“Before I decided on illustrating Gogol’s The Nose, I was looking for an author I had strong harmony with. While I was too hoping to find some humor and courage in their story. After researching for a while, I decided that Gogol was a good playmate for me. However, illustrating a classic is always risky and difficult for an illustrator as these stories have been illustrated by many artists before. I am more interested in finding new ways of storytelling. I focused on innovative and bold approaches that dare to go beyond what the market is.”

Merve Erbilgiç