2025: The Year Art Tackled the World’s Wildest Issues on The Verge
This year, The Verge’s art team didn’t shy away from the bold, the bizarre, or the downright controversial. From the meme-fueled circus of DOGE to the haunting myths of the Vietnam War, and from the privacy crisis facing trans individuals online to the shadowy surveillance networks targeting Iranian dissidents, our projects spanned the globe and the human experience. But here’s where it gets controversial: Can art truly capture the complexity of these issues, or does it risk oversimplifying them? Let’s dive in and find out.
We kicked off the year by creating a kaleidoscope to showcase standout products from The Verge’s gift guides, blending whimsy with functionality. Meanwhile, illustrator Molly Crabapple braved the chaotic halls of a courthouse to sketch fans and spectators of Luigi Mangione’s pretrial hearing—a moment of raw, unfiltered humanity. And in the digital realm, we explored the labyrinthine world of News Daddy, crafting collages that reveal how college students navigate today’s fragmented media landscape. And this is the part most people miss: The art isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about sparking conversations and challenging perspectives.
Image: The Verge, Wikimedia Commons
Art Director Cath Virginia reflects on the inspiration behind her work, drawing parallels between Wikipedia’s hyperlinked chaos and the stream-of-consciousness explosion of DK kids’ books. “Wikipedia, one of the few remaining reliable institutions, is both a sanctuary and a maze,” she notes. But is Wikipedia truly immune to bias, or is it, as some argue, infected by the ‘woke mind virus’? What do you think?
Image by Tran Nguyen, Kristen Radtke / The Verge
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, Creative Director Kristen Radtke and illustrator Tran Nguyen designed a split-screen hub that captures the conflicting narratives of the Vietnam War. But here’s the question: Does this format honor the complexity of history, or does it risk reducing it to a visual spectacle?
Image by Cath Virginia, Taehee Yoonseul for The Verge
Cath Virginia’s package on the challenges faced by trans people strikes a delicate balance between hope and uncertainty. “Trans people are shaping the future,” she asserts, “but we don’t yet know what it holds.” Controversial take: Is optimism enough in the face of systemic oppression, or does it risk glossing over the harsh realities?
Illustration: Molly Crabapple for The Verge
Molly Crabapple’s courtroom sketches of Luigi Mangione’s fans weren’t just art—they were a testament to the power of observation in chaos. But here’s the debate: Does art like this humanize the spectacle, or does it inadvertently contribute to it?
Image by Kristen Radtke / The Verge
Kristen Radtke’s TikTok-inspired design for a package on influencers is as loud and poppy as the phenomenon itself. But does mimicking the platform critique it, or does it risk glorifying its excesses?
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Amelia Holowaty Krales’s kaleidoscope effect for the gift guides was a labor of love, blending photography with creativity. Fun fact: The setup involved a mirrored structure and a very large TV. But is this kind of behind-the-scenes magic worth the effort, or is it just a gimmick?
Design by Matt Huynh
Matt Huynh’s comic about a U.S. military psyop using ghost recordings during the Vietnam War is both haunting and historically revealing. Controversial question: Does art have a responsibility to educate, or is its primary purpose to evoke emotion?
Illustration by Ariel Davis for The Verge
Ariel Davis’s DOGE Cerberus illustration of Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and JD Vance is a perfect blend of apocalypse and absurdity. But here’s the debate: Does this kind of satire trivialize these figures, or does it expose their absurdity?
Illustration by Jovana Mugosa for The Verge
Jovana Mugosa’s crime noir illustrations for a story on Iranian kidnappings are a masterclass in atmosphere. But does the aestheticization of such dark subjects risk romanticizing them?
Collage by Ian Woods / Photos by Eva Alicia Lépiz for The Verge
Ian Woods’s handmade collaged portraits for a piece on fatherhood and Final Fantasy blur the lines between reality and gaming. Thought-provoking question: Does art that blends worlds deepen our understanding, or does it confuse it?
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Amelia’s photos of women holding Silicon Valley accountable for toxic factory conditions are a stark reminder of the human cost of innovation. But here’s the controversy: Does this kind of storytelling inspire change, or does it simply exploit suffering?
Image by Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images
Cath Virginia’s artwork on the ‘infinite fringe’ of racist conspiracy memes is as unsettling as it is captivating. Bold statement: Art like this doesn’t just illustrate the problem—it forces us to confront it. But does it go far enough?
Image by Benny Douet for The Verge
Benny Douet’s image of JD Vance and Mark Zuckerberg at the Bitcoin Conference captures the surreal absurdity of the event. Final question: Is this kind of art a mirror to society, or is it a funhouse mirror that distorts more than it reflects?
What’s your take? Let us know in the comments—we want to hear your thoughts on how art tackles the world’s wildest issues. Follow our team for more thought-provoking content and join the conversation!
