These 25 harrowing illustrations depict the sad and worrying truth about today's world

UK based artist Steve Cutts is painfully aware of how messed up the current state of the world is. As uncomfortable as it is, he believes we need to take a long hard look at everything from the soul-crushing every-man-for-himself rat races we're all stuck in, to the vice-like grip consumerism has on our lives, to mankind's hopeless addiction to social media, to the apocalyptic future we've brought our planet to, and more. Cutts serves the bitter truth about today's world as satirical illustrations and short animations that will leave you feeling at least a little guilty.

Speaking to Now Then Magazine about his work, Cutts explained, "My work is a satire on the way we live, using black humor to convey a darker message. The topics I choose are fundamental aspects of modern society that surround us, so naturally, they are the subject of much of my work, the things that affect us on a daily basis – poverty, corruption, greed, the media, and social media, consumerism, dependence, drugs, to name a few. The aim of my work is to get people thinking more about these aspects."

"I see a lot of insanity in the way we live, and to progress, I think we need to become more aware and look at the options we have more clearly," he added. Cutts, who worked for several international brands before striking out on his own as a freelancer in 2012, also explained why humor is such a vital ingredient in his artworks. "Humour is interesting in that it lets you talk about uncomfortable truths while also releasing the pressure that creates, so it’s a fun yet real way to get a message across," he said. Check out some of his thought-provoking artworks here:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

24.

25.