menu_open Columnists
Elisa Carollo

Elisa Carollo

Observer

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

The Venice Biennale’s Most Powerful Pavilions Tune into Shared Consciousness

Amid protests, geopolitical tensions and the contradictions of the Biennale’s own structure, the most compelling pavilions leaned into ancestral...

previous day 1

Observer

Elisa Carollo

The Philippines Pavilion Turns the Country’s Maritime History into an Archive of Universal Longing

Artist Jon Cuyson’s installation reimagines the ocean not as distance or danger but as a sentient entity that connects communities and sustains...

thursday 4

Observer

Elisa Carollo

LAS Art Foundation Pushes Quantum Art Forward in a New Venice Commission

The organization's exhibitions are deliberately designed to help observers engage with complex topics like A.I. and quantum physics without prior...

06.05.2026 5

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Dabin Ahn’s “Nocturne” and the Slow Meditative Work of Grief

Coming from a still-life tradition, the artist's earlier paintings depicted perfect, flawless objects. In his most recent work, that serene and...

05.05.2026 6

Observer

Elisa Carollo

How Frieze New York Is Doubling Down On Engagement and Institutional Reach

Director Christine Messineo describes a strategy centered on performance, partnerships and emerging voices.

05.05.2026 7

Observer

Elisa Carollo

In the Polish Pavilion, “Liquid Tongues” Rewrites Our Hierarchy of the Senses

Conceived by deaf artist Daniel Kotowski alongside artist and playwright Bogna Burska around the notion of "Deaf Gain," this Venice Biennale...

05.05.2026 8

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Dominique Lévy, Brett Gorvy and Amalia Dayan Want to Bring Auction Urgency to Private Secondary Market Sales

The Lévy Gorvy Dayan collaborators are venturing together into "the dark side" of private transactions.

04.05.2026 9

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Sara Flores On Bringing Shipibo-Konibo Cosmology to Peru’s Venice Pavilion

Bringing her practice to Venice is not about adapting it to the contemporary world, but about allowing it to have an impact beyond its immediate...

04.05.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

“Greater New York” Shows a Generation’s Resilience at the Edge of Collapse

MoMA PS1’s quinquennial captures a city shaped by constraint, where artists adapt and endure but rarely imagine what comes next.

02.05.2026 9

Observer

Elisa Carollo

10 Must-See Off-Site Venice Biennale Exhibitions

Spanning performance, painting and immersive installation, these collateral shows spotlight artists reckoning with history, technology and myth across...

01.05.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

How Andrea Alvarez’s Long-Overdue Survey on Contemporary Latinx Art at Buffalo AKG Art Museum Came to Be

From representations of the body and questions of visibility to engagements with land, belonging and displacement, the works on view reflect concerns...

29.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Leah Ke Yi Zheng On Painting as a Relational Phenomenon

She views art through a transformative lens in which light, space and human perception continuously reshape each work.

29.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

The Last Surrealist: Artist Enrico Donati’s Collection Heads to Auction

This exceptional single-owner collection brings to market works by Picasso, Kandinsky, Calder and Tanguy, among others. Many were acquired directly...

28.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

The Vintage Leica Market Is Surging as Analog Photography Finds New Devotees

Geographically, the strongest growth in this market segment is currently concentrated in the U.S., alongside key markets in China and Japan.

27.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Christie’s Locks in the $450 Million S.I. Newhouse Collection

Jackson Pollock’s 'Number 7A' and Constantin Brâncuși’s 'Danaïde,' each with an estimate in the $100 million range, will lead the single-owner,...

27.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

In Dancehall and Reggaetón’s Evolution, MCA Chicago Charts a Global Awakening

"Dancing the Revolution" traces the journey of two genres from the margins of Caribbean working-class life to the center of contemporary art and...

24.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

In an Age of Image Overload, AIPAD’s The Photography Show Reminds Us What a Photograph Can Do

The breadth of the presentations reaffirmed the medium’s relevance across generations and geographies.

23.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

In Chelsea, Canal 47 and Max Levai Are Betting On Collaboration

As the economics of running a gallery grow more demanding, cooperation is replacing competition as the operating logic for a new generation of...

23.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

The $96 Million de Gunzburg Collection Just Set a New Bar for Design at Auction

The Lalanne works alone generated $64.7 million, reshaping expectations for the global design market in the process.

23.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Diane Keaton’s Collection Heads to Bonhams, Revealing a Life Shaped by Singular Taste

Spanning fashion, film memorabilia and fine art, the series of four sales will paint an intimate portrait of one of Hollywood's most distinctive...

22.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

The Best New Discoveries of Milan Art Week 2026

At both miart and Paris Internationale, next-generation talents pushed painting, sculpture and installation art into unstable yet compelling...

22.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

How MEGA Art Fair Became Milan Art Week’s Social Club

"We are still an art fair and sales matter, but we are also trying to build a different kind of connection between galleries and audiences," founder...

22.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Art Galleries Are Quietly Embracing A.I. But Most Have No Guardrails in Place

"In an industry built on discretion and trust, the gap between how widely A.I. is being used and how little governance surrounds it should concern...

17.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

At the Bronx Museum Gala, a Community-Built Institution Prepares for Its Next Chapter

At its 2026 Gala & Art Auction, the Bronx Museum of the Arts celebrated its community-driven legacy while looking ahead to a major renovation, with...

17.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Jessica Taylor Bellamy’s Captured Realities Are Never Fully What They Seem

Her latest body of work considers the tension between personal and collective frameworks, particularly as felt in a time of societal fragmentation...

