May 4 is celebrated as the International Print Making Day. To mark the occasion, Art2Day gallery held the Print Honey Comb exhibition till May 8. Organised by Art Impressions Studio, a community studio that provides an open platform for students to showcase their artworks, it was claimed to be the first state-level printmaking exhibition. On display were the works of nine artists as also artworks of the selected final year Fine Arts students from across the state.
Organiser-speak
Said Sachin Nimbalkar, director of Art Impressions Studio, “Art Impressions Studio was started to create a bridge between students, artists, and people.”
Althought printmaking is a valid art form, there isn’t much importance given to it in academics, he rued. “Since our state is known for its culture and arts, I thought an exhibition of an art like printmaking would definitely help in reaching out to more and varied audiences,” he said.
As for the student participation, he said, “There are around 20 colleges where printmaking is a specialisation subject. Out of them, 15 colleges sent 50 entries and out of those, 11 got awards. To make these students understand what should be the quality of professional art, nine artists from across the state came together and conducted a workshop from April 22 to 29, where etching and other techniques were taught.”
After the workshop, an exhibition was held from May 1 to 10, at Art Impressions Studio (Shastri Road), where techniques like lithography and woodcut were taught. “The first exhibition showcased the artworks of Prof Gajaraj Chavan and me. After that, at the end of the Print Honey Comb Exhibition at Art2Day held between May 4-8, we felicitated the final year students. Our work was also carried on the website printdayinmay.com,” he informs.
Since 2017 to 2019, Art Impressions Studio has conducted around 10 printmaking workshops that include techniques like etching, drypoint, woodcut, forex and more.
Student-speak
Soniya Chopda, a final year student from Bharathiya Vidhyapeeth college of Fine Arts, said, “The exhibition is a great platform for budding artists like us to showcase our artworks. I also received good feedback after the exhibition which is encouraging. I chose printmaking because of the technique, linear drawing and that helped me develop my colour sense too. Not many know about this art. I want to take it to people through my artworks. I also feel the government should provide an open platform for artists like us to showcase it.”
Abhijeet Nigde, a student from Abhinav Kala Mahavidhyala, said, “I was working in animation for a while before making the switch to printmaking. This art involves a lot of curiosity — we do not know what would be the outcome till we take the final print. I like the process of it more than the final print. I practise lithography, screenprint, woodcut, and etching. I have received the award for the same here. I am glad I got a platform to present my work and I am going to take this art form as my profession in the future.”
Madhavi Joshi, a professional artist from Art Impressions Studio, said, “Due to digital print trends, people aren’t much aware of printmaking. Through these exhibitions, the youth will become aware and perhaps get inclined towards this art too. I also feel that on a governmental and societal level, there should be an open platform for the budding and established artists which will help them to reach out their audiences. We see artistically inclined students from many colleges across the state. They need a platform to exhibit their works and also to see professional artworks.”
