
[I]llustration is in the midst of a renaissance. Using Instagram, self-published zines and digital spaces as galleries, a new wave of artists are confronting themes of sex, gender, mental health, love and politics with pens, ink and digital tools. The juxtaposition of sometimes cartoonish or crude figures with adult slogans, concepts or behaviours is an effective way of imparting serious topics into the otherwise largely sedate stream of imagery you find on your Instagram. Hit follow on some of our favourites below.
Xavier Schipani – @XAVIERSCHIPANI

Xavier Schipani is an artist operating out of East Austin, Texas. His work explores urgent socio-political themes, with a specific focus on sex and gender and how society’s restrictive approach to these subjects causes dysfunction and incites fear.
Actively inviting his audience to be turned on by his images, that often feature either literal or abstract representations of non-binary figures, creates an experimental atmosphere, where the sexual and gender norms are momentarily relaxed and a space for self-exploration appears. More abstract pieces present ample space for free-thought, whilst mural-style pieces appear like erotic tapestries rich with promises and propositions.


Recipes for self love by Alison Rachel – @RECIPESFORSELFLOVE

Recipes For Self Love is a zine dedicated to bringing you through the day with some positivity, pastel aesthetics and the belief that the trolls/politicians/meanstream media will eventually get found out and be taken down by a wave of progression. Founded by artist Alison Rachel, the zine (which, if you follow here, will also pump good vibes into your Insta feed) is a direct response to the torrent of sexist, racism, LGBT+phobic, ableist garbage that sometimes seems to dominate the internet and channels contemporary poets, historic feminists and Alison’s own mantras in and pairs them with soothing illustrations featuring a diverse casts of characters and chill house plants.


Sarah Maxwell – @SARAHMAXWELLART

arah Maxwell is an illustrator currently based in Paris having arrived from her hometown of Austin a few years ago. Her tender but powerful illustrations are modern representation of romance: lying in bed daydreaming, lusting for a body that’s not there and regretting everything that you’ve done. Her pastel comic-strips and graphic interpretations are derived from her habituation of Paris, breaking into new art worlds and exploring and affirming her queer identity in a new city.


Ben Evans – @BENISRIGHT

Ben Evans is an illustrator working out of New York. His work is principally concerned with the private, familiar spaces we call home and the unconventional ways we indulge ourselves (or the fantasies we have about indulging ourselves) behind closed doors. Humorous, controversial and also poignant, his works are a clear insight into the way we self-censor our thoughts and behaviour even when we are alone, before we’ve even had the chance to go public with the fact that we may or may not like to be strung up by an x-box controller, search “big..” on PornHub over breakfast or eat cereal and french fries in our underwear.


Rachel Denti – @RACHELDENTI

Rachel Denti is a self-described “lame-ass art student” from Brazil. Constantly feeling unsettled, she uses this feeling as fuel for her creativity. Her pop art-esque series Everyday Thoughts on Everyday Things shows a world labelled with the triggers and coping behaviours of living with anxiety in a hyperreal cityscape.

