Art World Updates: Istanbul Biennial Theme, SP-Arte Exhibitors, Hayward Appointment, and Mekas Death

The 16th Istanbul Biennial, scheduled for 14 September – 10 November, will explore environmental themes under the title The Seventh Continent, referencing plastic waste in the North Pacific. SP-Arte in São Paulo celebrates its 15th edition from 4–7 April with a Latin American focus curated by Alexia Tala. Art Brussels runs its 37th edition from 25–28 April with 148 galleries and a new Invited section. Zoé Whitley becomes senior director of The Hayward Gallery in London on 8 April, moving from Tate Modern where she curated Soul of a Nation. She will also curate Cathy Wilkes's British Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. The Bulawayo Biennial in Zimbabwe is postponed to October 2020 due to political unrest. Avant-garde filmmaker Jonas Mekas died at age 96. Apichatpong Weerasethakul won the £40,000 Artes Mundi 8 prize in Cardiff, beating Trevor Paglen, Bouchra Khalili, Otobong Nkanga and Anna Boghiguian. U.S. museums face ethical scrutiny: The Metropolitan Museum of Art reviews ties to the Sackler family, while the Whitney Museum confronts protests over board member Warren B. Kanders.