Olivier Kugler

Olivier Kugler Oliver Kugler, born in Stuttgart in 1970, lives in London. He studied graphic design in Pforzheim and worked as a freelance illustrator for two years in New York, while also studying at the School of Visual Arts. This is where he learned the art of drawing on the spot and of how to capture subjects. Since then, he has been travelling to war zones and forgotten countries doing reportage illustrations for newspapers and magazines. For his graphic novel Escaping Wars and Waves, commissioned by Doctors Without Borders, he searched and portrayed Syrian refugees living in camps in Iraq, Greece, and France.

... answers

For me, the difference between travel photography and travel drawing lies...
"... in the drawing. The process of drawing involves a deeper, more personal engagement with the scenes and the people I would like to capture. But here, I should also say that I rarely draw on the spot now. While yes, I have learned to draw, for a long time now I have been using photographs that I take on location. These are my travel photos (snapshots!), which I use as templates for my detailed drawings."

When I draw...
"... I feel the way I did as a 10-yer-old playing with my Playmobil toys, happy, but with intense concentration :)"

Inspirations on my ‘travels’ have been, above all...
"... by the drawings of Jaques Loustal and David Hockney."

I would like to travel...
"... (in winter) to Iceland to observe the fishermen catching cod in stormy seas. I want to accompany the fish onboard a container ship to the Port of Immingham, on the north-east coast of England. And then follow its journey via the fish market to a small fish and chips shop somewhere on the southwest coast. I would like to portray the people I meet on this journey and chronicle their stories."

On my next trip, my travel literature will include...
"... The Headscarf Revolutionaries by Brian W. Lavery."

... surf further

Olivier Kugler's Website

... at Graphic Travelogues

Mit dem Elefantendoktor in Laos