‘Print Age: Printmaking in the Age of AI’: Artificial vs aesthetic

The show ‘Print Age: Printmaking in the Age of AI’ hits the nail right on the head. As the world grapples with the scope and limitations of artificial intelligence, curator Johny ML probes why the handmade print continues to offer something that newer image-making technologies cannot. In doing so, he also brings the spotlight back on printmaking, often considered a second cousin to painting and drawing, or as Johny reminds, a “much maligned monster”.

Printmaking is one of the earliest forms of popular art. Created by transferring ink from prepared surface such as wood or metal on to paper or fabric, it facilitates making multiple copies of a single work. Through its journey across the centuries, it has been pulled down by purists who question the originality of a print, as also those who like art to be exclusive.

As more and more people are turning artists courtesy websites, apps, and tools, a slow and steady rise is once again being seen in printmaking. Tired of fast, artificial images, artists and aficionados are increasingly drawn to the hands-on and experimental qualities of printmaking.

Artist Laxma Goud at Dhoomimal Gallery.

The idea of ‘Print Age’ was sown during one such conversation Johny ML had with a few artists early last year. Soon, Uday Jain of Dhoomimal Art Gallery in New Delhi came on board to host the show, and Johny began travelling to different parts of India, bringing together works from the collections of Ravin Garudiya, Hitesh Rana, Dhoomimal, and a few other private collectors, besides prints from artists such as Dushyant Patel and Rajesh Makwana.

Johny says printmaking has remained marginal in the mainstream art discourse as people felt it was all about making multiple prints without any adherence to the idea of the original. “So, even while it was constantly practised, its acceptance as a highly dignified art form was slightly low in the eyes of the public and certain art lovers. But people who knew its worth never hesitated to collect prints,” he says.

In his curatorial note, he points out how during the boom of the new millennium, printmaking was pushed far behind other forms of art. In the meantime, some were silently buying graphic prints. The market boom helped many young printmakers experiment with ambitious sizes that previous generations had failed to even attempt, resulting in large-scale woodcuts.

“Besides, the auction scene was creating a new interest among art collectors by introducing high-quality graphic print works of masters from all over the world. This facilitated a global market for printmaking art; if you want to collect a master like Picasso, you just need to go to any auction house where one is up for bidding. This global currency of printmaking and print art, including signed works by artists or artists’ estates, as well as unsigned limited and unlimited editions of serigraphs, has created a new scenario for printmaking art,” he writes.

A print by artist Marc Chagall.

As digital reproduction and AI pose newer challenges, Johny feels that despite all the radical innovations, AI has not become an agent in itself, as “it has not become a thinking tool yet”... “So long as human agency thrives, the human touch in creative forms is going to remain. Even if in the near future AI becomes a self-thinking tool, I am sure the inherent tendency of humans to trace their roots would eventually make them turn to man-made art or humane art.”

The exhibition brings together 156 prints by 80 artists. International artists include Picasso and Marc Chagall. Big Indian names like Zarina Hashmi and Anupam Sud share space with newer artists. And that, Johny insists, is the curatorial premise of the show: how art collectors have looked at printmaking as a collectible art form. “Collectors are driven by different logic, especially when it comes to printmaking. Some take it as an entry-level collectible. But for many others, it is a parallel narrative. For some, it is like a jigsaw; they always want to fill in the gaps in their collection.”

With conceptual and performance art dominating art events, what kind of space does printmaking find itself in today? Contrary to all expectations, Johny says youngsters are turning en masse to printmaking. “It is an intriguing and challenging medium. You may be a good painter, but you have to reorganise yourself when you approach printmaking. It involves a lot of technicalities and external chemical and physical agencies. It is like creating music out of an ensemble of orchestras. The availability of printing machines, such as etching and lithography presses, has made printmaking more accessible. Young artists are setting up studios complete with a printmaking press. All over the world, there is a revival of printmaking as a retro art form. There is a special charm to it. You look around and see more than three printmaking shows currently on in Delhi itself.”

Who said printmaking was a lost art?

— On view till March 14