When print is explored, revived

Print making is one of the most tedious, technical and articulate forms of art. The stunning manner with which zinc, aluminium and wood act as protagonists and thick print making ink percolates onto them.

Art Houz in association with Mojarto crafted a printmaking workshop for handpicked artists and the result of the 14-day workshop was a fabulous blend of oeuvres which ooze creativity, intricacy and awe.

The Limited Edition, a group show of 10 printmakers from different parts of the country was held after the completion of the workshop. The artists worked in the two most olden forms of printmaking —Woodcut & Etching.

The exhibition displayed prints produced during a two-week long workshop. The art of printmaking has a unique and rich history of its own. The discipline and sincerity that it commands as a medium is unparalleled.

The myriad techniques, distinct sub-forms and aesthetics that the medium offers, can’t be obtained in any other medium. Its nuances enable the artist to explore umpteen possibilities on a singular surface. Hence many artists were drawn to the medium following its inception.

The Limited Edition is an exhibition which pays homage to the art of printmaking. The workshop brought together important pedagogies of Indian printmaking. Artists from Santiniketan, Baroda, Khera garh, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru and Mysore were part of the atelier.

The amalgamation and interaction of different schools of thought, techniques and discourses engendered a highly critical space of learning and creation, creating spectacular works of art.

The artists worked in two different forms of printmaking — Woodcut and Etching. Each artist produced 10 editions. Speaking about the unique idea Aditi Ghildiyal says, “As a gallery, we try to do justice to all genres of art, I thought it would be interesting if we involve artists from different corners of the country who were phenomenal in print making.”

Speaking about the experience says artist Chaitra Puthran, “The whole experience was nice. I think print making is one of a kind art, I graduated from print and there is a dearth of printing presses in Bengaluru as when were in the Bangalore University, we would barely scrape though at the miniscule printing studio. For the show artist Suresh created his own printing press which helped us execute the works.”

Artist Suresh Krishnamurthy added, “The experience was a great one and we did share ideas, had presentations. I worked on my daughters and how they play around with my work space.” The art show has some stunning firebrand printmaking artists like Dimple Shah, Aditi Hazra,Venugopal Vg, Urmila Vg, Rajesh, Pappil Manna, Posi Prasad and Vijay Pichumani.

The show stands out as one where art patrons come together to retain and celebrate this exquisite art form. The show is a must-visit for the love of print making. It brings a new dimension to promote art shows.

— The writer is an art curator and art expert.