Tainan International Print Exhibition

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New Horizons in Contemporary Printed Art, New Styles and Connections in the Asia-Pacific Region

Artists from Sydney Printmakers who were invited to participate in this show are Seong Cho, Anthea Boesenberg, Anna Russell and Andrew Totman

The Prints Kuroshio: 2024 Tainan International Print Exhibition is a significant international art event highlighting exceptional print art from the Asia-Pacific region. Artists from Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Thailand, the United States, Australia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, and other countries have been invited to Tainan for an exchange of ideas and cultures via the time-honored art form of printmaking. Taiwan, surrounded by important Pacific Ocean currents such as the Kuroshio, is a symbol of the powerful natural forces that transcend national borders, which themselves hint at the movements of the twin forces of ‘culture’ and ‘art.’ As a key route for these Pacific currents, Taiwan has long been a point of convergence bringing Eastern and Western cultures together. This exhibition draws on this symbolism, positioning Taiwan as a nexus for different kinds of Asian-Pacific art while celebrating the diversity and innovation of contemporary printmaking.

Making International Connections Through Printmaking

Printmaking, as a cross-cultural art form, combines technical precision with raw expressive power, allowing for diverse interpretations of contemporary society and personal emotions by artists. The Prints Kuroshio  exhibition aims to highlight the shared nature and connectivity of print art – a connectivity that is not limited to geography, but one which extends to artistic thought and creative spirit. By showcasing outstanding printed works from various countries in a single location – Tainan – this event brings together the fruits of artistic expression from several different cultures, allowing viewers to experience the vibrant growth and diverse perspectives of printed art from around the world.

As a medium, printed art transcends borders, languages, and cultural barriers, serving as an important bridge for international exchange. Each artist carries with them their home nation’s unique history and cultural background, and uses printmaking to create works that reflect societal realities and life experiences. This exhibition represents not only a dialogue between print artists from different countries, but a grand cultural event connecting Taiwan with the wider Asian-Pacific art community.

The works featured in this exhibition delve deeply into major contemporary issues, with meditations on such themes as environmental changes, social concerns, life, and identity. Through printmaking, artists express their awareness and contemplation of the modern world, their pieces capturing individual emotions while simultaneously responding to global issues. In viewing them, we see how contemporary artists use printmaking to explore our evolving world and the future direction of humankind.

The Cultural Value and Significance in the Asia-Pacific Region of the Tainan International Printmaking Exhibition

The Prints Kuroshio: 2024 Tainan International Print Exhibition underscores Taiwan’s significant role in the Asian-Pacific art and cultural spheres, as well as highlighting the charm and vibrancy of Tainan as Taiwan’s cultural capital. As the former capital city, Tainan boasts a prime geographic location and a rich cultural heritage, making it an ideal nexus for Asian-Pacific printmaking art. This year, the exhibition coincides with the grand finale of Tainan 400,which celebrates Tainan’s deep-rooted cultural assets and diverse historical legacy. Hosting the international print exhibition here pays homage to this historic city and reinforces Tainan’s standing as a unique cultural stronghold.

With the ocean currents as its symbol, this exhibition also emphasizes Taiwan’s importance within the Asia-Pacific region’s geopolitics, culture, and artistic exchange. By bringing together artistic forces from across nations, it aims to create a powerful artistic current that demonstrates Taiwan’s place on the global cultural map through artistic expression, while also injecting new creative energy and cultural value into both Taiwan and the Asia-Pacific region.

Supervisor︱Tainan City Government

Organizer︱Tainan Art Museum

Co-organizer︱Evergreen Graphic Art Association

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.

Sydney Printmakers at the North Sydney Art Prize

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This year’s North Sydney Art Prize is open from the 14th May until the 29th May, every day from 10am to 4pm. The opening and announcement of prize winners is at noon on Saturday the 14th. The works are spread across the extraordinary site, including the chambers and the tunnels.

With five members of Sydney Printmakers accepted as finalists in the North Sydney Art Prize there’s a variety of approaches on offer.

Gary Shinfield has large works on paper, The Burnt Series, in one of the chambers.

Gary Shinfield, Burnt Series

Lea Kannar Lichtenberger has an installation, Suffocation of Avarice, in another of the chambers.

Lea Kannar Lichtenberger, Suffocation of Avarice 
Materials: builders’ plastic, hand stencilled builders plastic, ceramics, table, chairs, dinner setting, projection and sound
250 x 300 x 600 cm

Anthea Boesenberg, Anna Russell and non member Rhonda Nelson have a large collaborative work, Canaries in the Coal Mine, sited in the tunnel.

Anthea Boesenberg, Anna Russell, Rhonda Nelson, Canaries in the Coal Mine, 40 bamboo and timber cages, canaries, lighting, timber and metal support structure.

Laura Stark has a print work, Millstream Burning, in the Cottage.

Laura Stark, Millstream Burning Series, collagraph.

And Seong Cho also has her work, Windy Hill 11, in the Cottage.

Seong Cho, Windy Hill 11, woodcut

oare spread across the site, including the chambers and tunnels,

Further Success by Members of Sydney Printmakers

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Seong Cho, Unaccompanied Trail VIII, 60 x 145cm, 2020, woodcut, hand printed on Korean Mulberry paper.

Seong Cho has had her large print, Unaccompanied Trail VIII selected for the International Print Exhibition 2021 at Ty Pawb in Wrexham, Wales, UK.

Anne Starling has had three of her works selected for the Mini Maxi Graphic Print Exhibition at the Galleri Heike Arndt DK, Berlin, Germany. This exhibition opens on November 3rd, 2021.

Anne Starling - A Nuclear Family
Anne Starling, A Nuclear Family, linocut.

Congratulations to Seong and Anne.

Sydney Printmakers Members success in Print Prizes

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          Seong Cho, Unaccompanied Trail VI

 

Sydney Printmakers members have been selected as finalists in several Prizes recently.

Seong Cho has been selected for the Waverley Art Prize with Unaccompanied Trail VI (above).

Janet Parker Smith and Ben Rak have been selected for the Geelong Acquisitive Print Awards 2021.

Anthea Boesenberg and Danielle Creenaune have been selected for the Firestation Print Studio Australian Monoprint Prize 2021.

Congratulations to all.

Burnie Print Prize: Seong Cho

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Seong Cho      Windy Hill

This work is entitled, ‘Windy Hill’ and is a woodblock print.  It is an abstract expression of the movement of wind through the air and natural landscape. I produced this work during my time at the Art Print Residence in Spain in March 2020, while I was in isolation at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in Europe. 

I was inspired to create this work by the strong spring winds as they moved through the grass and over the hills of Catalonia. The abstract shapes and lines in this work are also a metaphorical representation of life’s journey, where we are often swept up in events, ideas and experiences that are beyond our control, as if we are a leaf being blown along by the wind. Sometimes the metaphorical winds of life may take us to beautiful places, sometimes to dark crevasses or perhaps beyond the clouds, but the unexpected journey is what makes life worthwhile.