NORTHERN PRINT PRESENTS 6TH EXHIBITION - HIROYUKI SUZUKI, NORMAN MATHIESON & ALICE MARA
Posted by Administrator (admin) on Sep 19 2007 at 2:05 PM
News >>

JAPANESE ART MAKES MARK AT NORTHERN PRINT IN INTERNATIONAL SHOW

Hiroyuki Suzuki, who lives and works in Japan and has exhibited worldwide from the International Print Triennial in Krakow in Poland to the Janus Museum in Denmark, takes his inspiration for his compositions from nature. In his recent vibrant monotypes we might discern motifs derived from natural forms yet at the same time the colours and marks he uses conjure up the less tangible aspects of the natural world – the falling away of the breeze, the sense of a plant coming into being, how the turn of the wind or direction of light shapes growth. The swift gestures and choreography of his prints – the physical trace of Suzuki’s interaction with the plate - also suggest his awareness that he too is part of nature’s rhythm.

A long-standing supporter of Northern Print since his exchange project visit in 1999 this exhibition sees Suzuki return to the centre’s new base in Newcastle’s Ouseburn Valley  where his latest work will be showcased in Gallery 1 while the studio will house the production of new work.  Suzuki will also carry out demonstrations and masterclasses opening up unique opportunities to witness the artist at work.

Anna Wilkinson, Director of Northern Print said:
“I visited Suzuki’s studio hidden away in the mountains near Nagoya. It seemed to me the making of his garden and traditional wooden building was an integral part of his work. The cool mountain water to drink, the ponds and fish to eat and the wild plants he had collected on his walls and given space to in his garden”.
 
Exhibiting in Gallery 2 is Scotland’s award-winning Norman Mathieson with his screenprints and etchings from Japan. A Glasgow graduate and one-time studio technician at Northern Print, Norman has exhibited his work in Japan and internationally, as well as running highly acclaimed workshops and residencies for several years. His awards have included British Council travel awards to Arizona and India and the Royal Glasgow Institiute’s Armour Award. His work can be found in many private art collections.

Mathieson’s exhibition presents the first steps of a recent body of work called The Shizuki Line. This is an on going project that he started in March; still in the research and development phase he is using his local neighbourhood in Japan and developing his work through drawing and photography. Mathieson sees The Shizuki Line as a long term project that may span several years, giving visitors to Northern Print’s exhibition an exciting and rare insight into his own creative process

“I got very interested in my surroundings when I first came to Awaji Shima in 2003. It's a place that I am drawn to. Since then I have made several visits to the same area of Japan and now find myself settled here with my family. Over the past 4 years my work has been influenced by things of a Japanese origin, from my wife’s traditional geta to farmhouses located in the nearby hills of Nagasawa”. Norman Mathieson

Displaying her printed ceramics in the Cabinets at Northern Print will be Alice Mara. Part of Archway Ceramics Studio in Wolverhampton, Alice is a MA graduate from the Royal College of Art in London and will be exhibiting her bright and original ceramic design and print work.

“The work is vibrant and contemporary. They are about today’s environment, society, culture and urban pattern. I use digital photography which is enhanced / manipulated on the computer and then made into digital transfers.

“The objects are slip cast and sometimes thrown. There is no limit to the source material that feeds the work and the streets are paved with pattern, colour and character. I am always armed with my camera ready to catalogue buildings, people and events that occur.” Alice Mara

Gallery Opening Times: Wednesday – Friday, 11am – 5pm; Saturday, 12 – 4pm.