Grace Wilson reacts to contemporary cultural issues through her comics

These days Twitter allows everybody, from your great uncle George to an alien who’s still getting his head around language share their opinions about contemporary culture. The trouble with this, of course, is that not everybody has something interesting to say, which makes finding new ways of participating in this discussion a challenge in itself. 

London-based illustrator Grace Wilson basically has this nailed. Reacting to Britain’s cultural goings-on – from the heated debate regarding Scottish independence to the Black Lives Matter protests which happened in central London in December – she records her own opinions in the form of brilliant short comics about the things she reads, sees and hears. 

She draws the funny interactions and weird characters she notices in her day-to-day life too, from eating lunch in the park to working out in the gym, and they’re equal parts hilarious, poignant and familiar. And above and beyond the craft that goes into making these images – caught between beautiful watercolour paintings and details that the likes of Charles Burns wouldn’t sneer at – is the careful observation that feeds all of them. Reading through Grace’s experience at the leisure centre for example, you get the sense of an opinion formed without passing judgement which makes hers a voice you can’t help but want to hear.