Drawing life into all living things

Currently based in Paris, Olga Prader is a Swiss-born illustrator and graphic designer, schooled at ECAL in Lausanne and the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. She’s a long-time friend of ours, and to our great joy, she’s also the artist behind the drawings featured in our ARKET CAFÉ collection – depicting the cycle of the seasons through lifelike, humorous characters from the field, forest, and garden. 

When we spoke ahead of the launch, she told us about her relationship with drawing – a practice that naturally reflects many of her personal thoughts and emotions. 

'Illustration was always a side project for me. When I was in school, I did some drawings on the side and printed my own fanzines and stuff. And then when I started working, I made drawings for friends to tell stories and make them laugh. It was never something I thought I could do professionally. 

Drawing is very different from my other work, in that it’s very personal. Whatever I make, it’s about telling stories related to myself or about how I feel. Whether I’m making a joke or I’m sad or a bit melancholic, I put that in the drawing as well. 

I mean, you draw with your body and your hand and the way you move, so the drawings are like an extension of yourself. I have a round, strong body and really wide hands, and I love drawing hands and feet. I think you can feel my body shape and movements in the way I draw. 

I really try to tell stories. They’re silent but very present. So even if I draw fruit and vegetables, there will be tiny details or movements that make you feel that there are some interactions between the characters. They’re maybe talking to each other or just waiting for something to happen. 

When I depict them, they’re excited, or in love, shy, or envious. They look a bit voluptuous and sensual, a little naughty. I think it’s just a little reminder that pure virtue doesn’t exist. I’m very interested in that. That’s why they look like characters, somehow. Does that make sense?'