As we embrace the final Saturday of the year, we’ve been reflecting on the highlights of 2025. This includes our top exhibitions and artworks, impactful books and films, and the memes that brought humor to our increasingly dystopian world. We also released our annual 20 Most Powerless list, a tradition at Hyperallergic that humorously critiques the market-driven media’s arbitrary ‘most powerful’ rankings. Our inaugural Powerless list in 2009 featured ‘assistant curators living off $27,000 salaries,’ and sadly, little has changed. This year’s list honors undocumented immigrants, artists facing censorship, and other unsung heroes striving for recognition despite numerous obstacles.
This week, we paid tribute to the artistic legends we lost this year. Among them are artist Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, filmmaker David Lynch, architect Frank Gehry, and photographer Nona Faustine, whose influence remains through their enduring contributions. Associate Editor Lisa Yin Zhang’s In Memoriam column continues to offer heartfelt remembrances of these figures, reflecting Hyperallergic’s dedication to honoring artistic legacies as we move forward.
While art continues to thrive, you’ll find our regular array of criticism, news, community columns, and opinions below: an art worker’s open letter to incoming NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Wes Anderson-inspired recreation of Joseph Cornell’s studio in Paris, and our ongoing series A View From the Easel, among other features.
Lastly, a personal message from Editor-in-Chief Hakim Bishara explains the importance of Hyperallergic’s mission and why your support matters greatly at this time.
—Valentina Di Liscia, senior editor
