by print show videos
A while ago, I posted about a printmaking exhibition by several friends at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo, Japan. Michiko Suzuki, one of the artists, has kindly emailed me that she has put up two videos on YouTube. One is of their exhibition opening. The second shows the installation process and one can see more of their amazing work. The gallery space is fantastic. Congratulations to the artists!
Added later: Michiko has also created a video of her exhibition ‘Flicker of Life’, shown in the Penticton Art Gallery in 2009. I wrote about it back then with a link to a slide show she had created. Wonderful work!
August 3, 2012 in Art Exhibitions, Art Institute (Printmaking), Printmaking by Marja-Leena
What a tantalising view of a beautiful looking building, and a fascinating collection of works. I wanted to see so much more of everything there.
Olga, me too! I know the work of several of these artists very well but haven’t seen some of their latest work which is in this exhibition. This setting is fantastic and sets off their work beautifully. I was also astounded by the size of some of the work. Imagine the cost of crating and shipping!
I was able to watch a couple of minutes of both videos last evening but I’m having a hard time in the heat we’re still having to keep the laptop anywhere near me for longer than a few minutes. The show did look wonderful and I promise to watch more when I can.
I hope you’re enjoying good weather.
Susan, the videos are worth the wait for a cooler day. It is a hot 32C here and I’m not happy, but those who like it are enjoying this long weekend at the beaches. Hope you are!
Marja-Leena,
I have been a bit confused with the idea on “print making”. It is starting to be called that here too. I guess it was called multimedia before, and especially in the start of computer art and video art.
Still it seems to me that print making could also include the traditional technics, which was most commonly called Graphic art.
I have seen lot of the new photography in many galleries, we have one in Vaasa called Ibis, but there are many pictures shown that are more in-between of classifications.
In actual visual sense it doesn’t matter: good art always remains. Technique is just seeming to be overpowering these days.
I hope you get this exhibition to Vancouver as well. Expensive it is, but it would pay to make the show to travel now that it has been put together.
Marjatta, thanks for your very thoughtful comments.
‘Printmaking’ does still include the traditional techniques such as woodcuts, etchings, engravings, serigraphy etc.. Artists are often keen to find new methods, to try new technologiies, to push the boundaries. I’m one of those artists who moved from traditional to the use of the computer and inkjet printing as you know.
Photo-etching, not that young anymore, was inspired by photography. Photogravure is an older photo-based technique that developed in early days of photography and has had something of a revival. One of the artists in this show, Steven Dixon, does a lot of this kind of work, though I’m not sure if this exhibition includes it. He was one of the artists exhibiting with me in Vaasa in 2002, and showed his photogravures. (The site for the Vaasa Show is here, if you’d like to see his work, or search this blog for other posts about him.)
Of the other artists in the show, Michiko Suzuki and Davida Kidd work a lot with digital imagery and mixed media, including some traditional in the case of Michiko. Wayne Eastcott does mostly serigraphy. The pieces in this show were screened onto pieces of metal that have been assembled together. I hope I have all this information correct! For more about these artists, please search this blog for previous posts about them.
‘Graphic art’ seems to be used by some Europeans as an alternative term of printmaking, though here we tend to think of it as being more commercial design related. Video art and film is not quite ‘printmaking’ but can be a grey area depending on who you talk to.
I agree the technique is not as important as whether it is good art, even though sometimes a viewer can be confused and distracted by the technique if it isn’t understood. Sometimes I have had to explain even traditional printmaking techniques – it depends on the viewers’ knowledge, doesn’t it?
It would be indeed wonderful to see this show here! Maybe it is in the works…
It’s a bit cooler here this evening so I came back to view the videos you’d linked to in your post. I especially enjoyed watching the setup of this really excellent show of printwork. Now I can understand just how varied are the works both in execution and sheer size. Visiting your blog regularly and seeing some of your wonderful pieces in process has been a great education for me.
Susan, I’m glad you enjoyed the videos. And thanks for your kind words about my work.
I’m not sure if I’m reading you right here… are you thinking I have work in this show? If so, my mistake for I should have clarified this. I’m not in this one, though I wish! It is confusing because there was another exhibition also in Tokyo, at B-Gallery just a bit earlier which included Michiko Suzuki, Wayne Eastcott, me and several others.
Beautiful work. I enjoyed the video. Thanks for posting it.
Anne, I am pleased that you enjoyed it!
I knew you had no work in this particular show (enjoyed the pictures of the last) – just meant in general.
Susan, oh, that’s good! Maybe this will still help other readers who may be wondering.