As we reflect on 2025, we’re taking a peek into our archive to spotlight some of the stories we’re still thinking about. It’s a joy and a privilege to share so much creativity with you each day, and we’re grateful to know you’re out there reading.
In case you missed it, check out our favorite art books of the year.
—Christopher, Grace, Kate, and Jackie
“Bosch Beast No. 14” (2025), paper, paperboard, glue, wire, and crepe paper, 33 × 19 × 14 inches
Uncanny Papier-Mâché Creatures by Roberto Benavidez Mingle in ‘Bosch Beasts’
For Los Angeles-based artist Roberto Benavidez, the art of the piñata is a central tenet of a practice exploring intersecting themes of race, sexuality, humor, sin, and beauty. He draws upon the paper art form’s early religious significance in Mexico, when Spanish missionaries used a seven-pointed version as a tool for converting Indigenous people to Christianity. This motif, which appears in some of Benavidez’s distinctive sculptures, nods to its past colonial use.
Marcel Heijnen Captures Loving Portraits of Feisty, Feral Felines in ‘City Cats of Istanbul’
In some parts of the world, stray animals are nearly as beloved as pets. Thousands of dogs roam the streets of Cusco, Peru, for example, and cats pretty much rule the night in places like Athens, Valletta, and Japan’s “cat islands.” Residents often feed and provide shelter for these roving colonies, and for Dutch photographer Marcel Heijnen, this human-animal connection provides endless opportunities to experience urban centers.
From a performance by the Bavarian Junior Ballet
Enjoy the Brilliant Ballet that Brought Dance to the Bauhaus Movement
Given the emphasis on functionality and design for industrial production, the Bauhaus movement is rarely associated with disciplines like dance. But for Oskar Schlemmer (1888-1943), translating its principles into movement and performance was as compelling as a well-conceived chair or building.
Basket stars, a type of echinoderm, are abundant on seamounts and rocky outcroppings
Among Newly Discovered Ocean Species, a Baby Colossal Squid Is Filmed for the First Time
An archipelago in the South Atlantic known as the South Sandwich Islands is home to some of the most remote landmasses in the world. Uninhabited except for occasional scientific research, their volcanic makeup highlights the geological and ecological diversity of this part of the world, and we still have much to learn. In 2025, Schmidt Ocean Institute completed a 35-day trek on the Falkor (too) to the remote island chain and discovered new hydrothermal vents, coral gardens, and what researchers suspect to be entirely new species. During this expedition, the team also confirmed the sighting of a juvenile colossal squid, capturing one on film for the first time.
Blink and You’d Miss the Moments Topping This Year’s Pure Street Photography Awards
Coincidence is around every corner, and immortalizing a split second of fleeting chaos takes a special eye. Since 2020, Pure Street Photography—an initiative focused on connecting international photographers—has commended visual storytellers through an annual competition.
Left: Nick Cave and Bob Faust, “Wallwork,” (2024), wall vinyl, 157 x 367 1/4 inches. Right: Nick Cave, “A·mal·gam” (2021), bronze, 122 x 94 x 85 inches
Nick Cave’s Nearly 26-Foot Bronze Stands for Resistance Amid Oppression
Whether weaving plastic pony beads into a monumental sculpture, adorning figures with mother-of-pearl buttons, or mosaicing ceramic tile across a New York subway station, Nick Cave has continually returned to one question: how does this material help bring people into the work?
Alice Austen, “The Darned Club, October 29, 1891”
More than 7,500 Prints and Negatives by Trailblazing Photographer Alice Austen Return Home
With its panoramic views of New York Harbor, the house that trailblazing photographer Alice Austen (1866-1952) called home for most of her life is a sprawling, two-story, elegant Victorian Gothic waterfront property known as Clear Comfort. From here, she captured thousands of incredible photographs throughout her lifetime. In 2025, the entire archive of Austen’s photos returned to Clear Comfort after being held by a local historical society, thanks to a landmark acquisition.
Stephanie H. Shih, “Nuclear Family” (2024). Photo by Robert Bredvad
Through Ceramics, Stephanie Shih Considers the Disillusioning Price of Domestic Bliss
Nothing says true love like arguing about who left the cap off the toothpaste, right? From a darkly comedic perspective, Stephanie Shih explores the multiple meanings of “domestic bliss” in a social landscape fraught with consumerism and clashing politics.
Installation view of ‘Yuji Agematsu: 2023-2024’, 101 Spring Street, Judd Foundation, New York. Photo by Timothy Doyon, © Judd Foundation
Yuji Agematsu Arranges Street Debris into Tiny Daily Sculptures
Each day, Yuji Agematsu takes a walk for the explicit purpose of scouring the streets. The dried leaf, lost toy, and even the wad of gum discarded on a park bench are his treasures, which he retrieves and places in the clear cellophane that wraps a pack of cigarettes. Although Agematsu no longer smokes, this habit of wandering and collecting has been harder to break: he’s been committed to it since 1996.
Near Liverpool, a One-of-a-Kind Art Environment by Ron Gittins Is Saved
Behind the unassuming red brick facade of a gable-roofed flat in Birkenhead, England, sits a home like no other. The only clue passersby would have had, until recently, was a pair of hand-sculpted figurative columns that flanked the wooden front door. But to step inside this corner flat near Liverpool is to be transported into the imaginative world of Ron Gittins.
© Yuge Zhou, courtesy of Times Square Arts
Across 92 Screens in Times Square, Yuge Zhou’s ‘Trampoline Color Exercise’ Celebrates Global Unity
Spanning a gridded background of rectangular, pink trampolines, hundreds of gymnasts mesmerizingly flip and twist, shapeshifting as they tuck and tumble. “Trampoline Color Exercise,” a monumental digital video collage installation by Chicago-based artist Yuge Zhou, takes a bird’s-eye view of athletes at peak form while abstracting their bodies and movements into undulating ripples of color.
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