This Cartoonist Creates Thought-Provoking Illustrations Covering Relevant Topics Related To Our Society (30 Pics)

Bored Panda got in touch with Koren to ask him more about himself and his creations. The artist revealed that he was born in Israel and came to New York in his early 20s to study illustration at the School of Visual Arts, where he is now an instructor.

Other than illustrations, Koren's other big passion is comics, and he has had several books published. The latest one is a graphic novel biography of Bela Lugosi.

Koren started his journey as an artist around the time he was 9. He signed up for comics classes in Israel. The teacher was one of the only people in Israel who was a full-time cartoonist - Uri Fink. Around the time the artist was 15, he became Uri’s assistant. "I learned a lot from him about the basics of telling a story through comics. He also had an incredible library of comics in his studio and I would take out new books every week. He introduced me to some of the greatest artists and writers in American comics, like Frank Miller and Alan Moore."

In his later teens, the artist discovered European comics artists such as Moebius and some of the underground folks like R. Crumb, and, as Koren put it himself, that expanded his view out of the superhero ghetto. "When I came to New York I started to focus more on the art of illustration. I tried to keep both flames going as much as I can, and never really stopped."

A lot of Koren's illustrations touch on problems or difficulties that our society faces. For the artist, it is a source of frustration. "I've recently grown so frustrated with Facebook that I finally closed my account. I would also close my Instagram if I could but my work relies on it. Most social media is a big waste of time and just gives you the illusion that you are socializing and spending time with others, while in reality, you are stuck in front of a glowing screen."

We asked the artist what makes him passionate about creating illustrations. He replied that he loves trying to tell a story with a single image. "Every time I get to visualize either an article or a story that I enjoy, I feel really excited about the challenge of interpreting the words into the drawing medium. There are so many options and I just love the freedom of being able to come out with something fun out of thin air. It's like magic!"