Exhibitions coming up which include Sydney Printmakers

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Tiliqua Tiliqua’s annual celebration of all things print is back for its second year with works from over thirty artists, from emerging to experienced

Lea Kannar Lichtenberger is showing in this exhibition.

15 August – 1 September 2024
Tiliqua Tiliqua, 257 Enmore Rd, Enmore NSW 2042

Carolyn Craig is a finalist in the Hornsby Art Prize.

Andrew Totman, Anna Russell, Anthea Boesenberg, Gary Shinfield, Ben Rak, Rafael Butron and Seong Cho are all showing prints in the IPC International Mini Print Exhibition at the National Taiwan Normal University Gallery.

CBD Gallery: Selected, curated by Andrew Totman

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Anne Starling, Shangri La, Linocut, 2018

Selected-a curated Photography & Printmaking exhibition

CBD Gallery
72 Erskine Street Sydney

1st Feb -3rd March 2024

Selected is an opportunity to see into the practice of 22 contemporary artist exploring and thriving in using the medias of Printmaking and Photography across 52 images on display.

Curated by Andy Totman, the show features Sydney Printmakers members Anthea Boesenberg, Rafael Butron, Ben Rak, Jenny Robinson, Mark Rowden, Gary Shinfield, and Anne Starling.

Photography and printmaking are similar in that they both have the capability to reproduce an image multiple times with very little variation in the resulting print. However, photography came about through the desire to create exact visual replicas of forms and scenes without manual intervention, while printmaking originally aided the production of photographic illustrations in books by providing a stronger, non-light sensitive ink. Despite this, the two can exist harmoniously together, and photography provides a whole spectrum of new techniques for the printmaker to use in their artworks.

Artists in Conversation with the Exhibition Curator, Katherine Roberts, Manly Art Gallery and Museum: Rafael Butron

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Continuing with our series of interviews with artists exhibiting in Sydney Printmakers ‘To the Edges’ at Manly Art Gallery and Museum, we now talk to Rafael Butron.

Rafael Butron, Phases of Isolation, copper plate engraving and woodcut, unique state, 54 x 147cm

How does your work address the theme ‘To the Edges’?

Recent unparalleled events Have caused many to live on the edge. The pandemic virus, caused by transmission from one person to another forced many of us into isolation quite rapidly, and for most people came fear and loneliness. Humans caused these events to unfold. The world’s temperature rises and our environment has been thrown. ‘Phases of Isolation‘ is a self portrait that explores three stages of separation, frustration, anxiety and depression. As we value our lives so should we also value the world we live in, by having compassion for one another and a duty of care for our world.

Can you describe the technical process you went through to achieve the finished work and what technical challenges you encountered along the way?

I usually engrave from a drawing on the plate itself using copperplate with a marker pen, then slowly engrave using an engraving tool called a Burin. The technical challenge is to remove all your training, which tends to make the print perfectly executed and use the innate artistic energy to achieve an image, much like action painting. My intention is to incorporate traditional printmaking techniques to create a unique work that has its own spirit.

Using the burin to engrave the copper plate.

What do you see as the role of Sydney Printmakers for the next 60 years?

Sydney Printmakers have and always will push printmaking to its limits and with every new member there is an opportunity to develop new engaging works that add to the diversity of the group and ensure its longevity for years to come.

How do you see the role of printmaking, in general, contributing to the conversation about contemporary art practice?

Printmaking has a role to play in contemporary art making as every printmaker has a unique approach to the creation of an image and the variety of mediums allows for an individual interpretation of the subject.

Burnie Print Prize: Rafael Butron

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Impact.     Rafael Butron
Wood Print over Copperplate engraving on Hahnemuhle paper
72.5 cm x 206.5 cm

“Impact” explores personal emotive interpretations of the landscape affected by climate change. Within this work the impact of climate creates an awareness in which humanity must start noticing changes like fire storms resulting in a land ravaged by extremes. The cross in the center draws attention to the damage that occurs on the land. Many of my recent works examine these extreme weather events. The depiction of the landscape affected by changes to our climate draw on an expressive approach as the images rely on memory, experiences and recent events.