An exhibition that’s an ode to printmaking
Art is a celebration of life and for these five artists — Anandamoy Banerji, Dattatreya Apte, Kavita Nayar, Moti Zharotia, and Sushanta Guha — the common love and passion for the art of printmaking has brought forth an exhibition of prints and printed images. Titled Multiple Encounters this ongoing show in the Capital is dedicated to Indian printmaker Krishna Reddy.
“The show aims to reflect traditional as well as experimental possibilities of printmaking — intaglio, relief, stencil to mix media, and possibilities of experimentation. I create an image on lino sheet, wooden plate, metal plate or stone and then transfer the same on paper, cloth or any other surface, using various tools — from a simple cutter to a huge machine or diluted acids. I enjoy creating hundreds of unique printed images, which I call Printed Drawings,” says artist Anandamoy Banerji, who is an active founder member of Indian Printmakers Guild (1990-2001) and Multiple Encounters (2004 till date).
A specialist in printmaking, artist Sushanta Guha, speaking about his lithograph Download From Life, says the process is time consuming. “It is a very old and traditional method of printmaking and the entire process is manual. For each colour, one has to make a new block every time with the help of registration printing, which is done one after another on the same paper to improve the quality of the final outcome. It takes about 2-3 months to complete a single artwork,” he says.
For artist Kavita Nayar, print is an “adventurous process because one is to never foresee the end result”. In her etching, Seeds of Love, she uses zinc plates to create drawings and textures and takes prints in multicolour. “Mother’s love is like a tree spreading its branches to reach out to one and all. I often think the process of creating each one of my works has been like giving birth,” says Nayar.
All these artists have been working together since 2004. The group members have been practising printmaking for more than 30 years, and have been a part of the international printmaking scene since the 1980s.
The festival of printmaking in Athens, Greece, has been the latest feather in the cap of Multiple Encounters with participation of eight artists from India in 2018.