Can an abstract form depict social reality? What is the relationship between abstraction and life? Abstraction is often associated with autonomy, e.g., with an idea of self-referentiality and distancing from reality, whereas the clearly recognizable and figurative is considered better suited to picturing the real. Hana Miletić’s practice, which has grappled with questions regarding the nature and possibility of representation for more than a decade, deliberately works with abstract forms in making social reality tangible. Interestingly, her work stems from documentary photography–a medium dedicated to the politics of visibility–which she consciously left behind in order to find a less directive and exploitative form of representation in weaving.

The art world is crowded, but some voices rise above. In this series, we spotlight 25 emerging artists who have been defining 2025: painters pushing the canvas forward, sculptors reinventing form, fiber artists redefining tradition, performance artists transforming presence, and time-based visionaries bending film, sound, and technology.