Publishing is full of rankings, from power lists to best-dressed lists to under-40 lists. The CULT100 is different. There is just one criterion for inclusion—but it’s a high bar.

To qualify, a candidate must be actively shaping and changing our culture in real time. The people on this list represent five generations and hail from the worlds of food, publishing, art, fashion, activism, and entertainment. To put this group together, CULTURED‘s editors leveraged the full strength of our network, tapping artists, writers, and cultural leaders to tell us who they look to when they want to feel challenged, hopeful, and inspired.

Some members of the CULT100 are household names; others have been working behind the scenes to make possible the cultural encounters that stop us in our tracks. In a time of binary thinking, the creators featured in this year’s list are embracing contradiction, bouncing willfully between disciplines, and refusing to take no for an answer. They have guts, vision, and a potent cocktail of realism and optimism. None of them is shying away from the anxiety of our moment. Instead, they are thinking big, sharing generously, and embodying courage. The good news is, their work makes us all a little bit braver, too.

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CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON
Photography by CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON

SHARON EYAL

CHOREOGRAPHER

The S-E-D co-founder, co-artistic director, and choreographer left Batsheva Dance Company in 2013. Ever since, cultural luminaries, including Maria Grazia Chiuri and the National, have lined up to tap into her infectious kinetic energy.

ARE PEOPLE EVER STARSTRUCK BY YOU? I’m still not sure what that means. When I meet an artist who has changed something in my life, I get very excited. Sometimes, I receive very strong reactions from people who say amazing and interesting things, describing experiences they’ve had through my work in ways I could never have imagined. When I create, that’s never my intention, but I’m very proud of it.

WHAT DO YOU WANT NEXT FOR YOURSELF ABOVE ALL ELSE? To ensure that everything I love is safe, to continue doing what I’m already doing, to never get bored, and to keep enjoying and discovering.

WHO DO YOU CALL THE MOST? My beloved husband, Gai Behar.

"Sometimes, I receive very strong reactions from people who say amazing and interesting things, describing experiences they’ve had through my work in ways I could never have imagined."

WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE, WHAT WERE YOU KNOWN FOR? I was a hyperactive kid who loved to dance, create, and move.

IF YOU COULD ATTRIBUTE YOUR SUCCESS TO A SINGLE QUALITY, WHAT WOULD IT BE? It’s hard to point out only qualities—failure plays a huge role in achieving success. But if I focus on the positive, I’d say it’s sticking to what brings me joy and feels right. That usually feels like success to me and those around me, both on a small and large scale. But really, everything is equally important.

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