exhibitions & events 2018

Innovative Printmaking

Exhibiting Artists:

Timorous Beasties, Martin Boyce, Annis Fitzhughs, Claire Forsyth, Michael Fullerton, Ilana Halperin, Jim Lambie, John Mackechnie, Scott Myles, Jim Pattison, Toby Paterson, Ciara Phillips, Carol Rhodes, Murray Robertson, Lucy Skaer, Tony Swain, Jane and Louise Wilson, Adrian Wiszniewski.

In the discipline of printmaking, innovation and utility have always fueled the development of new print methods. For this exhibition, a selected group of artists present work across processes, materials and forms which push the boundaries of printmaking. 

Artists have long been attracted to the diverse techniques and processes associated with printmaking. Once confined by the limitations of traditional print techniques, artists today have an almost infinite means of achieving a desired outcome, not least with the latest advances in new digital technologies.

This exhibition explores and celebrates the integration of digital technology into fine-art practice, presenting a combination of digital, experimental and more traditional processes.

Printmaking has always been based on experiment. Responsive to new trends, printmakers are rarely afraid to incorporate innovation into their practice. New technologies have been swiftly co-opted for fine art printmaking, and traditional techniques have been supplanted, modified (and sometimes facilitated) by the photocopier and the inkjet printer. At the same time, some artists have continued to explore the potential of more traditional methods, whether it be by printing on surfaces other than paper (such as aluminium, mirror and Perspex), by working on an unprecedented scale or simply by working in a way which expands the definitions of 'print'.  

Innovative Printmaking aims to demonstrate that the rise of new media, viewed by some as a threat to the future of printmaking, has in fact extended the possibilities and potential of the medium, rather than simply replacing the traditional methods. The coexistence of traditional printmaking techniques and new technologies are testament to the dynamic, democratic and versatile nature of fine art printmaking

Image: Jane and Louise Wilson, 'False Positive, False Negative', 2012, 65 x 96.5cm, Edition 13 of 20. Screenprint on mirrored acrylic with artist's frame.