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Stephen Inggs, Associate Professor
Michaelis School of Fine Art
University of Cape Town
31-37 Orange Street
Cape Town 8001, South Africa
Telephone: +27-21-4807109
Fax: +27-21-4242889
Mobile: +27-82-7845784

Friday September 9th, 9:45-12:30 Selected Portfolio showings in the Muzeum Narodowe w Poznaniu, Patio Hall

Portfolio Presentation: "Working Proof Portfolio of Lithographs"

"Working Proof" is a portfolio of lithographs made to commemorate the 3rd Impact International Printmaking Conference held at the Michaelis School of Fine Art from 27-30 August 2003. It responds to the conference theme: the role of prints in contemporary art in a social, political and cultural context and specifically relates to notions of frontiers, conflict, repackaging, traces and exile. There have been major advances in the way artists have used print media in recent years. The evolution of print from its historical origins to the present day has been marked by shifts in function and aesthetic form from the dissemination of knowledge to the communication of ideas and concepts through visual and aesthetic means. The taxonomy of printmaking is a history replete with restrictions and definitions that were imposed on its artistic practice to the detriment of its acceptance as a primary art form. Prints are no longer driven by technical process alone and the traditional boundaries of printed art are not as clear as they were. Artists are continually redefining parameters. Large-scale prints challenge the hierarchy of paintings and printmaking has expanded to include printed forms ranging from artists¹ books to billboards, embracing and appropriating commercial techniques to accommodate aesthetic and conceptual concerns. The idea behind "Working Proof" has been to produce a portfolio of lithographs to explore how artists could use and adapt commercial print technology. The portfolio sets out to present a broad range of concepts with the intention of providing new ideas and approaches to contemporary printmaking. Most artists working in print will testify that collaboration, co-operation and partnerships are inherent characteristics of printmaking and this is also true of the relationships that have developed in the making of "Working Proof." Participating artists include Katherine Bull, Pippa Skotnes, Gavin Younge, Fritha Langerman, William Kentridge, Dominic Thorburn, Jane Alexander, Malcolm Payne, Roderick Sauls and Stephen Inggs. Particular thanks must go to Russell Jones and Morgan Poovan for the assistance they provided in the technical production of the lithographs.

STEPHEN INGGS is a practicing fine artist and associate professor at the Michaelis School of Fine Art, University of Cape Town. He holds a Master of Arts (Fine Art) degree from the University of Natal and a Postgraduate Diploma in Printmaking from the University of Brighton, England. Inggs has recently held professional solo exhibitions of his creative work at Hacklebury Fine Art Ltd in London and Gallery Joao Ferreira in Cape Town. These exhibitions reflect his interest in overlooked objects as emblems of transience, exploring their history, cultural residue, metaphorical associations and meaning. His work has been included in numerous international group exhibitions including AIPAD in New York, A.r.e.a. Art Region End of Africa in Reykjavik, Iceland and the International Print Triennial 2003 in Krakow, Poland where he was a prizewinner. Inggs has also curated various print portfolios, produced and published an artists’ book on lithography and co-convened the 3rd Impact International Printmaking Conference in 2003.Inggs work is held in collections locally and abroad including the South African National Gallery, Durban Art Gallery, University of Cape Town, Rand Merchant Bank, MTN, Sanlam, Arup London, Northwestern University and the Library of Congress in the USA.

Gavin Younge
Stephen Inggs
Pippa Skotnes
Roderick Sauls
Katherine Bull