Animals represent the abstract notion of acceptance. Living with these funny creatures - you kind of have to accept them. It's like a test in a way. Shaun Tan abstractacceptacceptance Change image and share on social
I get very creative when I'm trapped in a plane and I can't do anything else. Shaun Tan creativeplanetrap Change image and share on social
The audience for comics has shifted dramatically. And the boundaries between books and fine arts have blurred. Maybe it's the globalization of fine art through the Internet - it's easy for certain groups to coalesce around a certain kind of work or medium. Shaun Tan artaudienceblur share on social
By itself, just to draw crazy creatures has limited appeal - if I had to give up one thing, it would be the wild imagination. When the work becomes too detached from ordinary life, it starts to fall apart. Fantasy needs to have some connection with reality, or it becomes of its own interest only, insular. Shaun Tan appealconnectioncrazy share on social
You discover how confounding the world is when you try to draw it. You look at a car, and you try to see its car-ness, and you're like an immigrant to your own world. You don't have to travel to encounter weirdness. You wake up to it. Shaun Tan carconfounddiscover share on social
Whenever I start a project, I have a broad range of possibilities. Shaun Tan broadpossibilityproject Change image and share on social
Like all of my previous work - which I also hope is a bit hard to categorise - 'The Oopsatoreum' is an illustrated book, so a combination of words and pictures that tell a kind of story. Shaun Tan bitebookcategorise Change image and share on social
It was better to be known as the kid who could draw than as the short kid. Shaun Tan drawkidshort Change image and share on social
When I was growing up, a lot of books affected me, but I never wrote letters to the author or anything like that. I'm always mindful that there are probably a whole bunch of people reading my books like that, too. Shaun Tan affectauthorbook share on social
I think 'The Road' is a good example of a book everyone should read, but I wouldn't recommend it to young kids. Shaun Tan bookgoodkid Change image and share on social