World of Hurt

'World of Hurt' by Fiona Katauskas is a watercolour cartoon showing a doctor’s office. It was published in the Guardian on the 24th of December 2024. 

The office has yellow walls and a red floor. To the left on the wall is a poster of a food pyramid. In the centre of the image is a long white exam table. A doctor in a purple shirt with a stethoscope stands to the right. 

Further to the right is a pale green bench and wall cabinet. 

In the centre of the image, sitting up on the bed, is the earth, depicted with stick legs and arms, a downturned mouth, and a worried expression. Around the earth is a red halo and black squiggly lines. 

In a large speech bubble, the earth says, 'I’ve got hot flushes, burning sensations, wet patches, constant flare-ups in my conflict zones, and now my democracies are hurting…'

In the bottom right corner is the artist’s signature, Katauskas. 

The label text reads: 

Published at the very end of 2024, Fiona Katauskas’s cartoon summed up that year and the various issues facing the world. In 2025 the Earth is still suffering from the same – and additional new – maladies.