4 December 2020 – 31 January 2021
I am delighted to have had two posters accepted for the Reverting to Type 2020: Protest Posters exhibition. The exhibition will launch on 3 December at 7pm with a live-streamed broadcast on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
Inspiration for the first one, METRO STANDARD, comes from Wonk Unit’s We are the England. The poster was printed on the Wharfedale Reliance at Robert Smail’s Printing Works (in the care of the National Trust for Scotland).
Profits from the sale of this print will go to stablelife a local group supporting vulnerable children in the Scottish Borders.
https://www.revertingtotype.com/posters/metro-standard
BUY BYE is a response to our times and the mess we are in. It is hopefully the starting point for a larger series of works entitled the writing is on the wall. The title comes from an Anarcho-punk vinyl compilation put together by a friend. The original design was adapted for lockdown to be printed at home. My Farley Proofing Press (rescued from Chelsea School of Art in the early 90s) has become an inky lifeline this year.
https://www.revertingtotype.com/posters/buy-bye
Standpoint Gallery is presenting Reverting to Type 2020, an exhibition of contemporary letterpress protest posters curated by New North Press.
New North Press are holding an exhibition of artwork with something to say – posters sounding a warning signal about the global climate crisis, railing against fake news and surveillance capitalism, calling out racism, sexism and fighting for equal opportunities and, of course, reacting to the coronavirus pandemic.
Featuring the work of 100 letterpress artists from 16 countries, including mæstros Alan Kitching, Erik Spiekermann and Anthony Burrill, the exhibition will be a visual riot, giving voice to all that is worth protesting in 2020.
New North Press have also produced collaborative posters with others known for their activism, such as photomontage artist Peter Kennard, graphic designer Malcolm Garrett, Turner Prize-nominee Mark Titchner, fashion designer Katherine Hamnett, comedian Stewart Lee and Extinction Rebellion Art Group. These prints will be displayed alongside those of asylum-seekers, adults with learning disabilities and young people with downgraded exam results, also invited to make posters.
Accompanying the physical exhibition (and to make sure its content is accessible during Covid-19 restrictions) will be a website showcasing the artworks and allowing visitors to curate their own protest wall and share it on social media.
Letterpress has long been a medium of dissent. Printing technology may have surpassed it in terms of speed but at the core of this centuries-old practice the ingredients to communicate ideas and give power to thoughts remains strong.
Curated by Richard Ardagh and Graham Bignell of New North Press to mark 10 years since their seminal Reverting to Type exhibition, 2020’s show will include progressive work from letterpress studios globally, with prints from established artists alongside that specially-invited collaborators.
Established in 1986, New North Press is an artisan letterpress print studio known for its combination of traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design ideas.
More info on the gallery website here. (Info from Gallery Press Release)
typochondriacs 