Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, athletes and cultural figures from the country have found themselves locked out of a range of international contests and events. Now Leica has removed Russian photographer Valery Melnikov from the shortlist of the 2026 Leica Oskar Barnack Award. Melnikov's nominated series "Mariupol: Open Wounds" focuses on how Russia's invasion devastated the Ukrainian city and its people. Critics say the work fails to acknowledge Russia's responsibility for Mariupol's s fate. The move, noted Digital Camera World, spotlights a difficult issue for photojournalism.

  Continuing: Self-Made: A Century of Inventing Artists at Folk Art Museum This engaging show offers a reminder that the best summer exhibitions often feel like bouquets gathered from many gardens, celebrating the enduring pleasure of stories drawn from everyday experience. Curated with a keen eye for how familiar subjects can continually be renewed through color, composition, and imagination, the show beautifully dismantles the myth of the isolated, accidental outsider. By grouping ...