Editions 2019

Wednesday 13 - Sunday 24 February 2019

Curated by Keith Lawrence

Moving into the new Collingwood premises last year saw Editions grow exponentially from our previous years at the Abbotsford venue. And 2019 continues that growth – 50 Victorian-based artists with more 200 works of art. And whilst we love to welcome back artists from previous years, there’s always an extra zest to the line-up when a number of new printmakers included. And for 2019, there’s an extraordinary 22 in the list of 50 – a fabulous reflection on the interest in the exhibition.

This is the seventh Editions and it has become a go-to event for Victorian printmakers and a fabulous start to the new year. Hundreds attend the opening night, creating a real buzz, a mix of exhibiting artists, family, friends, other artists as well as print lovers and buyers..

We continue to strive to celebrate the diverse aesthetic qualities inherent within printmaking media, a celebration of tradition whilst embracing contemporary innovations within the printed form. And whilst we have said it before, it is worth repeating. An established exhibition of such scale provides a safe platform for artists ranging from emerging to more established to explore new and exciting print processes and approaches to image-making. That platform also provides the opportunity to exhibit multiple works from current practice, providing audiences a greater understanding and insight of where the printmaker is ‘coming from’. And having featured intaglio, relief and lithography in a range of substrates and printed on a range of surfaces covering diverse subjects, those audiences have been challenged in their understanding of what exactly is a ‘print’.

Editions juxtaposes traditional techniques expertly done (the lithographs of Robert Hague and printed by Peter Lancaster and the absolute control of multiple plate printing by Damon Kowarsky or Hyun Ju Kim for example) alongside more innovative approaches and content (Andrew Weatherill, Gaye Paterson). It’s that balance of a mix of the traditional and the contemporary that is being searched for. We also welcome 14 new printmakers to Editions and the different levels of experience. But ultimately Editions pushes the hand-constructed multiple in a digitally saturated world, celebrating the manual, the labour, the craft. Upon visiting the exhibition, we want visitors to be overwhelmed by the sheer sense of labour and time-spent that is worthy of celebration and respect. We will continue to reiterate - Editions celebrates the artist and the art.

Featured artist: Lisa Sewards

Participating artists: Helene Athanasiadis, Jessie Balletta, TJ Bateson, Fleur Brett, Nellie Brown, Peter Brown, Jennifer Buntine, Loris Button,  Louise Donovan, Kasia Fabijanska, Silvi Glattauer, Jackie Gorring, Gina Grant, Sue Grossman, Robert Hague, Jodi Heffernan, Bridget Hillebrand, Alex Hotchin, Kate Hudson, Callum Jackson, Lana de Jager, Marketa Kemp, Hyun Ju Kim, Damon Kowarsky, Chris Lawry, Jan Liesfield, Robyn Mackay, Malini Maunsell, Paula McLoughlin, Robert Mihajlovski, Karen Neal, Laura Osborne, James Pasakos, Amanda Page, Gaye Patterson, Jim Pavlidis, Cat Poljski, Bronwyn Rees, John Ryrie, Gwen Scott, Lisa Sewards, Beata Slifierz, Lisa Stebbing, Annemarie Szeleczky, Steven Tester, Susan Wald, Peter Ward, Andrew Weatherill, Michael Wedd & Takuro Yokoo