Drawing Testimonies in Situ in War Zones with Illustrator George Butler

Award-winning artist George Butler creates ink and watercolour drawings in situ in war zones, refugee camps and disaster areas all over the world and some of his work can be found in museum archives, including at the V&A.

His testimonies of ordinary people capture suffering, courage, moments of hope, and introduce us to real characters behind the headlines, whose situations we rarely hear about on the news. 

George has drawn in a leprosy clinic in Nepal; spent time with The Hazda tribe in Tanzania as they work with the honeyguide birds, and most recently been in Syria where Action Syria UK - a charity he co-founded - funds doctors and teachers.

His new book – Ukraine : Remember Also Me – is described by BBC's Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet as “a remarkable first draft of history – raw and revelatory”. 

Photograph by Mauricio Gris

Petro collecting books after a missile strike - Kramatorsk, Ukraine

Photograph by Bram Janssen

Matriarch & great-grandmother 99-year-old Madame Olga - Kyiv, Ukraine

Photography by Tim Brown