10 of the most iconic photography stories from 2025
From Peter Hujar’s indelible portraits of 1970s counterculture to Sophy Rickett’s Pissing Women of the 1980s, here are 10 of the most timeless and inspirational photo series published on Dazed last year
By Sarah Moroz published December 26, 2025 in Dazed
Cookie Mueller. Image courtesy of the Estate of David Armstrong
This shortlist encompasses the most inspirational photography stories by some of the most revered image-makers we’ve published on Dazed this year. From Kikuji Kawada’s visions of Hiroshima to Daniel Arnold’s gaze on New York in the anarchic present, they span many decades, yet all share a timeless quality.
Peter Hujar’s portraits from the late 1960s through to he early 1980s testify to the fact that great art can remain as resonant and meaningful as ever, while Yorgos Lanthimos’s 2024 series of images possesses a timeless, haunting quality that makes it hard to pin down to a particular decade.
What is equally apparent is how artists’ fierce connections to their subjects powerfully draw us in. There are Linder’s humorous but pointedly critical collages, the revival of Sophy Rickett’s thrilling and defiant Pissing Women, a glimpse into the 90s by way of Davide Sorrenti’s era-defining sketches and Polaroids, and David Armstrong’s indelible portraits of friends Nan Goldin, Cookie Mueller – none of which have dimmed one bit despite the passing of time.
The past is potent. It makes our turbulent reality feel part of a wider narrative. Seeing artists who’ve gone before us representing beauty and hard times alike, we’re reassured that inevitably the pendulum will swing back again. The world is heavy, but those who channel that fact into memorable aesthetics and worthwhile chronicles give us a sense of hope we so badly need. Enjoy.
PETER HUJAR, EYES OPEN IN THE DARK
Despite not having been recognised in his lifetime, this year seems to have been a landmark year in the legacy of Peter Hujar. His life is the subject of a new film, Peter Hujar’s Day, a biographical drama starring Ben Whishaw, written and directed by Ira Sachs; a new photo book, Stay Away From Nothing, about his relationship with Paul Theck was released by Primary Information; and the year opened with a major exhibition, Eyes Open in the Dark, at London’s Raven Row. Fran Lebowitz to Divine and Peter Wojnarowicz, the depth and weight of his portraits of New York’s outré figures and downtown art world figures still resonate as powerfully today as ever.
Read the full story here on Dazed.
“Eyes Open in the Dark” will be traveling to Bundeskunsthalle in Bonn, Germany from February 27–August 23, 2026. See exhibition details.