On New Year’s Day in New York, Zohran Mamdani assumes the role of mayor, heralding a fresh start grounded in history and envisioning a newly built world. This moment is a reminder that nothing is assured, and achieving justice, truth, and peace demands hard work and collective effort. At Hyperallergic, we recognize that our stories and investigations rely on the support and trust of our community.
We recently exceeded our goal of 8,000 paying members, illustrating the willingness of people to back art news and critiques that challenge the status quo and eschew the influence of wealth. In this newsletter, we highlight works entering the public domain, such as José Clemente Orozco’s ‘Prometheus,’ Piet Mondrian’s ‘Composition with Red, Blue, and Yellow,’ and the Surrealist film ‘L’Âge d’Or’ by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí.
Chenoa Baker reflects on Fred Wilson’s Boston exhibition, remarking on the lingering idea of reflection and the colonial shadows that mirror current realities. Following the passing of Cecilia Giménez, known for the ‘Beast Jesus’ restoration, Sabine Heinlein recounts her visit to the site, now a tourist attraction, noting the unforeseen benefits the artistic mishap brought to the parish.
As we embrace the new year, Rainer Maria Rilke’s words to his wife Clara on January 1, 1907, resonate: ‘And now let us believe in a long year that is given to us, new, untouched, full of things that have never been.’ Let us enter this year ready to turn our dreams into reality.
May your day be filled with love and reflection, contemplating how we can heal the divides that separate us.
