No ins and outs nor highs or lows. Time is linear but not every memory is so easy to measure against the other. Rather than a wrap-up report of the past 12 months, Family Style polled those closest to us—our creative collaborators—for one thing, anything at all from the past year that lightened their life in hopes that will offer up a little levity to yours, too.
“This year, reigned by beauty, hope and abided silence, stands for amended change.”
Image courtesy of Pia Riverola.
“Upon arriving in Kyoto, we hopped into a cab with a driver who couldn’t speak English, yet he warmly connected with us by folding delicate origami for me and my siblings as he drove. It was a simple, unspoken act of kindness that stayed with us throughout the trip.”
Image courtesy of Harry Nuriev.
“On one of my hiking trips at the top of the mountain, somewhere in Switzerland, I stopped for some soup with the best view you can ask for.”
Image courtesy of vanessa german.
“I smiled this summer when I saw my nieces for the first time in 8 years.”
Image courtesy of Hans Ulrich Obrist.
“Twenty twenty-four was the year of A.I., but for me it was also the year of Gustav Metzger. The visionary artist who passed away some years ago in his '90s has had three major retrospectives of surveys, including the exhibition from my archives that I co-curated at LUMA Arles. This show is really about my 20-year old friendship and dialogue with Metzger. He always wanted to bring art into society and society into art. I took this photo of him in one of our last meetings. I just want to celebrate him.”
Image courtesy of Julia Cumming.
“Even though life is increasingly complex, I still get to enjoy the simple pleasures of recording music with my friends.”
Image courtesy of Rōze Traore.
“What truly made me smile this past year was witnessing so many artists discovering Africa for the first time, particularly the Côte d’Ivoire, through my artist residency program, La Fourchette de Roze. This moment is especially meaningful because it offers artists a fresh backdrop, allowing them to tap into new elements and create from an entirely different perspective. And at the end of it all, hearing them express how transformative the experience was and that they want to return—there’s no greater joy.”
Image courtesy of Rebis Music.
“My favorite moments this year were laughing diabolically with Nomi Ruiz.”
Photography by Letizia Cigliutti. Image courtesy of David Zilber.
“Life is compost. New beginnings can grow from endings. Good can grow from bad.”
Image courtesy of Sophie Lou Jacobsen.
“Moving to Manhattan for the first time. I was always in Brooklyn previously, and living in the city has made me rekindle my love and excitement for living here in a totally new way. I always get a smile on my face when I see the skyline behind Chinatown on my way to get coffee.”
Image courtesy of Alex Tieghi-Walker.
“I loved floating around in the giant ponds on the Cape, staring at the sky and forgetting for a moment about work and wars and money and New York City and silly ex boyfriends and who was going to look after my dog. I loved just looking at the sky in my own open-air flotation tank and feeling like a 6 year old or a 96 year old.”
Image courtesy of GAVLAK, Palm Beach.
“One of my favorite memories from this past year is a remarkable morning meditation led by Lita Albuquerque. She grounded us, connected us to the earth, and reminded us of our place in the universe, linking us to the minerals and elements beneath our feet. This transformative experience was part of our 6th annual New Wave Art Wknd, set against the backdrop of 'Cosmic Currents,' a two-person exhibition featuring Lita and Jose Alvarez (D.O.P.A.).”
Photography by Zhenya and Tanya Posternak. Image courtesy of Laila Gohar.
“Something that made me smile this year is the increase in bike lanes in NYC! I bike and love it and get so excited about new bike lanes.”
Photography by Jason Varney. Image courtesy of Daniel Humm.
“One of the moments I’ll never forget this year was the opening of Clemente Bar. This project has been a true labor of love, friendship, and trust, and it’s been deeply meaningful to create a space with the team that brings joy where all my friends could gather together. For over 20 years, Eleven Madison Park has been my life’s work, and now it finally feels complete.”
Image courtesy of Amanda Wall.
“My phone wallpaper of young Tom Hardy smiling back at me.”
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Image courtesy of Chris Wallace.
“This is a ferry boat on the Nile from the cocktail terrace at the Old Cataract in Aswan this spring. I was just wrapping up a three month trip from Cape Town to Cairo—a life highlight within a giant series of highlights—and in total disbelief that I’d gotten to do it. Maybe like all perfect travel moments, it made me just want to think even farther afield, and imagine all the millions of trips that I want to do now.”
Image courtesy of Kim Russell.
“Something that made me smile was actually feeling all of the anxiety and tension leave me once I did my first show in Paris this year. It was such a life changing experience for me.”
Image courtesy of Amalia Ulman.
“Curating 'MiCasa' with Nick Irvin.”
Image courtesy of Camille Becerra.
“I finally mastered the art of brioche this year, a forever smile.”
Image courtesy of Olivia Erlanger.
“Last Christmas, Marko, gave me a 2024 sloth calendar. I didn’t think much of it, I love kitsch, but it's become a nightly ritual. Each evening, I stare at their ridiculous faces—unbothered, slow-moving—and feel an absurd kind of relief as I draw an 'X' through the day. Sloths are content to let time pass without resistance. I've started to wonder if I could be like that too.”
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Image courtesy of Jesse Gouveia.
“Clam digging with my family in Seattle.”
Image courtesy of Emilia Petrarca.
“I picked olives off a tree in Sicily this fall, checking off a bucket list item I’ve had on my list for years. I wanted to learn more about them and the process of turning a harvest into liquid gold.”
Image courtesy of Tahirah Hairston.
“I’ve really enjoyed talking to people for my newsletter, Ridiculous Little Things. It’s so fun because it’s a deep dive interview where people talk about what informs their taste and their relationship with desire, so it brings up so much from their childhoods and inner psyche that they might not have thought of in this context. It feels like therapy and like I know the person so intimately after! Also, I love Recess Therapy so much. It’s amazing how much light and insight children can bring to us in such dark times. I’m a Miles fan girl!”
Photography by Ryan McGinley. Image courtesy of Bobbi Salvör Menuez.
“Running down the aisle!”
A new show from Public Art Fund places bronze casts of Thaddeus Mosley’s signature hand-carved wood sculptures in New York City’s City Hall Park. For the 98-year-old artist, his physically demanding practice, like life, is all about balance.
Culture
Prada Mode finds its way to Osaka, Japan for its latest iteration, directed once again by architect Kazuyo Sejima.
