In a sort of salute to modern technology and the ease of making copies, the Humboldt & District Gallery has a new exhibit: Repetition. It showcases some of the printmakers working in Saskatchewan.
Printmaking is the process of creating an artwork through printing – this can include techniques such as silkscreening, engraving, woodcuts, and more. The exhibit at the gallery shows a variety of different techniques and is intended to get people to think about the way copies are made.
“In the age of photocopying and copy and paste, it takes away a little bit of the process that’s needed to produce copies,” said Jean Price, who is on the staff of the gallery and museum. “When an artist creates a series, it’s kind of a different process than when you click and make 20 copies on the printer.”
With printmaking, the picture may be the same, but each print is considered an original, since there may be small differences due to the printmaking process.
According to a pamphlet about the exhibit, print shops were created for artists to share equipment and technical knowledge, but it wasn’t until 2010 that printmakers had facilities to create their prints in Saskatchewan, when Ink Slab Printmakers in Saskatoon and Articulate Ink in Regina were created.
The ability to repeat prints is also important, as this allows artists to send the same prints to competitions and other artists.
The pamphlet says, “The repetition present in printmaking is not intended to be monotonous and wearisome … The repetition found in printmaking, whether it’s printing in the studio, existing in a finished edition, or present in the community is essential. Without repetition, the art of printmaking simply wouldn’t work as a whole.”
As with most other exhibits, the gallery is in talks with schools for students to come in and see the prints and do an activity. The planned activity is for students to do a reproduction of their own, using markers, paper, and sponges.
“Whenever we have an exhibit that’s done by multiple artists, the variety that you get is quite interesting, especially when it’s an exhibit where they’re all using a similar technique and similar starting point in that regard,” Price said. “It’s kind of interesting how everyone takes that same medium and completely reinterprets it.”
The exhibit is in the gallery until June 20.
