There is an exhibition called Collateral: Printmaking as Social Commentary
on at Gus Fisher Gallery in Auckland from 1 July - 20 August.
Opening Friday 1 July at 5.30pm, with guest speaker Robin White.
Daniel Heyman (USA), Michael Reed (NZ),
Sandra Thomson (NZ) and Diane Victor (South Africa)
utilise the versatility of print processes in diverse ways
that offer the traditional pleasures of fine prints and also more unexpected forms:
delicate etchings and drypoints, ingenious artist's books,
vibrant screenprint designs on a variety of fabric supports, and engravings on metal.
Curated by Elizabeth Rankin (Department of Art History, University of Auckland)
with support from University of Auckland’s Faculty of Arts,
Christchurch Polytechnic Institute of Technology and the CPIT Foundation.
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| Michael Reed, Maim Radius, 2007 Digital inkjet prints of assembled screenprinted bandage and photocopy on acetate, 147x109cm. |
Invited to witness interviews of Iraqi detainees by American human rights lawyers,
Daniel Heyman (USA) sought to restore their individuality and dignity
after endless humiliating exposure as victims in the media.
He uses the directness of drypoint to capture likenesses of the men with rapid immediacy,
adding the words of their testament in inscriptions that invade the spaces around their heads.
Media reports also caught the attention of Diane Victor (South Africa),
but in this case she was outraged by how little attention was given
to public corruption and personal tragedies in post-apartheid South Africa.
Her etchings reveal some of these Disasters of Peace, as she calls them,
depicted in painstakingly delicate surfaces that compellingly draw us in
to linger over events that viewers might otherwise avoid.
Sandra Thomson (NZ) exploits the versatility of screenprinting to create linear forms
reminiscent of medieval woodcuts in order to explore saintly stories
and more contemporary incidents of suffering in the church.
Working on fabric, she evokes the sumptuousness of religious vestments
or references more humble apparel, such as the singlets she creates
to suggest the vulnerability of abused children.
Michael Reed (NZ) uses fabric supports for many of his prints to convey a social imperative.
He deploys the connotations of varied textiles (including drapes, carpet runners, or bandages)
to contribute additional layers of meaning to the transfixing texts imprinted on his works, indicting those who make and sell arms for profit.
All four of these artists demonstrate printmaking's ability
All four of these artists demonstrate printmaking's ability
to create forms that unite visual delight with social acuity.
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