Artist’s Book in China Printmaking Museum
Visiting the “China Printmaking Museum”
We, as artists from the Printmaking Residency, visited the “China Printmaking Museum”.
The “China Printmaking Museum” was opened in 2014 in printmakers’ village in Guanlan Subdistrict. It is the first museum in China and maybe the first museum for printmaking in the world, but I am not sure in it… It was designed in by famous Chinese architect Zhu Xiong Yi from the company CCDI.
The “China Printmaking Museum” has made the big impression for me. Big modern building integrated in nature. As some parts covered with mirrors, its reflect surrounded nature on the “ceilings” and walls. Near the Museum – traditional village with Hakka houses and old tower, which give beautiful contrast with contemporary architecture of the Museum. Different parts of the Museum connected with “bridges”. So from one exhibition space to another you should go through the bridge in opened space.
The “China Printmaking Museum” covers an area of 17,600 square meters. Museum divided into different zones: exhibition halls, galleries, bookstores, functional academic halls and etc. The Museum conduct efficient connection with the “Printmaking Base” on collection of and research on the Resident artists’ works.
“Museum offers a new platform for exhibitions of the art form, academic exchanges and art education seminars” said the museum’s curator, Wu Changjiang.
This time, when I visited Museum, in the Hall 1 was the exhibition of Wu Biduan (born in 1926) – “Engraving of Times”. “Mr. Wu Biduan is a famous printmaker, a printmaking educator and a pioneer of printmaking teaching in China Central Academy of Fine Arts.” Very interesting to see the prints from this generation, from this time, to see how professional they have been in curving woodblock, to compare it with soviet prints or expressionism.
In the Hall 2 – the exhibition “Inter-Sectionality: Thought and Concept of Contemporary Print”. This exhibition demonstrates few famous Chinese printmakers of our days. What is interesting to see in the prints of this Chinese artists, that some artists trying to “escape” from woodcut. Artists more and more use lithography, silkscreen, intaglio, or mixed media. And they use “new technologies” for printing very professional.
Here I have “found” in the glass boxes installed conceptual artist’s book of Huang Yang “Wan Li the Sixteenth Year”.
In the Hall 3 – “Female Artists Print Exhibition”. The exhibition of prints, created in the Guanlan Print Base.
Yes, when you look on how they install the prints in the exhibition space, you understand that you never have seen such respect for artists, for printmakers, for prints. What we can say more? It is sad to look on our countries…
Info and pictures about China Printmaking Workshop
Kestutis Vasiliunas
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