Here are some of the artworks that defined the artistic spirit of 2025...
ARTSCAPE
Art in 2025 did not merely serve a decorative purpose, adorning art gallery walls; the artists responded to the challenges being faced by the earth like the threat climate change poses to our planet, technological acceleration, wars, migration and personal loss. Artists across the world turned personal grief into political statements and used new tools without abandoning their emotions. From monumental installations to intimate digital works, the most powerful artworks of 2025 shared one thing: they stayed with us long after we saw them.
Nnena Kalu’s Turner Prize win sparked wide discussion, especially among younger audiences. Her untitled sculptural installations, constructed from layers of paper, fabric and tape, filled exhibition spaces with tangled, physical energy. Hanging from ceilings and spilling across floors, the works resisted neat categorisation.
Kalu’s art rejected polish and perfection, embracing intensity and repetition instead. For many viewers, her work felt freeing. It challenged traditional ideas of what sculpture should look like and celebrated expression that was raw, emotional and unapologetically personal.
David Hockney continued to prove that innovation does not belong to the young alone. His iPad drawings and immersive digital landscapes, shown in major European exhibitions, explored seasons, colour and perspective through contemporary tools.
What made these works resonate in 2025 was their warmth. Hockney’s digital art felt joyful and deeply human, reminding audiences that technology does not have to be cold or alienating. His work bridged generations, appealing equally to long-time admirers and younger viewers raised on screens.
The Venice Biennale once again stood at the centre of the global art world. Many national pavilions focused on immersive installations dealing with war, displacement, climate collapse and memory. These works were not designed merely to be observed but to be experienced emotionally and physically.
Running alongside it, the 19th International Architecture Exhibition carried the theme ‘Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective.’ Curated by Carlo Ratti, the exhibition explored different forms of intelligence, from human knowledge to artificial systems and collective thinking. With hundreds of installations and national pavilions, the Architecture Biennale emphasised multisensory engagement, relying on sound, scent and spatial interaction to communicate ideas.
65,000 Years: A Short History of Australian Art, held at the University of Melbourne’s Potter Museum of Art, brought together ancient and contemporary Indigenous works. Featuring over 400 works by 200 artists, the exhibition traced storytelling traditions that stretch back tens of thousands of years.
Artists such as Albert Namatjira, Emily Kame Kngwarreye, Judy Watson and William Barak were shown alongside newly commissioned works. The exhibition addressed themes of land, survival and truth-telling, including Australia’s frontier wars and the legacy of colonial institutions. Younger audiences responded strongly to its honest confrontation with history and its demonstration that tradition and innovation can coexist.
Despite decades of global exposure, Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Rooms continued to draw crowds in 2025. Stepping into these mirrored environments remained a powerful experience, even in an era saturated with images.
The repetition of light, reflections and pattern created moments of calm and self-awareness. Kusama’s work reminded viewers why immersive art still matters, offering a sense of wonder and introspection in a world that often feels overwhelming.
Not all defining artworks of 2025 were housed inside museums. The Lagos Street Art Festival transformed city walls into bold visual statements about identity, urban life and social change. Events such as Legendary Lagos: City of Dreams brought together local and international artists to make art accessible to everyday communities.
Artists like Ashaolu Oluwafemi emphasised the importance of bringing art directly to the public. For a generation raised on visual culture and social media, these murals mattered because they existed both offline and online, meeting people where they already were.
Palestinian artists gained international attention in 2025 through exhibitions and grassroots shows that focused on daily life, loss and resilience. Using painting, photography and installation, these works avoided spectacle, instead telling quiet, human stories.
In Gaza, young artists, including teenage girls, organised exhibitions under extreme conditions to express grief and resistance through art. Despite the destruction of cultural institutions, these acts of creativity became symbols of survival. For younger global audiences, the honesty and courage behind these works prompted deeper engagement beyond traditional art spaces.
Climate-focused installations remained central to Europe’s art scene in 2025. Artists used sound, video and physical materials to create spaces that invited reflection rather than instruction.
Olafur Eliasson’s Ice Watch continued to resonate, with large blocks of melting glacial ice placed in public spaces in cities including London and Copenhagen. The work allowed viewers to physically witness climate change rather than read about it.
Tomás Saraceno’s Aerocene project, presented at venues such as the Serpentine Galleries, imagined a future shaped by clean air and collective responsibility. Through floating sculptures and scientific collaboration, Saraceno transformed climate anxiety into shared contemplation.
The exhibition Roma Pittrice: Female Artists at Work Between the 16th and 18th Centuries at the Museum of Rome in Palazzo Braschi shone a light on women painters long overshadowed by male counterparts.
Featuring around 130 works, the exhibition included artists such as Lavinia Fontana, Artemisia Gentileschi and Angelika Kauffmann, alongside lesser-known figures whose work had often been misattributed. In 2025, this historical reassessment felt timely, aligning with broader conversations about visibility, recognition and forgotten voices.
By 2025, AI-assisted art had moved beyond controversy into more thoughtful territory. When used transparently, it became a tool rather than a replacement for human creativity.
Refik Anadol remained a leading figure, presenting immersive, data-driven installations across Europe that transformed archives and environmental data into emotional visual experiences. Artist Mario Klingemann continued to explore AI-generated portraits, questioning authorship and originality. These works sparked meaningful debate among younger audiences about creativity, control and the future of art.
- Compiled by Sarah Ghani
