Philagrafika 2010 is the first iteration of Philadelphia’s international print biennial, which hopes to put the city on the radar of the international art world. The programming will celebrate contemporary art that uses printmaking techniques in innovative and surprising ways, in the hopes of energizing the cultural climate of the city. Events will take place at over eighty venues and more than three hundred artists from almost twenty countries will have their print work on display in Philadelphia for the next three months.
Sound overwhelming? It can be. Street’s here to break down the festival for you.
ThE GRAPHIC UNCONSCIOUS
WHAT IS IT? The Graphic Unconscious makes up the core exhibition of Philagraphika, organized by Artistic Director Jose Roca and his curatorial team. Incorporating the work of 35 artists, the installations will be spread across five venues: Moore College of Art & Design, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Print Center and Temple Gallery at Tyler School of Art, Temple University. The works displayed are not just traditional prints but also include sculpture, performance and video works, all of which incorporate printmaking in surprising and critical ways.
STREET’S PICK: The Print Center celebrates the DIY aspects of printmaking and publishing zines, books and posters. Space 1026 transformed the gallery into a modular space, designed specifically for viewing and reading printed works, while Eric Avery made the restroom into a print installation promoting awareness about infectious diseases. In addition to these commissioned works, the exhibition will present pieces by a variety of individuals and collectives. The best part? It’s free.
OUT OF PRINT
WHAT IS IT? Out of Print matches five artists with their own historic Philadelphian organization, each of which holds an extraordinary print collection of its own. The organizations — the American Philosophical Society Museum, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Independence Seaport Museum, the Rosenbach Museum and Library and Penn’s own Archaeology and Anthropology Museum — inspired the artists to create a new body of work, directly linked to these historic documents.
STREET’S PICK: The Bounding Billows: Sailors Printing on the High Seas welcomes Brooklyn-based Cannonball Press to the Independence Seaport Museum, home of the cruiser Olympia. During her heyday in the early 20th century, Olympia housed over 400 sailors and published a newspaper, The Bounding Billow. Cannonball Press will be creating a limited edition artist book representing its interpretation of this old document, which will be displayed alongside the originals. Mike Houston and Martin Mazorra, the brains behind the press, will also be leading letterpress printing demonstations throughout the spring. Student admission is $7, but there are pay-what-you-wish hours every Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to noon.
INDEPENDENT PROJECTS
WHAT IS IT? The independent projects take place at seventy-five different cultural institutions, each of which offers an exhibition in which printed images and words play a key role. Venues include the Fabric Workshop and Museum, Fleisher/Ollman Gallery and Vox Populi, among others.
STREET’S PICK: Even Philadelphia International Airport is getting in on the fun. Installations of print work will line the walls of Terminal F, as a part of PHL's ongoing exhibitions program. Unfortunately, it’s not open to the public — only ticketed passengers can see the show.
Most of you won't make it to the airport anytime soon, so check out the ICA's exhibition, Maira Kalman: Various Illuminations (Of a Crazy World), which includes thirty-years worth of works on paper along with photography, embroidery and textiles. Kalman has assembled a crazy new installation at the ICA: an entire room filled with “many tables of many things" which gives an up-close-and-personal look at her day-to-day existence and the hundreds of “things” we all collect throughout our lives.
