Proof of printmaking
The book Proof is a superb showcase of some of the best examples of contemporary fine art printmaking in New Zealand today. With 166 works by 151 artists, Proof covers a huge breadth of printmaking processes from the more traditional woodcuts and etchings to those pushing the boundaries of print. With a foreword by Susanna Shadbolt, director of Aratoi, Masterton, brief essays on the history of PCANZ, including significant exhibitions, and a glossary of printmaking terms and techniques this book is a valuable resource for art students and teachers. We asked the council some questions:
What prompted Print Council Aotearoa New Zealand (PCANZ) to do this book now?
The idea of a publication about PCANZ had been discussed for a number of years. With the 20th anniversary of the foundation of Print Council approaching, it was decided the time was right to produce a book that outlined the important impact PCANZ has had on New Zealand printmaking, as well as an opportunity to celebrate its members. Printmaking is often an overlooked art form in New Zealand — there has not been a comprehensive publication featuring New Zealand printmaking and printmakers for many years. PCANZ saw Proof as another opportunity to create public awareness that printmaking in New Zealand is an active, vibrant, and rapidly growing part of the New Zealand art scene.
What defines printmaking as an art form?
The days of being able to give a definitive explanation of what printmaking is have gone. Particular fields of printmaking can still be described by a specific technique e.g. mezzotint, etching or woodcut, however, the field has expanded hugely in the past decades, especially with the impact of digital media. While printmakers have always embraced new technologies, they recognise that technique alone cannot describe content and argue for their work to be considered alongside its visual art counterparts. This does not mean a loss of tradition, but it has impacted on some conventions such as the “edition”. More and more artists are making hybrid prints — prints that call upon a range of materials and tools in order to explore contemporary ideas.
What do you want people to get out of reading the book?
Printmaking is a visual and frequently tactile art form, so it was important that the book was beautifully presented, a pleasure to handle, a book that enticed the reader into the world of printmaking. Proof is all we envisaged it to be.
It is a wonderful, must-have resource for the individual printmaker, schools, tertiary institutions and libraries and features an extensive range of printmaking techniques.
How did you decide what works to feature?
As we wanted the book to be truly representitve of PCANZ printmakers, all those who were current members as of the year 2020 were invited to submit three images, one of which was selected for the book. During the selection process there was some consideration given to ensuring a range of techniques and approaches were shown, from the traditional to more contemporary, digital and three-dimensional work.
Where do you see new technologies taking printmaking in the future?
The printed image has long historical, political and social associations where it has been able to change behaviour, inform many and agitate through visual persuasion. Printmakers have always embraced new technologies and if Albrecht Du¨ rer (the German Renaissance printmaker) returned today to make prints, I am sure he would have used whatever technologies were available to widely disseminate his images. The invention of photography and screenprinting had an enormous impact on the art world, especially in the 1960s, and many significant artists have worked with commercial printing to both lift standards and to feature strongly in their studio production. New technologies will continue to be explored by artists, but for printmakers they are simply another tool to use if useful and appropriate for the ideas being generated.