THE PRINTMAKERS OF VENICE

THE PRINTMAKERS OF VENICE

Katie Barnard Du Toit, Xnu I, etch on Fabriano, 30x45cm, 2/15, Venice, 2017

MOK Gallery, 2 September 2018 mokgallery.com

In September 2017, seven artists from different countries arrived in Venice to partake in a printmaking workshop. These individuals would soon bond with each other in a professional printing studio that form part Scuola Internazionale di Grafica Venezia. As a group they would bring with them a rich mixture of cultures, ages, races and experience.

In the spirit of the Biennale, evenings were spent around an Open Table (Tavola Aperta). As printmakers they discovered what inspired and drew them in, resulting in a feeling of connectedness that would seem perfectly fit for the 57 Venice Biennale’s theme of Viva Arte Viva.

The Printmakers of Venice Exhibition is all about artmaking, laughter, friendship and fun. Of all the secrets and talents they have, the most divine is the humour they share.

On what impact the group dynamics had on them:

Mei Fung Chan (China): “The melting heart of Venetian gelato springs into our multicultural artistic practice”.

Emily Cucalon (USA): “I was inspired by the collaborative environment (and isolation) of living and working with strangers, who quickly turned to friends, both inside and outside the studio”.

Katie Barnard du Toit (South Africa): “I knew the fellowship would provide me with the freedom of time and space to develop work and creatively explore new ideas, but to discover that I was surrounded by the Ya-Ya sisterhood crowned it as the ultimate experience”.

“I was inspired by the collaborative environment (and isolation) of living and working with strangers, who quickly turned to friends, both inside and outside the studio”.

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Right: Emily Cucalun, Imaginary Boundaries, Screenprint on paper, 35.5x50cm, Venice, 2017

Sheetal Gattani, Untitled, Dry pastel and charcoal on paper, 56x56cm, Venice, 2017

Nora Chipaumire in ‘100% Pop’ photo by Lerato Maduna

Sheetal Gattani (India): “The synergy in the group ... the way each one handheld me the first few days!! it was emotionally overwhelming ... the creative atmosphere each one brought to the Venice studio”

Cassie Thring (Australia): “It was the total immersive nature of our month together in Venice that influenced my art making, and the generosity of our group to share their skills, stories and life ... “

Noeleen Kleve (South Africa): “Working with the creative energy of this diverse group of artists was wonderfully inspiring and a stimulus for exciting and uncharted printmaking explorations”.

In the spirit of Viva Arte Viva The Printmakers of Venice invite visitors to share in an Open Table at the opening on 2 September 2018. Most of the artists will be present and would share with you their cultural experience through tastes of what they enjoy around their tables. Curated by Katie Barnard du Toit.

Opening Sunday 2 September 11.00 for 11.30 at MOK Gallery, Muratie Wine Estate, Stellenbosch

Exhibition ends 28 September 2018. All works are for sale. Contact Cecile at 0725535547. cecile@mokgallery.com. www.mokgallery.com

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TERTIUS VAN DYK

“In a world so crazy, I find solace and peace in my art It is my hope to bring this quietness forward with a silent message of preservation”

View a large collection of Tertius Van Dyk’s work at Walker Bay Modern Art Gallery

167 Main Road Hermanus / Contact 028-312 2928 / email info@walkerbayartgallery.co.za