Regina Silveira’s room of screenprint transfers.

The Philagraphika Print Show is coming to a close this Sunday in Philadelphia and I wish I could check it out in person. The print collaborative (as they were originally called) was established in 2000 and they have a comprehensive website for the desert-stranded.

Paul Morrison’s 40-foot wall exterior, made using acrylic paints and found images.

One thing I really like about the show is the diversity of work shown. Artists of all ages from almost 20 countries, including individuals and collectives, are exhibiting under the banner of contemporary printmaking. Five years in the making, this year’s show is broken down into three categories (Graphic Unconscious, Out of Print and Independent Projects) and is shown in more than 80 venues across the city.

Lisa Anne Auerbach’s Tract House, which reimagines religious tracts in new contexts.

The festival happily claims that the printed image lies at the heart of contemporary art. As such, the massive exhibition (experience, really) offers inspiration to designers and illustrators (are they really different from artists?). The images above are some of my favorites from the collection, because they all sort of reinvent old ideas. Etchings appear in large scale with bold marks, scientific illustrations overwhelm a room and found images are combined in new ways.

Current artist book project called using the form of the volvelle to outline a history.

The reinvention of old forms seems like an inexhaustable approach to making things, because objects have histories, both personal and cultural. And appropriating the concepts embedded in older forms (and histories) is a means of creating autonomy in a human. To this end, I should show you a project I’m in the middle of developing, which uses this method of appropriation (fancy word for stealing). It’s the volvelle (paper wheel) above.

Anyway, if you’re in Philadelphia or nearby, I recommend checking out the show. If not, definitely see what they are up to, virtually-speaking.