Northern Print Biennale - 26th June 2009 - 4th October 2009
The Uk’s Largest Printmaking Exhibition Opened Its Doors in 2009 |
| Mar 17 2010 at 12:06 PM |
The largest exhibition of printmaking this country has seen for 20 years is getting ready to open its doors across three venues in Newcastle upon Tyne.
Around 170 pieces of work from all over the world arrived on Tyneside destined for Northern Print, the Laing Art Gallery and Hatton Gallery for the Northern Print Biennale, which was open from June 26th 2009 
90 artists were selected to take part in the exhibition, which also attracted some leading names from the world of print such as Richard Woods, Jim Dine, Louise Bourgeois, Richard Hamilton and Gillian Ayres.
The Northern Print Biennale was spearheaded by Anna Wilkinson, director of Northern Print – the centre for printmaking in the North East - in partnership with culture¹º. She said: “Supporting artists is at the heart of Northern Print and our latest initiative the Northern Print Biennale. I think the tremendous response the call for entries received with over 800 entries from 32 countries shows just how strong the desire is for a major event which really recognises and rewards artists whose work encounters print".
"I’m so pleased that the selection panel found so many artists they felt should be in the show and I truly feel that we have an exhibition which will delight, surprise and challenge what people think print is about.
I hope that this will not only benefit the artists taking part but also inspire a new generation of artists to make prints and a new generation of collectors to buy it,” she added.
Gill Saunders, senior curator (prints) at the V&A, who was one of the selection panel said: “Our final selection, painstakingly refined from the impressive diversity on offer, is a vivid testament to the vigour and currency of printmaking in the 21st century.”
The exhibition also includes the 2009 Print Awards, which features a number of prizes such as £5000 Northern Print Award; Friends of the Laing Art Gallery Purchase Prize; V&A Print Prize and Nexus Art on Transport Commission Prize; amongst others. Winners of these prizes were announced at a special preview on Friday 3rd July 2009.
The Northern Print Biennale awards were initiated in partnership with culture¹º as part of NewcastleGateshead’s world-class programme of festivals and events.
Stella Hall, creative director of culture10 said: “There is a real sense of anticipation as the opening of Northern Print Biennale draws near; the calibre and diversity of the selected artists is hugely impressive and they’ll undoubtedly combine to create some exciting exhibitions. We hope that the Biennale will raise the profile of print making nationally, help position NewcastleGateshead as a ‘Print City’, and provide artists with an unrivalled opportunity to bring their work to a much wider audience.”
The exhibition opened at Northern Print on 26th June – 4th October 2009; at the Hatton Gallery on 26th June – 15th August 2009; and at the Laing Art Gallery on 4th July – 4th October 2009.
Back