17.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Marcel Duchamp at MoMA: Five Revelations From the Artist’s First North American Survey in Over 50 Years

Late in life, he declared, “I’m nothing else but an artist, I’m sure, and delighted to be," but he clearly was so much more.

16.04.2026 9

Observer

Elisa Carollo

With Artnet and Artsy, Andrew Wolff Is Laying the Groundwork for a New Kind of Art-World Ecosystem

"We're creating a symbiotic commercial ecosystem, starting with Artsy and Artnet, that creates a new kind of intelligence for the art market."

16.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

The Exhibitions Not to Miss During Milan Art Week

From Cao Fei at Fondazione Prada to Kiefer at Palazzo Reale, these are the best exhibitions in Milan right now.

15.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

How One Art Shipping Company Is Pairing A.I.-Driven Efficiencies With Hands-On Human Attention

In an industry where human expertise and technological efficiency are often seen as opposing forces, Convelio co-founders Eduard Gouin and Clément...

15.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

James Taylor-Foster On Curatorial Fluidity and Para Site’s Next Chapter

The traditional separation of contemporary art into distinct branches—visual art, design, architecture and digital culture—might still matter, he...

14.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Consonni Radziszewski Launches With a Three-City Footprint

Dealers Matteo Consonni and Dawid Radziszewski have officially joined forces to create an ambitious new gallery built for the next phase of the...

14.04.2026 20

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Dealer Estates Will Once Again Headline New York’s May Marquee Auctions

A generational shift among dealers is putting headline-grabbing museum-grade works into circulation, as legacy planning begins to impact the market's...

13.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Neighbors in Chicago Reimagined the Art Fair as a Gilded Age Cultural Salon

Founders Mirka Serrato and Jonny Tanna wanted to create a new kind of art fair that could bridge the gap between emerging galleries and institutions.

13.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

EXPO CHICAGO 2026 Opens With Local Enthusiasm and Strong Institutional Sales

Under new director Kate Sierzputowski, the fair opened with a tighter format and a sharper curatorial focus, driving early (and steady) sales across...

10.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Maurizio Cattelan Turned This Years RenBen Gala into a Silent Party

The artist's ban on conversation forced gala-goers to focus on the experience, stripping away that layer of social performance that so often distracts...

10.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

What’s Behind the Million-Dollar Pikachu Cards and the Record-Breaking Anime Auctions

Nineties nostalgia is no longer niche, and trading cards and manga have evolved into serious financial assets.

09.04.2026 20

Observer

Elisa Carollo

How Two Hong Kong Collectors Are Choosing Public Engagement Over Possession

Brian Yue and Claire Bi's Cheng-Lan’s Corner opened in March with "Cian Dayrit: A Country, A Body," the first solo exhibition in Hong Kong by the...

09.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

The Exhibitions Not to Miss During EXPO CHICAGO

From Reggaetón to Matisse, Maurizio Cattelan and more, here's everything worth seeing during Chicago's biggest art week.

08.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

At the New Museum, Parallel Visions of Humanity’s Future Emerge

Artistic director Massimiliano Gioni has mounted an inaugural exhibition that can only be described as an epic of the modern human.

07.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Sotheby’s Evelyn Lin On Asia’s Maturing Market, Young Collectors and the New Rules of the Hong Kong Sale

Observer caught up with the Sotheby's Asia head of modern and contemporary art to discuss a market in transition and how the auction house is...

07.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Meet the Collector: Why Evan Chow Doesn’t Believe in the Coup de Foudre

"I find myself drawn more consistently to works that hold their own structure, where the logic is internal and doesn't rely on context to sustain...

07.04.2026 20

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Under Director Kate Sierzputowski, EXPO CHICAGO Bets On Renewed Institutional Depth

In conversation with Observer, she outlined her vision for an even more curatorially focused fair rooted in strong institutional partnerships and...

06.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

At Perrotin, Gelitin Creates Space for Collective Ludic Experiences

"We try to stay open and, importantly, to stay happy. We don't want to chase one idea to the point of frustration. Instead, we keep multiple...

03.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Kamrooz Aram On Painting in the Space Between Grid and Gesture

At Alexander Gray Associates and the Whitney Biennial, the artist advances his decades-long inquiry into ornament, abstraction and intuition.

02.04.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Luxury Auctions Surged Last Year, With Jewelry, Ferrari and Hermès Driving Record Results

From a $14 million diamond to a $10.1 million Hermès Birkin and a $25 million McLaren F1, luxury has become the auction market's most powerful engine...

31.03.2026 30

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Vian Sora’s Beautiful Wreckage

In her latest exhibition at Bortolami, the artist confronts traumatic memories of war using paint as a channel for cathartic explorations of entropy...

31.03.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Inside Gubgub Studios, Qatar’s First Artist-Led Platform for Cross-Disciplinary Creatives

In one of the world's most institution-heavy art scenes, Gubgub Studios is making the case for independence.

30.03.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Across the Major Houses, Hong Kong’s March Sales Confirm a New Collecting Maturity

Taken together, the results paint a vivid portrait of a market that is coming of age without losing its appetite and building lasting value and legacy...

30.03.2026 10

Observer

Elisa Carollo

Art Central Is Still Hong Kong’s Most Vital Discovery Fair

With its sharp focus on pop-inflected visual languages and regionally rooted sensibilities, this year's edition rewards serious looking.

27.03.2026 20

Observer

Elisa Carollo

An Anti-Art Fair Is Taking Root in the Mojave Desert

The founders of the High Desert Art Fair wanted to create a fun, inclusive environment that would bring a more diverse audience into the fold. By all...

26.03.2026 30

Observer

Elisa Carollo