Melbourne Art Print Fair: edition1 is an exciting new art event celebrating the collective creativity of the contemporary art and printmaking community and highlighting the importance and intrigue of print as an art form.
The Melbourne Art Print Fair will showcase many talented printmaking studios and agencies across Australia in one location, Linden New Art, and entry is free.
Melbourne Art Print Fair: edition1 is the brainchild of Kelly Gellatly, Kirsty Grant, Bronwyn Johnson, the trio behind Kaleidoscope Editions, and Trent Walter, Director of Negative Press.
With their combined years of experience in Melbourne’s visual arts landscape, the four directors recognised the need for a curated print fair that focused on the culture of collecting original prints, supporting living artists, printmakers and print publishers.
The Fair intends to not just fill a niche but create a vibrant new platform for studios and artists to present their work, and for art lovers to discover, learn and perhaps start their own art collections.
Participating studios include Megalo Print Studio, Baldessin Press, Kaleidoscope Editions, Negative Press, Print Council of Australia, Spacecraft, and Sunshine Editions. Visitors can expect to see the work of artists including Melinda Harper, Rob McHaffie, Peter Atkins, Brent Harris, Katherine Hattam, Kylie Banyard, Ellie Malin, Chris Ingham, Brook Andrew, Rose Nolan, Janet Burchill and Jennifer McCamley and Elizabeth Newman.
Melbourne Art Print Fair: edition1 will also include talks by featured contemporary artists, printers and publishers, highlighting the accessibility, affordability and the value of original limited-edition prints and educating visitors about the techniques and processes involved in creating original fine art prints.
“Melbourne Art Fair: edition1 has been established to celebrate the creativity and collegiality of the printmaking community, and to share the joy we all experience in facilitating and making prints with some of Australia’s most exciting contemporary artists,” says Gellatly.
“The art of printmaking encourages experimentation and offers artists new creative possibilities. As a form of contemporary art, prints are accessible, affordable, and a great way to start or build a collection. In challenging times, the coming together of community becomes more important and we look forward to sharing our love of the medium over the three days of the Fair.”
Melbourne Art Print Fair: edition1 will be presented at Linden New Art, St Kilda for the next three years. “Linden New Art is excited to be partnering with the Melbourne Art Print Fair to present this new initiative,” said Linden New Art Director and CEO, Vincent Alessi. “It is a unique and radical proposition in focusing exclusively on print works, an often neglected and misunderstood practice.
“The Fair celebrates printmaking, and the print agencies, who are often experimental and conceptual in their approach, helping artists realise new ways in their practice. The Fair shares our commitment to supporting artists and showcasing the best of contemporary practice. We are thrilled to be the host venue for what will become a key event on the national art calendar.”
In addition, the Fair will present a selection of work from Viridian Press, the studio of master printer, John Loane. The history of printmaking in Australia is rich and diverse and this exhibition presents a selection of work from Viridian Press providing context to the tradition of artists who have worked collaboratively with specialist printers who assist them to interpret and realise their work in printed media.
Loane studied printmaking at the Victorian College of the Arts during the 1970s and in 1981 was the founding director of what is now known as the Australian Print Workshop. Since establishing his own workshop, Loane has worked with artists including Brent Harris, Aida Tomescu, Peter Tyndall and Louise Forthun.
Melbourne Art Print Fair: edition1
Linden New Art, 26 Acland Street, St Kilda
Exhibition: 7 – 9 February 2025
Free entry
For more information, visit: www.melbourneartprintfair.au for details.
Images: Rose Nolan, HELL/HELLO/HELLNO (10 x red rectangles + 2 x red triangles), 2020, screenprint on 12 sheets, edition of 10, 150 x 320 cm (overall) – courtesy of the artist and Negative Press | Jon Campbell, It Is What It Is, varied edition (monotype and lithograph), edition of 10, 53.5 x 73 cm – courtesy of the artist and Sunshine Editions