PAFA Celebrates Printmaking in 2010

PHILADELPHIA—In 2010, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) will present three exhibitions that explore numerous aspects of printmaking.

 

 

The core exhibition of Philagrafika 2010, an international festival that celebrates the role of print as a vital force in contemporary art, is the five-venue project The Graphic Unconscious, simultaneously shown at PAFA, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Galleries at Moore College of Art & Design, the Temple Gallery at Tyler School of Art, and The Print Center. Presenting 35 internationally renowned artists and artist groups from 18 countries, The Graphic Unconscious explores the ubiquitous presence of printed matter in our visual culture and how concepts like accessibility, democratization, dissemination, and transience inform diverse contemporary art practices while expanding the realm of printmaking itself.

 

At PAFA, The Graphic Unconscious presents seven artists from three continents. Addressing the traditions of PAFA as both a teaching institution and a museum, the works of these artists take conventionally recognized mediums and revolutionize them in new forms. Working with woodcuts, Christiane Baumgartner (Germany) and Orit Hofshi (Israel) realize the potential of this medium on an immense scale, while the artists collective Tromarama (Indonesia) turns each cut of the wooden panel into the frame of a stop-motion animation that is accompanied by the music of a rock band from Jakarta. Recipients of the prestigious MacArthur Fellowhip, Mark Bradford (USA) collages together found posters and then sands this surface to excavate other forms of information hidden underneath, while Pepón Osorio (USA) prints an image onto a bed of confetti, turning print into three-dimensional sculpture. Kiki Smith (USA) presents a new version of her signature composite prints on hand made paper in a large-scale poetically diaphanous work, while Qiu Zhijie (China) carves traditional Chinese calligraphy from concrete blocks that, after being printed, stand as sculptures in their own right alongside the wall hung images.

 

There will be a PAFA members reception on Saturday, January 30 from 5 – 6 p.m., followed by a public reception from 6 – 8 p.m. Scheduled public programs include a conversation with artist Orit Hofshi and PAFA’s Curator of Contemporary Art Julien Robson on January 31 at 1 p.m. and a lecture with Christiane Baumgartner on March 24 at 6 p.m. Other events to be announced.

 

States Robson, “Philagrafika 2010: The Graphic Unconscious is an important collaboration for PAFA. Demonstrating the rich and diverse ways in which contemporary artists incorporate print technologies into their works, it is also a platform for the presentation of American art in a significant international context, and reasserts Philadelphia as an important center for the visual arts."

 

This exhibition at PAFA is organized as part of the multi-site exhibition Philagrafika 2010: The Graphic Unconscious in collaboration with Philagrafika, a nonprofit arts organization in Philadelphia that provides leadership for large-scale, collaborative initiatives with broad public exposure. Program support for The Graphic Unconscious is provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage through the Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

 

Leading support for PAFA's participation in Philagrafika 2010: The Graphic Unconscious is provided by RBC Wealth Management, and by the William Penn Foundation. The presentation of work by Orit Hofshi at PAFA is co-sponsored by Israel Foreign Ministry, Consulate General of Israel, Philadelphia. Additional support for the presentation of work by Christiane Baumgartner at PAFA is provided by the IFA Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen e.V.

 

For information on Philagrafika 2010, visit www.philagrafika.org.

 

 

Presented in conjunction with Philagrafika 2010: The Graphic Unconscious, C. R. Ettinger Studio Selections from 2000-2010 will include more than 50 works by 25 contemporary artists who employ a cross-section of styles and techniques demonstrating the versatility of the etching process.

 

Established in 1982 by Master printer Cindi Ettinger, the C.R. Ettinger Studio is a Philadelphia print studio that specializes in the etching process. As the relationship between artist and master printmaker is one of collaboration, Ettinger, with her technical mastery of the etching process, facilitates the personal expression and exploration of the artists who come to work with her.

 

Many of the artists are from the Philadelphia area including Astrid Bowlby, Don Colley, Daniel Heyman, Sarah McEneaney, and Bill Scott. One of the highlights of the exhibition will be the stylistic evolution of several artists who explore the rich possibilities the printmaking medium affords while collaborating with Ettinger over a number of years. Straightforward etchings will be juxtaposed with numerous multi- media prints that successfully integrate new technology as an experimental tool while remaining true to the etching medium itself.

 

 

Philadelphia's role as a center for printmaking and PAFA's strong presence as a place of innovation in graphic arts has loomed large in American art for over 200 years. Accordingly, PAFA's extensive print collection is among the hidden gems of its permanent collection. Highlighting the versatile and boundary-shifting nature of printmaking over the past several decades, this installation features a selection of prints since the 1960s, ranging from a vibrant complete edition of Andy Warhol's 1971 Electric Chairs portfolio to the debut of recent acquisitions from PAFA's Sue Coe Archive.

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Founded in 1805, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is America's first school of fine arts and museum.  A recipient of the 2005 National Medal of Arts presented by the President of the United States, PAFA is a recognized leader in fine arts education.  Nearly every major American artist has taught, studied, or exhibited at the Academy. The institution's world-class collection of American art continues to grow and provides what only a few other art institutions in the world offer: the rare combination of an outstanding museum and an extraordinary faculty known for its commitment to students and for the stature and quality of its artistic work.

 

Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Academy is located at 118-128 N. Broad Street in Philadelphia. Admission to the Permanent Collection is Adults $10, Seniors & Students with I.D. $8, Youth ages 5-18, $6. Admission to Special Exhibitions (includes Permanent Collection) is Adults $15, Seniors & Students with I.D. $12, Youth Ages 5-18, $8. Admission is free for members and children under age of 5. Admission to Morris Gallery exhibitions is free.