Roll up! 3rd Annual Festival of Original Print Returns to Auckland.
The Printopia Festival is Auckland’s annual printmaking festival, celebrating and showcasing some of the country's best established and emerging print artists.
Alongside an inspiring programme of talks, demos, live printing and workshops, visitors can also shop at the Print Fair offering a range of price points, techniques, and styles. For the full programme of both free and ticketed events, please visit www.printopia.nz
Festival Programme
Opening Night
Friday 3 May 2024, 6pm – 9pm
Printopia Festival is holding a free Opening Night event where visitors can meet participating artists over a glass of wine and be the first to purchase from the stunning and varied selection of hand-printed work at the Print Fair.
Print Fair
Friday, 3 May 6pm – 9pm, Saturday 4 May 10am – 3pm & Sunday 5 May 10am – 3pm.
The Print Fair features over 40 vendors from across the country, bringing the very best of contemporary printmaking in Aotearoa. Visitors can start or grow their print collection, with prints ranging from $5 to $1500. Entry is Free.
Established artists, such as Sheyne Tuffery are exhibiting alongside emerging artists, print groups and galleries. Current and recent graduates from Elam School of Fine Arts, Tāmaki Auckland, WITT Te Pūkenga Art and Design, Taranaki and Ara Art and Design, Ōtautahi Christchurch are presenting new and experimental work. Browse the quality printmaking materials, tools, and equipment on display from art suppliers and stockists including The French Art Shop, Gordon Harris Art Supplies, PERMASET® and Aotearoa Art Supplies.
Live Printing
Saturday, 4 May 10am – 3pm & Sunday, 5 May 10am – 3pm.
See printmaking in action with non-stop live printing events dispersed throughout the Print Fair.
Make a sun print using a simple, eco-friendly cyanotype process for all ages and be in to win a tiny 3D printed press in the Mini Print competition. Have a go at printing a poem on an antique letterpress machine with Inkiana Press and take away a signed copy after listening to a live reading of the poem. Visitors can bring along an old shirt or tee to be screen-printed by Artisan Screen Prints or woodblock printed by artist Hamish Oakley-Browne.
Print Talks & Demos
Saturday, 4 May 10am – 3pm & Sunday, 5 May 10am – 3pm.
This is a wonderful opportunity to engage directly with artists as they share their insights, processes, and practice in the field of contemporary print. All talks and demos are free, no booking necessary.
On Saturday, international guest artist Jenny Robinson, based in Sydney, Australia, gives a keynote speech on how open-access studios have been formative in her printmaking career and her recent establishment of a print studio and residency in Darlington, Australia. Laura Crehuet Berman, Professor at the Kansas City Art Institute, shares her research as a current Fulbright Scholar at the University of Canberra on the material and cultural study of colour through the lens of contemporary printmaking. This is followed by a demonstration of the non-toxic process of polyester plate lithography by Mark Alister Raymer from Taranaki, and Whanganui based artist Stacey Hildreth demonstrates her technique of creating wax collagraphs inspired by Batik.
On Sunday, Toi Whakaata Māori Print Collective artists Alexis Neal, Faith McManus, Vanessa Wairata-Edwards, Gabrielle Belz and Jasmine Horton speak to decolonising our print practice through concepts of language and personifying process, creating a wananga space designed to encourage discussion around new approaches to print. Offering an analysis of John Currin’s 1996 essay reconsidering printmaking, Steve Lovett of Elam School of Fine Arts, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, invites interested artists to respond to his proposal to relate in print a tale of the professional and artistic ‘othering’ experienced through working in print. To conclude, Brie Rate, demonstrates several approaches to contemporary papermaking and Celia Walker reveals the ins and outs of achieving tone with carborundum.
Workshops
Saturday, 4 May 2024, 9am – 12pm & 1pm – 4pm
Sunday, 5 May 2024, 9am – 12pm & 1pm – 4pm
Learn more about a particular printmaking technique by joining one of our print workshops. There are workshops for every skill level including relief, intaglio and planographic print processes, screen-printing, book arts, and a masterclass working with traditional Japanese papers. Many techniques are simple enough to be continued at home or in a shared studio space, with a focus on sustainable, non-toxic materials.
On Saturday, learn how to construct several different artist books with local artist and expert Beth Serjeant. Discover the unique, subtle and beautiful mark making possibilities of printing with carborundum with Celia Walker. Explore colour and layering with Jessie Kanji, using PERMASET® eco-friendly inks to print on upcycled garments and textiles. Explore the versatile and accessible medium of linocut printing with Levon Parker.
On Sunday, attend a masterclass with international artist Jenny Robinson on traditional Japanese seaming and backing techniques to extend your practice. Discover how wax can be used to make expressive collagraph prints with Stacey Hildreth. Learn to screen-print using your own ink made from reclaimed and foraged pigments with artist Emma Kitson. Be inspired by the fascinating process of creating polyester plate lithography with Mark Alister Raymer.
To find out more about workshops, go to www.printopia.nz/workshops.
