Another year over, a new one about to begin. What better time to remember the visual stories from 2016 that reminded us humanity is a beautiful, complicated mess?
From a ballet program in Kenya to the real-life mermaids of Korea, the fearless LGBTQ youth of Jamaica to a married couple dealing with depression in the U.S., the best subjects from this year were better captured in pictures than words. With that sentiment in mind, here are the photo projects we discovered, adored and shared this year:
1. These photos of the ballet program bringing strength to one of Africa’s biggest slums:
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2. This series that took us inside the last generation of Haenyo, Korea’s real-life mermaids:
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3. The photographer who documented what students were wearing when they were sexually assaulted:
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4. The photographer who chronicled her husband’s depression through intimate portraits:
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5. The nude photos that celebrated the fact that “big and beautiful” people have love stories, too:
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8. The historic photos that reminded us what the North’s fight for civil rights looked like 50 years ago:
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9. The breathtaking photos that captured Cuba’s legendary ballerinas dancing in the streets:
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11. The woman who photographed 500 naked men in an attempt to normalize the nude male body:
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12. The series that explored how a 14-year-old sex worker became one of photography’s greatest muses:
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13. The photos that followed 12 couples over three decades in a unique study of aging:
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14. The raw photo project that asked people to take off their clothes and discuss self-love:
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16. The rare photos of Marilyn Monroe, taken by the man who fell in love with Norma Jeane Baker:
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18. The photos that captured the beauty and grace of the world’s first Muslim hijabi ballerina:
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19. The daughter who spent seven years documenting her mother’s bipolar disorder in photos:
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20. The project that let viewers watch as Detroit neighborhoods fell into ruin with Google Street View:
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21. The photographer who depicted the ways hijab and niqab can empower, protect and emancipate:
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22. The never-before-published photos that revealed clues Bowie left before his death:
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24. The series that took us inside “Africa’s Little Rome,” an eerie city where time stands still:
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26. The biracial artist who dared us to define her through performative self-portraits:
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BONUS: Photos by HuffPost’s own Damon Dahlen, who explored the bedrooms of NYC’s emerging ballerinas:
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For even more of the most compelling photo stories from 2016, check out:
- Black-And-White Photos Document The Queer Youth Of Bangladesh
- Catherine Opie’s Photos Of The ‘Leather Community’ Show A Softer Side Of Queer S&M
- Portraits Capture The Faces And Stories Of Sikhs In America
- Photos Show Rituals Of Womanhood In Remote Tribes Around The World
- An Artist ‘Passes Out’ On Fraternity Lawns To Shine Light On Campus Sexual Abuse
- Photographer Documents The Lesser-Known Victims Of Gun Violence — Those Who Survived
- Portraits Of Black Twins Prove There’s Nothing Quite As Beautiful As Sisterhood
- Feminist Artist Makes Women’s Bushes Bloom In Surreal Tribute To Mothers
- Photos Of ‘Masculine’ Men Around The World Defy Black Stereotypes
- Deep Inside Vodou Rituals In Haiti
- Photographer Chronicles The New African Diaspora
- Documenting The Last Tattoo-Faced Women Of The Lai Tu Chin Tribe
- One Man’s Journey With Mental Illness
- 100 Homeless Individuals Documented Their Lives With Disposable Cameras
- Queer Photographer Revisits Traumatic High School Sports Tryouts
- Haunting Portraits Show Hunters At The Spots They Killed Their Trophies
- Artist Creates An Imaginary History Of Queerness From Found Photos
- This Is What Beauty Looks Like Around The Globe
- Artist Reenacts 19th-Century Portraits To Topple The ‘Strong Black Woman’ Stereotype
- ‘A Modern Study Of Hair’ Celebrates Women’s Connections To Their Locks
- The Dazzling Indigenous Cultures Of Mexico, In Photos
- Photographer Fights The Stigma Of Albinism
- Powerful Portraits Of Accused ‘Witches’ In Ghana Showcase Women’s Strength
- Photographer Documents Her Grandmother’s Illness While Searching For Something More
- The Nu Project Has Been Redefining The Nude Photo For Over A Decade
- Photos Show How Different Prisons And Jails Look Around The World