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Jan Bauer

Jan Bauer Jan Bauer's comic book debut "The Salty River,"  released by Twelve Panels Press, has been translated into three languages ​​and is the first German graphic novel to have appeared in Australia. Bauer tells autobiographically about his trekking journey along the Larapinta Trail from Alice Springs, a love story and the attempt to find oneself in the loneliness of the Outback. He taught at the Bauhaus University Weimar and is currently at the University of Applied Sciences Europe and works as a cartoonist, freelance animator and illustrator.

... answers

For me, the difference between travel photography and travel drawing is...
"Of course, a drawing is always more personal than a photo. It provides a filtered or edited look at a topic. This is especially true for documentary graphic novels - they take the reader by the hand and pull him into their own reality. Therein lies their power. In addition, sensitive situations in which a camera would interfere can be presented better. This allows the comic to approach its material in a more intimate way, so to speak. Moreover, a reportage in a comic form always remains transparent in the subjectivity of its presentation."

When I draw...
"The graphic realization takes place at my home, after the trip. In a sense, the essence of what I've experienced filters out by itself. To tell a story, it's not enough to just replay events. Omission is probably the most important part of the creative process. What may be left out, opens up to me only while drawing."

Inspirations on my ‘travels’ have been, above all...
"The traditional painting of the Aboriginies impressed me. Our European understanding of art is based on representational depiction. The Warlpiri with their dot art approach paint much more freely and playfully and come to surprising results."

I would like to travel...
"I'm fascinated by hitchhiking. I have already made shorter trips without any money. And I would like to travel to Africa. Maybe I connect these things on a trip. Maybe I'm fed up with travel comics after my current graphic novel project."

My reading for my next trip will include...
"I prefer to travel with minimal luggage. Books are actually too heavy. But during my trip to the desert this year, I read "The Sense of Giving" by Stefan Klein. So if I pack something to read in my backpack the next time, it will probably be a non-fiction book again."

... at Graphic Travelogues


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