We round up the articles you spent the most time with this year
This year we published over 300 articles online, covering the best new books and exhibitions, and interviewing some of the most exciting contemporary photographers working today. To wrap up 2022, we’ve put together a list of the pieces that you read, clicked and spent the most time with over the past 12 months.
Our most read article of the year resonated with the comfort that many found in intimate relationships during the Covid-19 lockdown. Inspired by their own love, which blossomed during the pandemic, photographers Rona Bar and Ofek Avshalom sought out other couples with similar experiences. In this Q&A, they reflect on photographing love in its natural habitat: the home.
Stories about desire and intimacy continued to captivate throughout the year – from our preview of the MEP’s sprawling show, Love Songs, to an interview with Caroline Tompkins about the tension she experiences between sex and fear. Readers also enjoyed the work of Myriam Boulos, who invited women to share their sexual fantasies, and Karla Hiraldo Voleau, who turned heartbreak into empowerment as she reclaimed her story.
Fashion was a hit in 2022. Readers were charmed by the dreamy, vibrant, and at times unsettling work of Zhong Lin, and Umit Savaci’s gentle photographs informed by his childhood in rural Turkey.
Among the most read interviews were Micaiah Carter, on shooting the women of Euphoria for The Cut; Nigel Shafran, who reflects on a career spent straddling fine art and fashion; and Thurstan Redding, whose debut book documents the community and sensitivity at the heart of the cosplay subculture.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine is the tragic event that has come to define the year. This was reflected in our most read articles. We interviewed Yelena Yemchuk, whose photobook Odesa is a reminder of the love and lives of the young Ukrainian people now faced with war. And Kateryna Radchenko, who spotlights “the new photojournalists of Ukraine”.
Our list of resources, fundraisers and print sales in aid of the crisis was widely shared during the initial weeks of the invasion, and continues to be a relevant source as the war rages on.
By way of exhibitions, readers enjoyed our coverage of Magnum’s Close Enough, the annual Les Rencontres d’Arles festival, and our special interview with Roxana Marcoci on Wolfgang Tillmans’ MoMA exhibition. Plus our guide to the photography scene in Paris.
A large portion of our top articles sought to demystify pregnancy and motherhood. In her intimate and subtly political images, Amy Woodward advocates for wider visibility and understanding of new motherhood, while Andi Galdi Vinko’s recently released photobook rallies against the romantic narratives surrounding it. You also enjoyed getting to know the Eye Mama collective: a space for photography mothers to share their lockdown experiences.
Chronicling a different kind of transition, our interview with Laurence Philomene about their debut book Puberty was also top of the list. The immersive book documents a ‘second adolescence’ as the Montreal artist undergoes hormonal replacement therapy.
And that’s a wrap for 2022! Thank you to all of our dedicated readers for making this magazine possible. Sign up to our newsletter for more round-ups this festive season, and for fresh coverage, see you in the new year.
