The P*DA, Designer of the Year award is a significant recognition for designers in Singapore, symbolizing the country's appreciation for their work. The winner feels deeply honoured by this accolade from their home country. To young and aspiring designers, the advice is to be patient while working diligently to improve daily, striving to excel individually. The industry offers no linear path to success, requiring designers to weigh opportunity costs and choose ideas that excite and reward them. Each project provides valuable lessons, informing future endeavors.
Standard Chartered cardholders can earn rewards ranging from HK$5,000 to HK$2,600 for shopping at Pacific Place during the "Field of Flowers" pop-up event featuring Takashi Murakami's artwork, held from July 31 to August 24, 2025. Rewards include e-vouchers worth HK$100 to HK$2,200, with specific tiers offering higher rewards such as a HK$800 e-voucher for purchases between HK$30,000 and HK$79,999.
A man caused damage to a Van Gogh chair exhibit at the Maffei Palace in Verona, Italy, by sitting on it without regard for its condition. The incident occurred just weeks after another tourist was caught on CCTV sitting on the same chair, causing it to buckle under their weight. Museum staff reported the man and identified him to the police, who removed the painting from the wall for repair.
The V&A Museum's director has proposed a network of museums to combat the Islamic State's looting and trafficking of cultural artifacts in Syria. The plan aims to prevent stolen objects from being sold in the West, following the museum's own efforts to fight back against the group. In recent years, archaeologists have made significant discoveries in Iraq and Syria, including an ancient city near Baghdad with hundreds of artefacts, and a collection of 233 objects sent to the Iraq Museum. The V&A has also showcased cultural artifacts and medieval manuscripts from Syria and Iraq in exhibitions, while a Syrian-born artist created contemporary commissions for these shows.
Artist Vincent Valdez's latest work "Just a Dream…" features his Stations series from 2001 to 2004, which depicts the last fight of a boxer in the style of the stations of the cross. The collection also includes "It Was A Very Good Year" (2024), a photorealistic painting that captures a moment from Valdez's life when he was about to testify before Congress about Iran-Contra. Another notable piece is "North", which shows Michael Jordan midair in a slam dunk competition, with an eerie blue halo surrounding him. The works are on display at MASS MoCA through April 5, 2026.
Dubai's Global Encounters Festival is a celebration of unity, service, and excellence that aims to empower the next generation of changemakers through art, sports, and civic leadership. The festival, hosted by Dubai World Trade Centre Authority, aligns with the UAE's Year of Community 2025, promoting inclusion, sustainability, and innovation. With over 25,000 expected visitors from more than 200 nationalities, the event is expected to deliver a world-class experience that matches the ambition and energy of this remarkable youth-led gathering.
A new exhibition at Salt Galata in Istanbul delves into the censored history of "Dark World," a film originally directed by Metin Erksan and written by Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu, which tells the story of legendary folk poet Âşık Veysel. The film was shot in rural Anatolia's Sivrialan village and Ürgüp town, but underwent significant changes following censorship rulings issued by the Central Film Control Commission in Ankara between 1952 and 1953. These edits, including staged footage from Istanbul, altered the narrative to reflect Turkey's agricultural modernization agenda, transforming the film into a vehicle for state propaganda.
LG Electronics has partnered with the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) to launch "MMCA×LG OLED Series 2025 –TZUSOO," an inaugural exhibition featuring 88 LG OLED screens. The project, starting August 1, 2025, will explore the intersection of art and technology through a large-scale digital installation by Korean media artist TZUSOO at MMCA Seoul's iconic Seoul Box until February 1, 2026.
Manila-born artist Loribelle Spirovski won the 2025 Archibald Prize People's Choice award for her portrait of yidaki (didgeridoo) virtuoso William Barton. The painting was created after a month-long delay due to Spirovski's hand injury, which she attributes to scoliosis and long hours spent painting. Despite initial doubts about doing justice to Barton, Spirovski accepted the $5000 prize, saying it came at a time when she had considered giving up her art career.