New exhibition showcases printmaking opportunities at Michaelis School of Fine Art

A new exhibition showcasing works produced through the Africa South Art Initiative’s (ASAI) Print Access Workshops opens at the Michaelis School of Fine Art this month, placing the spotlight on efforts to broaden participation in professional printmaking across South Africa.

INK: Making Access Visible runs from February 16 to March 29, bringing together work created during recent ASAI workshops held at the University of Cape Town, the University of the Witwatersrand, and the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Presented at Michaelis, the exhibition foregrounds printmaking as both a technical discipline and a collaborative practice, with works reflecting precision, material exploration and shared studio processes.

The exhibition includes prints created during the workshops alongside a broader historical overview of ASAI’s printmaking programme, which has been running since 2014.

ASAI says the workshops are designed to support practising artists — particularly those working independently without the backing of institutions or established galleries — by providing opportunities to work in professional print studios.

The organisation notes that many participating artists have historically been excluded from such facilities, with the workshops offering technical training, collaborative studio environments and scope for experimentation and skills exchange.

Founded in 2005, ASAI is a non-profit visual arts research and publishing initiative focused on fostering dialogue between artists, curators and researchers working in South Africa and across the African continent.

The exhibition officially opens on February 16 at 5pm, with an opening address by Dr Greer Valley, Senior Curator and Head of Curatorial Affairs at Zeitz MOCAA, who is also Director of ASAI.

INK will be open to the public on weekdays from 9am to 4pm.

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Cape Argus