Exhibition of new 20/20 prints

This year’s 20:20 print exchange attracted 581 artists from 42 print workshops who created 14,525 prints.

The concept is a simple one: Print workshops are asked to get 10, 20 or more artists, (in multiples of 10 or 5 for smaller workshops). All artists produce an edition of 25 prints each 20cm x 20cm, (paper size). The workshop collects their members’ editions and sends them on to Hot Bed Press by 1st November.

In return each artist receives a portfolio of 20 random prints. Each workshop also receives a random portfolio and a twinned portfolio matching them up with another print workshop for every 10 artists.

Any print medium is acceptable. Each edition must be made specifically for the exchange. Each print in an edition should be the same or have identical elements in a varied edition.

Every artist’s box is different. Each selection is completely random. One of every edition is kept to go on national tour. In 2015 it travels from Hot Bed Press to Neo: Gallery, Bolton, and then West Yorkshire Print Workshop, The Arthouse, Wakefield, Belfast Print Workshop and The Bluecoat in Liverpool.

Organised by Hot Bed Press in Salford the exchange started in 2009 as a collaboration between Hot Bed Press and Red Hot Press in Southampton. It seemed such a good idea that it was extended to other workshops and has grown to be one of the largest print exchanges in Europe, (as far as we know).

The exchange has grown from 2 workshops taking part in 2009 to 10 in 2010, then 18 in 2011, 30 in 2012, 40 in 2013 and 42 workshops in 2014. In total 47,980 prints have been made just for this exchange since 2009.

It is a great cross section of printmaking across the UK and Ireland with prints representing each workshop showing the range and the nature of the type of work produced, from screenprinting to etching, collagraph to digital, letterpress to solar-plate. We have seen artists develop through the exchange and heard stories of artists blossoming and learning through the work of producing an edition of 25 prints, in itself no easy task.

This year Hot Bed Press had to take on extra space and extra staff for sorting.

A print from every edition can be seen on the Hot Bed Press Flickr site at https://www.flickr.com/photos/hot_bed_press/

More information is also available at: http://www.hotbedpress.org/exhibitions/2020-print-exchange/