The Artists’ Press — celebrating over three decades of South African printmaking

In 1991, a 25-year-old Mark Attwood, newly qualified as a master printer at the Tamarind Institute in the US, returned to Johannesburg and got to work setting up a print studio in Newtown. With only a second-hand printing press and a willing collaborator, Attwood began what would become one of the country’s best-known artistic institutions – The Artists’ Press.

On 28 and 29 November, Johannesburg’s Keyes Art Mile will host a celebration of 35 years of printmaking with The Artists’ Press. New limited-edition prints by artists Sam Nhlengethwa and Walter Oltmann will be launched, and a print pop-up shop featuring works by more than 40 leading South African artists will be held – plus a panel discussion, Jazz DJ set and a print giveaway.

For Attwood, the dream of starting The Artists’ Press is one he’s had since he was a child. “Growing up hanging around my father’s commercial printshop, where he printed invitations and catalogues for the Everard Read Gallery and the Goodman Gallery as well as the occasional limited-edition print for artists, I became entranced with the idea of starting a studio that was dedicated solely to making limited-edition prints for artists,” he explains.

Following an apprenticeship with his father and a year of work in the UK, Attwood went on to study at the Tamarind Institute. The vision was clear: return home and start a studio in Johannesburg. He found a great space in Newtown, but the banks weren’t convinced that he deserved a loan.

“So I got a half-day job at a printing business in Krugersdorp to give me a bit of income, and spent the afternoons setting up the studio. As soon as I had my second-hand press up and running, I set about inviting artists to work with me.”

Norman Catherine was the first artist through the doors, even lending Attwood money to buy paper and ink. Together, they printed “Headman”, a small stone lithograph, and for the next 11 years Attwood collaborated with various artists, steadily growing a reputation as a studio that added to the cultural fabric of the city.

Today, Attwood runs the studio with his partner, the artist Tamar Mason, from their home just outside White River, Mpumalanga. Since relocating to the Lowveld in 2002 and setting up their off-grid studio, The Artists’ Press has continued to produce limited-edition lithographs and monotypes, many of which are in major global collections, including the Smithsonian Institution, Tate Modern, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

“Every artist has a unique approach to collaboration, and I really try to get inside their head and see the world in the way that they do, and try to figure out processes and ways of working that will suit them personally,” Attwood explains. “The collaborative process is never a clear path; there are always things that pop up that change the direction of a project. I think what matters most is that the artist’s vision is the guide, and everything we do has to be based around realising their ideas in the best way.”

Stone lithography, using the original hand-printing techniques developed by its inventor, Alois Senefelder, in 1796, is the studio’s primary medium.

Artists change, as do art world trends. Attwood notes that artists spend less time drawing than in the past. This has proven to be challenging since lithography is a technique that relies on the drawn or painted mark. But there are benefits, too.

“I love it when an artist really pushes me to do something new and technically challenging, having to invent new ways of doing things to get what they want,” says Attwood.

Many relationships have endured, too. In addition to Nhlengethwa and Oltmann, The Artists’ Press regularly collaborates with William Kentridge, Banele Khoza, Deborah Bell, Mmakgabo Sebidi and the late Thami Jali, among others, all of whom will have prints for sale at the pop-up.

A panel discussion featuring Attwood, Katlego Tlabela and Banele Khoza will form part of the Keyes event on the 29th, aimed in part at demystifying the printmaking practice for the general public. Printmaking has a rich history in South Africa, and this is a special opportunity to hear directly from a master printmaker and two artists.

“I spend a lot of time trying to educate collectors about what an original print is,” says Attwood. “Digital prints have certainly changed the way people see what a print is, and I think there is a lot of work to be done to get collectors to understand the difference. I think the tactile quality of a hand-printed work speaks for itself, and that is why getting to exhibitions and fairs is so important.”

In addition to the print pop-up sale and the panel discussion, a live vinyl set by none other than Nhlengethwa will take place on Friday, 28 November, coinciding with the unveiling of new limited-edition lithographs by Nhlengethwa and Oltmann.

Simon Attwood has collaborated with his father to print a celebration edition of 35 prints, which will be given away during the pop-up event on the 29th. DM

The Artists’ Press pop-up at Keyes Art Mile launches on 28 November at 6pm. The print pop-up continues on 29 November from 9am to 4pm. To find out more, visit The Artists’ Press.