Powerless 20

Welcome to our annual list which highlights those who are rendered powerless in a system greatly influenced by the super wealthy and the commercial galleries and vanity museums that serve them.

Some people think the art world is a series of champagne lunches, private jet trips, auctions, freeports, and VIP lounges, but that part of the scene doesn’t interest us. Welcome to the latest edition of our annual list compiling those who are rendered powerless in a system created for the affluent and well-connected.

Some people care about money, fame, and power; we prefer to look elsewhere.

Forget the rich and powerful — they’re predictable. We’re more interested in the powerless. That’s where the real stories are, where the future is decided, where creativity starts. Here is our annual list of the art world’s most powerless.

While other publications sing the praises of the rich and powerful, we like to look at those who are largely overlooked in order to understand the real state of the art world and its discontents.

It’s our favorite time of year. Why’s that you ask? Well, Art Review recently published their hilarious thoughtful pandering art world power list that starts with a dictator Qatari royal and continues through a who’s who of people — including an artist who “doesn’t make a thing” — who must appear like they have power from the London-based perch of the Art Review editorial board.

It’s a fun day (for some) when people are ranked, since the art world loves to feel on top. Well, here is our effort to highlight people, places, and things who we think deserve more attention than the rich, powerful, and well-connected. Without further ado, the infamous Hyperallergic Powerless 20!

It’s that time of year again. Art Review just had their fun bringing the art world their directory of the rich and powerful, and now it’s our turn to flip the script and point out that not everyone is rich, famous, or powerful in our beloved community. Here is our infamous Hyperallergic Powerless 20!

The art world can suck, but for these people it sucks just a little bit more.

This year we revisit our annual tradition of highlighting the powerless among those of us in the art world. Are you on it?