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Hyperallergic’s new Editor-in-Chief Hakim Bishara (right) with Founding Editor Hrag Vartanian (photo Shari Flores/Hyperallergic) Four weeks ago, I became a new American. It was a momentous finale to a quarter-century odyssey that started at the cusp of the millennium and ended just last month. The road here was anything but straight, twisting through bureaucratic brambles and detours. Yet, isn’t every winding way toward belonging the true inheritance of wanderers at heart?

Today, I stand at another crossroads.

When Veken and I launched Hyperallergic in 2009, our venture was fueled by a love of art writing and the stubborn belief that an independent voice could thrive without the largesse of the 1%. My resolve to amplify stories untold and to champion marginalized voices ensured that we made waves in a stagnant art media pool, one where wealthy patrons preferred comfort over candor. Veken, for his part, proved naysayers wrong: Readers will rally for independent art writing, for stories rooted in fact, heart, and public good.

Over 16 years, we became a home to over 2,500 voices while launching many into new fields. Together, we proved independence and criticality can flourish alongside a growing audience of readers invested in changing the landscape with thoughtful prose and electric ideas.

Our work seeded new conversations. In-depth stories about archaeology, memes, social justice, protest, once peripheral, are now mainstream. Our playful candor, once ours alone among major art publications, is echoed in corporate outfits today. Authors who hatched their visions with us went on to bigger books and bolder inquiries. Through it all, we have relished the journey — sometimes after meeting a deadline, sometimes in the quiet aftermath. We are immensely proud of our role in shifting the discourse around art and its social impact and roles. It was a lot of work, but we got here.

Making change in the field of contemporary art is never easy. When we began, we naïvely ignored the field’s idiosyncrasies — those invisible hands that stifle true journalism, laud superficial change or reform, and sometimes threaten to sap the joy from art’s urgent questions. But we persevered, cultivating a community of readers and writers who labor in and love the arts.

Now, another transition: It’s time for a new Editor-in-Chief. Welcome, Hakim Bishara.

A Palestinian writer, editor, curator, and artist, Hakim has authored some of the best reviews and opinions of the last few years, providing an unfiltered take on art that continued Hyperallergic’s commitment and work. Since joining Hyperallergicin 2019, he has woven his global and local instincts into every story. As Staff Reporter, Senior Editor, and most recently Managing Editor, he’s championed emerging and marginalized talent and encouraged us to look harder, dig deeper, and investigate issues we might have otherwise missed. His journalistic journey wound through international media, including contributions to BBC, Euronews, and more, touching on politics, art, and social change; his essays and criticism have appeared in +972 Magazine, the Financial Times, BOMB, Al Jazeera, and beyond. In the last few years, Hakim has penned powerful reviews of exhibitions by Jenny Holzer, Ai Weiwei, Caspar David Friedrich, and an essay on the “Fabricated Crisis of Art Criticism,” which posited that “good art criticism is the crisis.”

Hakim’s writing grapples with labor, funding, and representation, while maintaining a critical eye toward elitism and a heart for justice. He has received prestigious grants, holds an MFA in Art Writing from the School of Visual Arts, and studied law and international relations at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

I have a great deal of faith that Hakim will usher Hyperallergic into new, uncharted territories — challenging our old assumptions, forging fresh paths. Entrusting someone with the top role has long been my dream; now realized, I do so with confidence and anticipation.

As for me: my role shifts to Editor-at-Large. My words, reviews, and reporting will continue on screens, in podcasts, and in more projects yet to come. But first, I’ll pause, as I step back a little to reflect on all we’ve built. In learning what it means to be an American, I am learning too to be less editor and more writer. I hope you will welcome Hakim to the helm of the best independent art publication anywhere as we continue to change and evolve. Under his watchful eye, I know Hyperallergic is in good hands.