Charlotte Crawford (www.theautisticartist.com), from Berkshire in the UK, rediscovered her love for art during Covid. “I had no job and my mental health was at a very low point,” she says. After ending up in hospital, she was diagnosed as autistic aged 21.
She says, “There is a lack of knowledge and understanding when it comes to autism. More and more people are aware of the struggles autistic people face on a day-to-day basis but there is still a long way to go.”
Powerful
Charlotte Crawford
"Powerful is a mixed media artwork. I created this using minimal lines and bold blocks of colour. The repetitive lines were intended to mimic a fingerprint. I see links between the lines in the art and the natural lines in the centre of tree trunks.”
Gen Z struggles
Charlotte Crawford
"“This artwork highlights the daily struggles people in certain generations feel. The pressure to ‘have it all’ whilst also giving back, helping the environment, saving for a house in a collapsing market, keeping active. But it also highlights how we’re improving society in lots of ways. Focusing on mental health, inclusion, and diversity in workplaces.”
Tatyana Zelenskaia (instagram.com/tatyanazelenskaia) was born and grew up in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan and studied art at the National Academy of Arts of the Kyrgyz Republic. She majored in industrial graphics, but prefers to work in a more creative direction: illustration, animations, posters and contemporary art.
Zelenskaia’s work regularly covers themes such as feminism, violence and human rights and in March 2020, she was arrested for taking part in a women’s rights protest in the country. She won the 2021 Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Award in the arts category.
Watching eyes
Tatyana Zelenskaia
The importance of the role of whistleblowers in exposing corruption and malpractice is well-established in law and rightly celebrated in a string of Hollywood movies from All the President’s Men to Erin Brockovich. But whistleblowers should also be celebrated as champions of free expression. The summer 2021 edition of Index on Censorship highlighted several prominent cases around the world. This artwork by a Kyrgyz artist who had faced attacks for her work graced the cover.
AI starter pack
Tatyana Zelenskaia
The autumn 2025 edition of Index on Censorship featured a special report on artificial intelligence and this illustration was featured on the cover.
The artist says, “I was very interested in creating this illustration because for me as a free artist, the concept of neural networks replacing artists is a very big fear.”
Badiucao calls himself a “Chinese Aussie artist hunted by the Chinese Government”.
Born in Shanghai, Badiucao was training to be a lawyer when he first became a convert to activism.
He was watching a pirated Taiwanese film with friends and, unbeknown to them, the film had the Tiananmen documentary The Gate of Heavenly Peace spliced into it and the die was cast.
Later, recalling the incident to AFP, he said, "It was three hours, everybody just sat there and the room was completely dark, nobody even got up to turn on a light.”
He emigrated to Australia in 2009, abandoning his plan to become a lawyer. He began using his artistic talents in his spare time and, in 2011, starting drawing political cartoons, becoming a nagging thorn in the CCP’s side.
Artful dissident
Badiucao
Badiucao’s illustration for the cover of the spring 2021 issue of Index on Censorship magazine is typical of his work – striking and with a strong message to those who gaze upon it, reminding us of the West’s complicity in China’s rise to power.
Cutting comment
Badiucao
This magazine cover from our 2024 science issue, entitled Inconvenient Truths, revisits Andy Warhol’s famous picture of Albert Einstein.
Wilson Borja (wilsonborja.com) was born and raised in Bogotá, Colombia. He studied graphic design and has worked in illustration and animation.
His recent work has been inspired by the African diaspora and migration and his exhibition at Bogotà’s African Diaspora Gallery in 2019 was focused on this topic.
Balance
Wilson Borja
This illustration from the cover of our autumn 2022 magazine includes plant species Borja collected from Colombia's Pacific coast, where most people are of African descent.
A London-based Hong Kong artist couple in exile, Lumli Lumlong (www.lumlilumlong.com), both were born into working-class families and studied fine art in France. They create grotesque-style oil paintings reflecting social realities. The left side of all their artworks are painted by husband, Lumlong, and the right by wife, Lumli.
Their work has been exhibited internationally, in cities such as London, Paris, Berlin, and New York, as well as in museums, galleries, and at the European and UK Parliaments. They have been selected for the London Art Biennale 2025.
Apple Man
Lumli Lumlong
"Your hands cannot silence my voice because thoughts have always been free."
This artwork was unveiled at a 2023 exhibition by Index on Censorship in London, commemorating jailed publisher Jimmy Lai.
Long-Armed People
Lumli Lumlong
The artists said of this work: “When you think you’ve left your homeland and escaped it, it reappears. When you believe you’re sitting safely at home, it’s watching you. When transnational repression has penetrated deep into your bones, your only option is to overcome fear and rise to resist it.”
Aastha Sahdev (instagram.com/aasthapastaa) is a Delhi-based visual artist. She has been crafting art since the age of five when she won a national painting competition. Her artistic journey has since been shaped by her studies in English literature, art history, and motion graphics design, blending pop culture and traditional Indian elements to offer unique social commentary.
Inspired by Mughal miniatures, Rajasthani art and traditional paintings, her style combines historic references with modern flair. Aastha’s characters embody the elegance, grace and stylisation of Bani Thani by Nihal Chand, a work she deeply admires. Drawing inspiration from real women and conversations, her art reacts to the world around her, transforming themes and ideas into vibrant, thought-provoking pieces.
The final cut
Aastha Sahdev
This piece of art was commissioned for the summer 2024 issue of Index on Censorship which looked at how cinema is being used to change the global narrative. The work is inspired by traditional Indian film posters.
Iryna Potapenko is from Odessa, Ukraine. She says, “For many years I have been illustrating books for children and adults and painting watercolours. When I see a smile of a child, who is looking at my illustrations in a children’s book, I know my efforts have been rewarded."
"Working with Index over the past years has been meaningful for me. I have illustrated several stories touching on difficult and urgent social themes, and I appreciate that the magazine gives space to such voices. Creating art for Index allows me to connect with readers emotionally and to speak about important issues through imagery."
Art is eternal
Iryna Potapenko
This illustration was commissioned for the cover of our summer 2022 magazine on the war in Ukraine. Iryna says, "When the war started, I began to paint it too as I wanted to tell people all over the world about it. Bombs and rockets destroy our cities, forcing me and my husband to hide in the basement with our pets. Painting helps me maintain mental strength. With this illustration, I wanted to show that cities get ruined but art is eternal.”
Labirinto
Iryna Potapenko
This illustration was commissioned for a scene-setting article in our autumn 2025 magazine on artificial intelligence. Iryna says, "The recent story on artificial intelligence was a particular pleasure to work on — it inspired me creatively.”
