Further; Artists from Printmaking at the Edge

November 30, 2006 – January 7, 2007
Gallleria Harmonia
Hannikaisenkatu 39, Jyväskylä
Open 11 a.m. – 6 p.m., free entrance

In this exhibition, you can find a print portfolio that consists of the print works by 34 printmakers from 11 countries (Australia, Austria, Canada, Finland, Iceland, Korea, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, UK, USA,).
It is a collection of expressions according to each artist’s interest without any common theme. There are works made by various methods and concepts, which shows the multiple direction of printmaking today. Some artists try to deepen the expression of printmaking, some try to expand the limit and some even don’t care about the category of printmaking any more. Therefore, the differences and similarities of the artists appear clearly, which is the main point of this exhibition.

The portfolio project is based on the book “PRINTMAKING AT THE EDGE” written by Richard Noyce. In this book, he presented 45 printmakers from 16 countries to show what is happening at the “edge” of the printmaking scene. He used the word “edge” to express physical and spiritual distance from places of the main stream of art (New York, London, Paris…?), and also pointed out the end of general idea and technique of the printmaking. He concluded in his book that the edge is not the edge anymore.

When the book was released in public, it happened quite naturally that the artists included in the book started to contact each other. "I hope Richard doesn't mind, but I thought I'd contact all of you to see if you might want to take Richard's book idea one step further....". This is what Scott Betz suggested in the artists’ mailing list. From this suggestion, to know each other more through the real works, and to find the possibility to do more, the artists started to make this portfolio exchange “Further; Artists from Printmaking at the Edge”.

Artists started to find the opportunity to make an exhibition of this portfolio and possibilities to show their works. At this moment (November 2006), the exhibition of this portfolio in going on at Salem Fine Arts Center in North Carolina USA from 6th of November, at Galleria Harmonia in Jyväskylä, Finland and at Print Gallery (GRAFIKOS GALERIJA) in Lithuania from February 2007. And on process in Kansas City (USA), Philadelphia (USA), Belgium, Tokyo (Japan), Vancouver (Canada), Vienna (Austria), Sydney (Australia), Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Queensland (Australia). Also in 2007, with the same theme, seven of the artists will take part as panelists in the international printmaking conference “Southern Graphic Council conference in Kansas City”.

The whole group of 45 artists have been invited to take part in the Falun Triennale in Sweden in August 2007.

More information on the exhibition and Galleria Harmonia: http://www.jyvaskyla.fi/taidemuseo/grafiikkakeskus/english.htm