The Wall Street Journal Magazine - 11.2019

40 WSJ. MAGAZINE

EDITOR’S LETTER

ILLUSTRATION BY ALEJANDRO CARDENAS

SNAP HAPPY Anubis and Bast (both wearing Burberry), surrounded by the trappings of this year’s Innovators, look on as Who reclines for a selfi e.

GUIDING LIGHTS

C

REATIVELY DARING, nontraditional, icono-

clastic and socially aware, the Innovators

profi led in these pages are driving the cul-

tural agenda as we head into 2020.

Cindy Sherman has had a transformative infl u-

ence on photography, with self-portraits that seem

increasingly prescient in an age preoccupied with

social media and identity. Meanwhile, Tyler, the

Creator, who roused critics with his early rap styl-

ings, has evolved into a multimedia auteur with a

devoted following. Director Melina Matsoukas, who

launched her career with gripping music videos for

artists like Beyoncé and Rihanna, is making the leap

to Hollywood with a remarkable debut, Queen & Slim,

an exploration of race in America that’s as lyrical as it

is provocative. On the design front, Karl Fournier and

Olivier Marty, the French duo behind architecture

fi rm Studio KO, show a nervy disregard for conven-

tion, leaning instead on a deeply intuitive, contextual

approach. Likewise, Burberry chief creative offi cer

Riccardo Tisci infuses luxury apparel with a youth-

ful, street-inspired energy while translating the

quintessentially British brand for the modern era.

To the excitement of comedy fans everywhere,

Eddie Murphy—back on the big screen with reboots

of his early classics and in a new biopic about comic

Rudy Ray Moore—is plotting a return to stand-up

comedy a f ter a h iat u s of more t ha n 30 yea rs. Ju l ia n ne

Moore continues her reign as one of Hollywood’s

most versatile actresses, balancing densely layered

fi lm roles with her commitment to activism around

gun violence.

Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer and activist who wrote

the best-selling book Just Mercy, speaks for those

without a voice: the incarcerated and oppressed.

Guided by a spiritual mission to free those in unjust

bondage, he stresses hope—a value that inspires all

of this year’s Innovators. “I just don’t think you can

doubt the power of love to change hearts and minds,”

says Stevenson. “I have seen it. It’s a powerful thing.”

Kristina O’Neill

[email protected]

@kristina_oneill