The Best of Pop Culture in 2022: A Year of Resilience and Innovation

By Sara Bright

The year 2022 was a challenging and unprecedented one for the world, as it faced the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, and the social and political unrest. However, it was also a year of resilience and innovation, as pop culture offered a source of hope, joy, and inspiration for many people. From art to architecture, pop culture enthusiasts had a lot to celebrate and appreciate in 2022. Here are some of the best pop culture moments of the year:

Art

The art world was resilient and adaptive in 2022, as it found new ways to create, exhibit, and appreciate art in the face of the pandemic. Some of the best art events were:

• The Art Basel fair went online for the second time, offering a virtual platform for over 280 galleries from 35 countries to showcase their artworks, and attracting over 100,000 visitors from around the world.
• The Tate Modern reopened its doors to the public in June, after being closed for over a year, and presented a major retrospective of the British artist David Hockney, featuring over 200 works that spanned his six-decade career, from his iconic portraits and landscapes to his recent iPad drawings and videos.
• The Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Louise Glück, an American poet and essayist, who was praised for her “unmistakable poetic voice that with austere beauty makes individual existence universal”.

Dance

Dance was a vibrant and expressive form of pop culture in 2022, as it showcased the diversity and talent of dancers from different genres and backgrounds. Some of the best dance events were:

• The Royal Ballet streamed a series of live performances from the Royal Opera House, featuring a mix of classical and contemporary ballets, such as “The Nutcracker”, “The Sleeping Beauty”, and “Within the Golden Hour”.
• The World of Dance competition returned for its fifth season, featuring some of the best dance acts from around the world, such as The Kings, Unity LA, and MDC 3.
• The Dancing with the Stars finale was watched by over 10 million viewers, who witnessed the crowning of Kaitlyn Bristowe and Artem Chigvintsev as the winners of the popular dance competition, after they impressed the judges and the public with their flawless routines.

Design

Design was an innovative and influential aspect of pop culture in 2022, as it influenced the aesthetics and functionality of various products, services, and spaces. Some of the best design trends were:

• The Pantone Color of the Year was announced as “Illuminating” and “Ultimate Gray”, a combination of a bright and cheerful yellow and a solid and dependable gray, that symbolized hope, strength, and positivity.
• The iPhone 13 was launched, featuring a sleek and elegant design, a larger and sharper display, and a range of new features, such as a LiDAR scanner, a MagSafe charger, and a ProRAW mode for photography.
• The Eden Project North project, led by Grimshaw Architects, received planning permission to build a futuristic and sustainable attraction in Morecambe Bay, UK, that would feature a series of domes that would house different ecosystems and habitats, such as a tropical rainforest, a coral reef, and a mangrove swamp.

Fashion

Fashion was a dynamic and diverse field of pop culture in 2022, as it reflected the personal and collective identities, values, and tastes of people from different walks of life. Some of the best fashion trends were:

• The Met Gala theme was “About Time: Fashion and Duration”, inspired by the novel “The Time Machine” by H.G. Wells, which explored the concept of time travel and the evolution of fashion. The event was co-hosted by Meryl Streep, Emma Stone, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Anna Wintour, and featured some of the most timeless and futuristic outfits ever seen on the red carpet.
• The Gucci brand underwent a radical transformation, as it launched a new campaign, called “Gucci Off The Grid”, which promoted sustainability and environmental awareness in fashion, using organic, recycled, and biodegradable materials, such as hemp, wood, and metal, to create stylish and eco-friendly clothing and accessories.
• The London Fashion Week went digital for the first time, offering a virtual platform for over 100 designers from 27 countries to showcase their collections, and attracting over 500,000 viewers from around the world. The event also featured interactive and immersive experiences, such as live chats, podcasts, and games.

Films and Movies

Films and movies were a major source of entertainment and inspiration in 2022, as they offered a variety of genres, themes, and perspectives to suit the tastes and interests of different audiences. Some of the best films and movies were:

• The Black Widow was the first solo film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s female superhero, played by Scarlett Johansson, who reprised her role as the spy and assassin Natasha Romanoff, and revealed her origin story and her family ties. The film was a box office hit, earning over $1 billion worldwide, and was praised for its action, humor, and feminism.
• The Tenet was a mind-bending and thrilling film, directed by Christopher Nolan, and starring John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, and Elizabeth Debicki, which used the concept of time inversion and entropy to create a complex and captivating plot, involving espionage, terrorism, and nuclear war.
• The Soul was a heartwarming and uplifting film, produced by Pixar Animation Studios, and featuring the voices of Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, and Angela Bassett, which told the story of a jazz musician who gets transported to a realm where souls are assigned their personalities and passions, and learns the true meaning of life and death.