Endless Multiplication
With this issue of artetc. news & views we come to the last of our printmaking trilogy. It is with some sadness that this project comes to an end. However, the enormous interest generated by this endeavour has been heart-warming. If one of our reasons for devoting three separate issues to printmaking was to stimulate discussion and debate, I think we have succeeded.
In this, Part III of Multiplying Importance: Indian Printmaking Then / Indian Printmaking Now, we explore exciting encounters with printmaking at all levels. Sixteen young printmakers from diverse geographical regions in India are given a forum for their views, Seema Bawa analyses the implications of digital print technologies, and Sandhya Bordwekar pays a visit to Vijay Bagodi and CHHAAP. Parag Roy writes of the passion Haren Das had for wood engraving, while Subba Ghosh pens a poetic meditation on two of Anupam Sud's best-known etchings. Other writers seek to place young artists such as Prathap Modi, Preeti Agrawal, and Srikanta Paul into the current context of Indian art. And Sonika Soni takes a look at the still vital tradition of block-printing fabrics in Rajasthan.
As Guest Editor, I would like to thank the publishers of artetc. news & views for making this project possible. By allowing me the privilege of coordinating the printmaking features they invested a great deal of trust in my personal taste and judgement. I would also like to admit that my own biases have crept into these issues, something I think rather inevitable when one is given an editorial role. For those who feel we have ignored important artists and/or concerns, I can only plead a lack of space, time, and sometimes knowledge. I would also like to express my apologies for any factual errors that may have inadvertently crept into this trilogy.
The importance of printmaking will continue to evolve and multiply long after these magazines have been lost upon the shelves. But it is hoped that through our efforts we have aroused awareness in some, a passion in others, and a motivation to make innovative explorations in others.