Britain’s Child Poverty Crisis: Brian Rea’s Stark Illustration on The New Statesman

May 29

“One in four children in the UK live below the poverty line. A heartbreaking statistic,” Rea writes. “As a parent, this project meant more than most.”

Known for his emotionally resonant work with The New York Times’ “Modern Love” column, Brian Rea explored several visual directions (seen below) before the New Statesman team, under art director Erica Weathers, selected a quieter image—one Brian believes may “trigger deeper feelings” through its restraint and gesture.

The illustration fronts an extraordinary issue featuring some of Britain’s most vital voices:

David Tennant on community, faith, and inequality
Armando Iannucci on the death of nuance
Terri White on our schools’ lost children
Kit de Waal on the misery of growing up cold
Jamie Oliver on the battle for breakfasts
Rowan Williams on the culture wars curse

Also included are essays and insights from Bernardine Evaristo, Geoff Dyer, Malorie Blackman, and Michael Rosen.

Gordon Brown writes in his foreword:

“Child poverty is a scar on our national conscience. A Labour government has taken millions of children out of poverty before. It can do so again.”

Further Reading:

Brian ReaChild PovertyBritainNew StatesmanIllustration

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