Hanart and the printmaking studio located in Hong Kong MarblePrintClay recently launched an art project, surprising with the artist group exhibition “Nothin’ Like the Taste of Print,” showcasing 21 emerging printmakers in Hong Kong!
The program is named “Nothing’ Like the Taste of Print,” which has drawn attention to the technical semantics of the term “printing” itself. In the general public, there is sometimes a misunderstanding that printmaking is inferior to other mediums like painting because they are “reproductions” rather than “originals” like paintings. To give an analogy, printmaking is sometimes seen as the side dish at a Chinese banquet: no matter how good they taste, they are just the “supporting role” to the main dish.
However, despite prints involving the reproduction of images, art prints are not just replicas of the original: they are completely different. Printmakers are highly skilled in technique and planning, and they are also highly creative artists, especially when it comes to limited edition prints, which are rare art collectibles.
This exhibition highlights the unique qualities of different printmaking styles, including relief, intaglio, and stencil. The dynamic nature of relief techniques, rooted in various traditions, has been relevant for centuries. Influenced by the New Woodcut Movement in early 20th-century China, this movement promoted the creation and dissemination of realistic woodcuts to address social and political injustices.
The artists participating in this exhibition drew inspiration from a groundbreaking movement in Chinese art history, elaborating on the use of woodcut prints as a form of social critique. Some of the woodcut series serve as ecological political satire on the visual propaganda of imagined authoritarian colonies. Other works are based on the expressionist style of the New Chinese Woodcut Movement, showcasing monochromatic yet radiant woodcut creations.
If you want to appreciate different types of printmaking creations, I recommend everyone to come and watch!
“Nothin’ Like the Taste of Print”
Date: From now until August 13
Time: 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM
Location: Han Ya Xuan, 2/F, Mei On Industrial Building, 17-21 Kwai Chung Industrial Street
Image source and learn more: Hanart Gallery
