July 15th – September 22nd
The concept behind ‘Parallel Prints’ is to present the same exhibition simultaneously in New Zealand and the UK.
Using the uniqueness of the reproducible print allows for the same works to be viewed at the same time on opposite sides of the world. This highlights the democratic nature of printmaking and questions the aura of the unique. Which venue is showing the ‘real’ work? Which the reproduction?
Curated and coordinated by Mark Graver and Tania Booth in NZ, ‘Parallel Prints’ features the work of 12 diverse artists presented in a portfolio set.
Each artist has contributed one work on 300 x 300mm paper in an edition of 36 and the writer and critic Richard Noyce has supplied an introductory essay. There are 24 portfolio sets, one for each artist and 12 for donation to international collections.
Exhibitions
Parallel Prints will be exhibited in New Zealand at Art at Wharepuke from
July 15th – Sep 22nd and in the UK at Ian Rastrick Fine Art, St.Albans, from
Aug 9th – 16th.
In the UK venue there will be a QR code that links to a video recording of the Wharepuke exhibition allowing the audience to encounter both exhibitions at once. There will also a live web video streaming of the New Zealand exhibition available.
Following the St.Albans show the folio will travel to France for exhibition at Galerie Apart,Le Bourg , Marcilhac -sur- Cele in October.
Impact 8 – Borders and Crossings
The portfolio has been selected for presentation at the Impact 8 international printmaking conference in Dundee, Scotland on August 31st.
“Impact 8 International Printmaking Conference is a celebration of interdisciplinarity and exploration through the medium of print. The eighth Impact international conference will be hosted in Dundee as a central element to the inaugural Print Festival Scotland – an event which aims to confirm the cultural diversity, historical significance and future potential of print”.
Collections
Part of the concept behind the project was always to donate 12 of the portfolio sets to international collections. So far the following institutions have accepted a portfolio:
The Victoria &Albert Museum, London, UK
The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, UK
The Whangarei Art Museum, NZ
The Kent Print Collection, Kent University, UK
Ian Rastrick Fine Art, UK
Art at Wharepuke, NZ
We are currently in negotiation with other international institutions to find homes for the remaining folios.
The Artists
Representing the broad diversity of current printmaking process and practice the artists involved are:
Margaret Ashman, Duncan Bullen, Anne Desmet, David Ferry, Gillian Golding, Mark Graver, Weimin He,Timo Lehtonen, Johanna Love,Stephen Mumberson, Chris Pig and Sandy Sykes.
Web Site
A dedicated web site has been designed for the project Parallel Prints
Future Projects
It is envisaged that similar collaborative projects will be arranged in other countries – a project is now in development for the Art Gallery of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia in 2015 and future versions are planned for the USA, China, India and Thailand.