All the Art That’s Fit to Print

by+Yi+Mei

Since the turn of the 21st Century， Chinese printmaking has witnessed a continuous development in the realm of contemporary art towards greater diversity and openness. Additionally， the exhibition， promotion and collection of this art genre has become more active， drawing greater attention both in China and abroad. In order to promote Chinese printmakings new trends and products as well as to further develop the art， the Chinese Printmaking Association is holding the first Chinese National Printmaking Exhibition， a highly valuable event to academia.

“In Western countries， printmaking is not considered ‘a(chǎn)n elite art because of its replicability，” remarks Wang Chunchen， one of four curators of the exhibition and director of the curatorial research department of the Museum of the Central Academy of Fine Arts （CAFA）. “Pure printmaking has virtually disappeared. But in China， printmaking is on par with Chinese painting. Almost all art academies have a printmaking department. Many Chinese art masters such as Xu Jiang， Tan Ping and Fang Lijun studied printmaking in school. My point is， not all the products displayed in this exhibition are printmaking works； some are related to printmaking patterns. What we want to emphasize is the ‘root characteristic of printmaking.”

The exhibition was divided into four sections， namely ‘philosophy of language，‘logics behind， ‘revolutionary tools and‘clue – Tan Ping from 1984 to 2014， displaying over 200 works from 75 artists. Curators Kang Jianfei， He Guiyan and Sheng Wei joined Wang Chunchen in overseeing one section， respectively. But at the press conference， they all mentioned that the academic theme of the exhibition focuses on multiple identities， the possibilities of printmaking and ties between printmaking and other media.

Curator Kang Jianfei， secretary-general of Printmaking Committee of China Artists Association， noted that contemporary artistic language and media continuously develop， as does printmaking. “Today， Chinese printmaking is important for three reasons，” he explained. “First， like oil painting and Chinese painting， printmaking is an artistic genre， emphasizing both content and individuality. Second， printmaking concepts are conveyed in diverse media and pattens. Third， printmaking is responsible for replication techniques. Considered a cultural phenomenon and spiritual token， printmaking relates to many artistic styles. This exhibition displays different artists perceptions of printmaking in hopes of illustrating the current situation of Chinese printmaking and providing inspiration for more artists.”

From October 2014 to March 2015， the exhibition will serve as the inaugural exhibition at the Guanlan Printmaking Museum， the first museum specializing in printmaking in China. Located in Longhua District， Shenzhen， Guanlan Printmaking Museum serves an important piece of China Guanlan Original Printmaking Base， which was built and continues to be funded by the Baoan district government of Shenzhen. “Guanlan Printmaking Museum will become the largest and most advanced museum devoted to printmaking in the world，” declares Li Kang， head of the Administration Office of China Guanlan Original Printmaking Base. “It will provide a new platform for communication between artists worldwide and strive to become the academic mecca for printmakers in China and even the world. Of course， the museums major responsibility is art publicity and education. Actually， this is also an advantage of printmaking， with replicability that helps it to be more easily enjoyed by greater numbers of ordinary people and raise public aesthetic taste.”