The Henri Cartier-Bresson of South Korea

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story Let’s start with the photographer himself. A self-portrait, which, like the rest of Han Youngsoo’s work, is in black-and-white—not a nostalgic choice, just the technology of the times. It’s deep winter,…

Madame President: The Cover That Never Was

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story The portrait above, “Kamala,” painted by Kadir Nelson, would have been the cover of the November 18, 2024, issue of The New Yorker—that is, if Kamala Harris had won the election…

How David Lynch Became an Icon of Cinema

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story Thursday morning, I happened to be rereading Pauline Kael’s classic 1969 essay “Trash, Art, and the Movies.” A few hours later, I learned that David Lynch had died, and a sentence…

“Silo” and the Dystopia We Live In

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story In a recent episode of “Silo,” the sci-fi series from Apple TV+, a character who does not have long to live puts on a virtual-reality headset. She’s spent her entire life…

Ballet Past and Present, at New York City Ballet

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story Marina HarssHarss has written about dance for Goings On since 2004. You’re reading the Goings On newsletter, a guide to what we’re watching, listening to, and doing this week. Sign up…

Ali Smith’s Playful Dystopia

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story Recently, just before lunch with the Scottish author Ali Smith, at Moro, a beloved North African and Mediterranean place in London’s Exmouth Market, I locked myself out of my new phone.…