A landmark moment for the Turner Prize, as Nnena Kalu takes home the award. Known for her vibrant drawings and sculptures made from found fabric and VHS tape, Kalu was crowned at a ceremony in Bradford, becoming the first artist with a learning disability to ever win the prize.

The cultural world marked the loss of two towering figures this month. Frank Gehry, the Canadian-American architect behind some of the most recognisable buildings of the past century, from the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA, passed away aged 96 at his home in Santa Monica. Also lost was British documentary photographer Martin Parr, who died aged 73 following a long illness. Parr’s sharp, often uncomfortable observations of class, leisure and British identity reshaped documentary photography.

Hauser & Wirth has announced plans for its first Italian space, set within the 20,000 sq ft Palazzo Forcella De Seta in Sicily. The 19th-century Neo-Gothic palace was purchased in November, with renovation work scheduled to begin in 2026. Another signal that the mega-gallery model is leaning ever further into destination-driven cultural real estate.

MoMA PS1 is set to remove its admission fees entirely from 1 January, thanks to a major donation from creative entrepreneur and art patron @sonyayu. The initiative will run for three years, aligning with the museum’s 50th anniversary, and will make PS1 the largest free museum in New York, a rare and welcome move.

Pantone has announced Pantone 11-4201 Cloud Dancer as its Colour of the Year: a soft, muted white intended to “quiet the mind” and act as a blank canvas for creativity. But in recent days, the choice has been widely questioned online. Against the backdrop of heightened political discourse, some critics argue that selecting white as a cultural touchstone feels tone-deaf.

💥 PARTNER SPOTLIGHT - STUDIO J.E.D. 💥

Powered by Studio J.E.D.

We are excited to team up with Studio J.E.D. for this Art Girl Fax issue. Studio J.E.D. was founded in early 2025 when ceramic artist Jen Dwyer moved from rural Connecticut to move in with her them boyfriend and soon to be husband Brooklyn. In a tiny apartment under the rumble of the Bushwick train, surrounded by moving boxes and uninspiring Amazon lamps she asked herself a life-changing question: “What if I made the lighting I wish existed?”. The next day she began sculpting soft, organic, deeply handmade ceramic lighting meant to bring calm and beauty into everyday spaces. Only a couple of months after creating her first piece — the now-beloved Kusama Lamp — Dwyer was invited into a group exhibition at Bergdorf Goodman, curated by Natasha Roberts where most of her lamps sold out repeatedly. The momentum set the foundation for a growing collectible lighting studio grounded in craftsmanship, texture, and sculptural design. Working from her Brooklyn studio, Dwyer is now developing her second collection and preparing for her upcoming exhibition at ICFF in May 2026 and if you like to get an idea of her work (and the iconic lamps….), find more info here.

Discover the can’t-miss art events worldwide that TheArtGorgeous team are itching to see!

• Somos Pacífico – Mexico City, Mexico
  

• Dana Awartani: Standing By the Ruins – Eastbourne, United Kingdom
  

• Kochi-Muziris Biennale – Kochi, India
  

• Saâdane Afif: Five Preludes – Berlin, Germany
  

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