo Jaar, Carrie Mae Weems, Judy Chicago, Lyle Ashton Harris, Rashid Johnson, and Howardena Pindell are among the names listed. Locals, including Thomas Bils and Eddie Arroyo, will also take part. The show opens on Saturday, May 23, and runs through 2027. Pérez Art Museum Miami, 1103 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; 305-375-3000; pamm.org. Tickets cost $18 for adults; $14 for students with ID, seniors age 62 and over, and youth ages 7 to 18. Admission is free for active U.S. military and veterans with ID, healthcare professionals and first responders with ID, children 6 and under, Florida educators with ID, people with disabilities, and their caregivers.
