A new printmaking exhibition exploring artists’ relationships with natural and urban environments will open at the Gunnedah Bicentennial Creative Arts Gallery on Friday, 11 September.
Reimagining the Landscape is the work of Open Bite Printmakers, a Sydney-based collective that has worked together for more than 30 years. The show features etching, monoprint, photopolymer, linocut, woodblock, collagraph and screen printing.
The collective exhibits regularly in Sydney and regional areas, and its members have also taken part in international exhibitions in Spain, the United Kingdom and the Mokuhanga Conference in Japan.
Open Bite Printmakers began as a group of about 20 artists printing together at the Ku-ring-gai Art Centre in Roseville, Sydney. Member Ingrid Johnstone suggested the group form its own printmaking collective, and its name and logo, a linocut shark print, come from the open bite etching technique, in which large open areas of a metal plate are exposed to acid to create fine-grained tonal areas.
The collective held its first exhibition at the Balmain Watch House in March 1992, opened by former ABC newsreader Richard Morecroft, where members sold more than $6000 worth of artwork. Since then, Open Bite Printmakers has exhibited across Sydney and the Hunter Valley, in regional New South Wales towns including Mittagong and Gosford, interstate in Tasmania and internationally in France.
Collective member and award-winning artist Julie Debray said the exhibition focused on encouraging dialogue between the artist and the audience about their own perception of the environment.
“This exhibition can bring a wide range of benefits to the local community in showcasing how artists can reinterpret the land by using unexpected materials, such as textiles, collage, or digital elements,” she said.
“The landscape images can become a vessel for memories and identity that resonate with different people in a multitude of ways.
“Our diverse practices allow for individual artists to work in their chosen medium whether with traditional and more abstract techniques to experiment and explore contemporary trends whilst maintaining a high level of expertise and innovation.”
Gunnedah Shire Council’s Manager Economy and Growth Susan Frater said it was exciting to host a dynamic showcase by passionate printmakers.
“Open Bite Printmakers blend specialised techniques with storytelling to create powerful works that resonate with the viewer,” she said.
“They have poured their expertise and experience into this original collection, which captures the heart of the diverse Australian landscapes we know and love.”
Reimagining the Landscape will open at the Creative Arts Gallery at 6pm on Friday, 11 September and continue until Friday, 9 October.
More information on Open Bite Printmakers is available at https://openbiteprintmakers.com/
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