A ballet dancer stretches backstage during Nacho Duato's “The Nutcracker” at the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia November 21, 2015. For theatregoers in St Petersburg, Nacho Duato's “The Nutcracker” demonstrates the global appeal of a Christmas classic. When the curtain rises at the Mikhailovsky Theatre, among the oldest opera and ballet houses in Russia, it's the culmination of hundreds of hours of toil and sweat by dancers, costume makers, set designers and musicians playing the famous score by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. (Photo by Grigory Dukor/Reuters)

Fans bath in the mud during the “Woodstock Festival Poland” on August 3, 2017 in Kostrzyn Nad Odra, Poland. The annual 3 day music festival organised by The Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, one of Polands most respected charities aims at spreading awareness about drugs and violence. Przystanek Woodstock in Poland is the largest Europe open air festival. (Photo by Music/Alamy Stock Photo)

A fisherman carries a silver carp during a traditional fish haul at the Horusicky pond near the town of Veseli nad Luznici, Czech Republic, Tuesday, October 24, 2017. Each autumn, Czech fishermen get to serious business of a century-long tradition of catching carp for Christmas markets. Southern Bohemia, where the Horusicky pond is located, with its elaborate network of ponds is at the center of the local carp universe. (Photo by Petr David Josek/AP Photo)

Revellers out and about in Newcastle, England on “Black Eye Friday” or “Mad Friday” on December 22, 2017 as people across the country celebrate the start of the Christmas break by hitting bars, pubs and clubs. This partygoer had so much fun she looks lost. (Photo by Craig Connor/North News and Pictures)

Modern art is truly fascinating. Not in a way that it produces some novel things that will fascinate future generations for decades and even centuries to come. No, that is very far from the truth. On the contrary, modern art is essentially anything (yes, any little thing) that is a bit unusual and was created by a famous person. Let’s take the creation of Antoine Bridier-Nahmias for example. His brainchild is a set of pictures of petri dishes that were contaminated by various cultures of fungi. If this is art, I missed my chance of becoming famous when I accidentally left a piece of bread in a bag in a cupboard for about six months, and didn’t take a picture of the rather shocking results that awaited me when I finally discovered it. (Photo by Antoine Bridier-Nahmias)

Thoughts. They fly through the broad expenses of our mind, floating gracefully in midair, going into the clouds, and then reemerging once again. Some are quick and furtive, others are grand and majestic. We reflect upon them as they enter our minds, and once they leave, they are usually gone for good. However, some thoughts are different. These thoughts resemble a flock of angry birds or a swarm of hungry moths that invade your mind, slowly eating away at your sanity, strength, and desire to live. Such thoughts often plague that minds of people with Obsessive Compulsive disorder. They completely occupy their time; constantly there; ever-present. With his book sculpture, Thomas Wightman was able to accurately convey the way these thoughts consume the mind, slowly building a nest within it, resisting all attempts to drive them away.

“Inspired by the French authorities' solution to move Romas from point A to point B, Romanian authorities planned and started forced evictions of Roma informal settlements in cities like Cluj-Napoca and Baia Mare. Some of these settlements date back to the early 1990’s. These communities were tolerated by the authorities who verbally encouraged Romas to build in the area, meanwhile, reassuring them nothing bad would ever happen to them. However, the the reality today is that during political campaigns, authorities are planning forced evictions without reasons other than ethnic cleansing of the cities. My home documents the every day life of Roma communities in Romania, 2011”. – Mugur Varzariu. (Photo by Mugur Varzariu, 2011 FotoVisura Grant Finalist)

Michael Grant, 28, “Philly Jesus”, carries a 12 foot cross 8 miles through this blighted area of North Philadelphia towards LOVE Park in Center City as part of a Christmas walk to spread the true message of the holiday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania December 20, 2014. As many as a half dozen others joined him for numerous miles as he trekked southward down Broad Street. Some shouted “Praise Jesus!” and “Thank you for doing this!” at the sight. Nearly everyday for the last 8 months, Grant has dressed as Jesus Christ, and walked the streets of Philadelphia to share the Christian gospel by example. He quickly acquired the nickname of “Philly Jesus”, which he has gone by ever since. (Photo by Mark Makela/Reuters)