Brecht Vandenbroucke tackles society’s issues with imagination and humour

Brecht Vandenbroucke’s busy yet skilled illustrations tackle the world and its issues with a wit and playfulness that makes us wish we could interpret societal issues in one beautifully composed image. We’ve been longtime fans of Antwerp-based Brecht’s painted works having commissioned a comic by the artist for Printed Pages in the past, but it’s been a good couple of years since we last checked in.

While his works are less disorderly than they used to be, Brecht’s illustrations still have a dark undertone to them, which sits at odds with the seemingly chirpy and innocent references he includes such as Barbie, teddy bears, Lego, Bugs Bunny and lots of other cartoon characters. The illustrator uses these recognisable icons and figures to tackle a wide range of subjects including sexuality, music, art, the struggle between online and offline presence and bystander behaviour.

His ongoing commissions for Rough Trade’s monthly columnist Jonathan Richman are in Brecht’s typical style and interpret the world of music in a visually engaging way. Other ongoing projects include Shady Bitch a one-page comic for French fortnightly magazine Society, in which a recurring black-haired character tackles daily struggles and philosophical moments with a wicked sense of humour.