Jurors’ Comments

HANAI Hisaho

Curator, National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo

Contemporary Japanese prints garnered international recognition during the postwar period, largely due to the social activities of women, including art critic Elise Grilli, who bridged the gap between Japan and the U.S. and facilitated their acceptance at the grassroots level. This exhibition began in 1956 and continues today through the efforts of women of various nationalities. I was deeply impressed by this fact. From woodblock printing to the application of digital technology, the way we understand“ print” itself has evolved over a long period, and it is impossible to rely on a single metric for evaluation. Prints are a complex interplay of size, material, subject matter, and technical achievement – a fact that I was made acutely aware of during the selection process. Since the genesis of printmaking was with “reading material,” some of the subjects have literary or topical connotations, while others were chosen for their technical achievement in printmaking (perhaps this is why there are so many densely-furred animal motifs, such as cats and bears). Some of the prints are of a modest size and arranged horizontally in a series, yet others command space and are mounted vertically. The diverse imagery and technical traditions featured in such an array of prints were truly enjoyable. While navigating the selection process, I focused on the matter of whether the work engages with, or questions, our present moment.

IZUHARA Tsukasa

Professor Emeritus, Kyoto City University of Arts

The following comments do not touch on the contents of the artwork (no spoilers included).

It was very difficult to select suitable pieces from the submissions, as they were all works of various inclinations, and it was as if we were being asked about the value of all artwork. I decided to use two different measures: degree of completeness (technical proficiency) and originality (irreplaceable, something you have seen for the first time). Many excellent and valuable works of art are highly assessed in one or both areas; however, trying to ascertain originality–such as whether the piece will be remembered by history–takes a lot of time. In my brief assessment, I tried not to lean too much into judging based on the degree of completeness.

The following comments touch on the contents of the artwork (spoilers included). Many of the submissions were based on motifs that the artists love. In pieces where this was not the case, it was as if they were created with a sense of distance from their feelings. While not in great numbers, some works did not express deep emotion, and I had favorable impressions of them. I was drawn to an attempt to bring out the characteristics of lines drawn innocently by drypoint, which were pushed to the limit through the medium of printing. I was also taken with a piece that highlighted the beauty of a drop of water dripping on a plate.

O JUN

Artist

This was my first time judging a print competition. Initial selections were conducted with digital representations of the prints, followed by an examination of the actual pieces during the second round. When viewing the works in person, the range of sizes is more apparent, and there were some works that gave a different impression compared to their digital counterpart. Being prepared for this common trend of evaluating both digital representations and physical artworks in recent years, I noticed that those pieces that caught my eye in digital form equally stood out in physical, leading me to scrutinize them further.

Techniques are instrumental in supporting artistic expression. Different methods are pursued depending on the materials and modes of production, subsequently crafting unique styles. The world of artistic expression evolves in different ways, with some becoming adept at the techniques they have learned and others  nding innovative applications for them. In the case of printmaking, when ink or paint is applied to the scratched, engraved, or painted area of a plate, an image emerges. However, in my view, the damage to the material as a result of the various techniques applied to the initial plate is part of the image. The surface of the plate, metal, or stone – prior to translation onto paper – is already the first image. This is the artist’s act of vivid painting. After that, the peculiar pressure applied during the printing process (from the force of a press to the stroking pressure of hand printing) is also a form of drawing. Therefore, I believe that printmaking is “painting twice.” The artist’s tenacity in performing the process of painting a second time is both daunting and sweet. It was a joyful and valuable experience for me to encounter many such works and expressions in this year’s competition.

I would also like to express my deep appreciation to the Print Show volunteers for their consideration and efforts in the selection process.

YANAGISAWA Noriko

Artist

Director, The Japan Print Association

This year marks the 67th CWAJ Print Show and the 75th anniversary of the inception of CWAJ. Consequently, there was great interest from applicants, and I was pleased to see not only an increase in the number of entries, but also in the overall quality of the entries. As someone invested in this project, I am happy to see that the hard work of everyone involved has been rewarded, and that the prospects for future activities are even brighter. Regarding the submitted pieces, it was impressive to see the strong will of the artists in all of the entries. Speci cally, the mezzotint technique featured prominently in many of the smaller submissions, and the level of technical expertise was high, resulting in impressively convincing pieces. On the other hand, I found myself drawn to the larger works that had a strong social commentary, seemingly aligned with the zeitgeist of the time. Many of these works were created using giclée, digital, and other techniques.

Finally, I would like to mention that my impression of the CWAJ Print Show is that it offers a high degree of freedom as an open-call exhibition. Compared to most Japanese group exhibitions, where each group has its own unique characteristics, the CWAJ Print Show presents a varied assortment of styles and approaches, which are always well received and appreciated by visitors.