The role of art has always been to reflect the world around us whilst offering new ways to understand it. At a time when we are experiencing rapid technological change, shifting social landscapes and urgent conversations around the future of our planet, creativity is vital. Artists examine complexity, challenge established perspectives and reveal connections that might otherwise remain unseen. Their work encour- ages us to look more closely at the stories, places and communities that shape our shared experience.

Inside this issue, we mark 20 years of the Aesthetica Art Prize – two decades dedicated to discover- ing and supporting the most exciting new talent in contemporary art. Since its inception, the Prize has provided a global platform for those at pivotal moments in their careers. We also speak to Laurence Philomène about Gen Z, an exhibition that captures the perspectives of a generation redefining identity and representation. Alongside this, Northern Exposure takes a look at Canadian cabins, revealing how en- vironment, sustainability and innovation inform new approaches to living and making amongst nature.

In photography, we feature Jada and David, our cover artists, who hand-build impressive and surreal sets. This issue also highlights Bobby Beasley, Małgorzata Stankiewicz, Tom Leighton, Vijay Sarathy and Yannis Davy Guibinga, five creatives who demonstrate the ability of the medium to question, document and reimagine the spaces in between. Whether through constructed scenes, documentary observation or conceptual experimentation, the result foregrounds the wide-ranging possibilities of expression today.

Finally, the Last Words belong to Ella Murtha, daughter of the late Tish Murtha, whose work is celebrat- ed by Baltic’s Close to Home. The show brings together two photographers who are deeply connected to social history and representation. In the display, Murtha’s powerful documentation of working-class life sits alongside Kuba Ryniewicz’s modern-day response, creating a conversation across five decades.

Cherie Federico