Monocle's Class of 2026: 16 Emerging Talents in Art, Architecture, and Beyond

Key facts

• Sofia Xanthakou founded Local Local in Athens in May 2025 after studying at Harvard GSD and Pratt Institute.
• José Luis Barquero is represented by Galeria Mayoral and will show at Kevin Kramer Gallery (NY) June–August 2026.
• Clara Vitaggio produces 10,000 bottles/year in Marsala, Sicily, using grillo and catarratto grapes.
• Tong Hann Goh opened Marcy's, Parliament, Maggie's, and Between Buns in Singapore.
• Tura Cousins Wilson and Shane Laptiste's SOCA designed High Park pavilion and Magdalene Odundo's retrospective.
• Margaret Austin and Hannah Rieke closed Outline's e-commerce and launched a print catalogue; sales increased.
• Chloé Ridel is an MEP for PS, co-founded Mieux Voter (2018) and Institut Rousseau (2020).
• Winnie Dunn's novel 'Dirt Poor Islanders' was nominated for the Miles Franklin Literary Award.
• Alice Carvalho will play Marta Vieira da Silva in a biopic releasing before the 2027 Women's World Cup.
• Anton Thomas's Wild World map includes 1,642 species; he is working on Wild California and Wild Kenya.
• Kiichiro Asakawa's label Ssstein won the Fashion Prize of Tokyo in 2025 and has 140 stockists globally.
• Jessie Willner's Discothèque grew sevenfold in 2025; products are at Selfridges and made in Plymouth.
• Silvana Estrada's album 'Vendrán Suaves Lluvias' is self-produced; she is touring Europe in 2026.
• Keerthana Kunnath's exhibition 'Not What You Saw' documents female bodybuilders in Kerala, India.