The future of printmaking in Aotearoa
An often overlooked art form in New Zealand, printmaking is celebrated in this new publication, Proof. The pages feature the work of 151 printmakers – from artists using traditional techniques to those pushing the boundaries of print.
“The days of being able to give a definitive explanation of what printmaking is have gone,” says Kathy Boyle, chair of Print Council Aotearoa NZ (PCANZ).
While particular fields of printmaking can still be described by a specific technique – such as mezzotint, etching or woodcut – Kathy says the field has expanded hugely in the past decades.
“Especially with the impact of digital media,” she says. “While printmakers have always embraced new technologies, they recognise that technique alone cannot describe content and argue for their work to be considered alongside its visual art counterparts. This does not mean a loss of tradition, but it has impacted on some conventions such as the ‘edition’. More and more artists are making hybrid prints – prints that call upon a range of materials and tools in order to explore contemporary ideas.”
“PCANZ saw Proof as another opportunity to create public awareness that printmaking in New Zealand is an active, vibrant, and rapidly growing part of the New Zealand art scene.”
Proof: a celebration of contemporary printmaking
Many artists and ideas are featured in PCANZ’s new publication: Proof.
“The idea of a publication about PCANZ had been discussed for a number of years. With the 20th anniversary of the foundation of Print Council approaching, it was decided the time was right to produce a book that outlined the important impact PCANZ has had on New Zealand printmaking, as well as an opportunity to celebrate its members,” says Kathy.
“Printmaking is often an overlooked art form in New Zealand – there has not been a comprehensive publication featuring New Zealand printmaking and printmakers for many years. PCANZ saw Proof as another opportunity to create public awareness that printmaking in New Zealand is an active, vibrant, and rapidly growing part of the New Zealand art scene.”
An incredible display of the diversity of the art form, the coffee table-style book features 166 works – from the more traditional woodcuts and etchings to those pushing the boundaries of print – by 151 artists.
“The invention of photography and screen-printing had an enormous impact on the art world.”
What’s next for printmaking in New Zealand?
“The printed image has long historical, political and social associations where it has been able to change behaviour, inform many and agitate through visual persuasion. Printmakers have always embraced new technologies and if Albrecht Dürer (the German Renaissance printmaker) returned today to make prints, I am sure he would have used whatever technologies were available to widely disseminate his images,” says Kathy.
“The invention of photography and screen-printing had an enormous impact on the art world, especially in the 1960s, and many significant artists have worked with commercial printing to both lift standards and to feature strongly in their studio production. New technologies will continue to be explored by artists, but for printmakers they are simply another tool to use if useful and appropriate for the ideas being generated.”
As more and more artists across Aotearoa continue to join PCANZ, we’ll be watching to see what’s next.
Published by Massey University Press, Proof has a foreword by Susanna Shadbolt, director of Aratoi, Masterton; brief essays on the history of PCANZ, including significant exhibitions; and a glossary of printmaking terms and techniques, making it a valuable resource for art students and teachers.
Aotearoa, New Zealand
