Since 2008, Auckland Print Studio (APS) has been an authority on printmaking in Aotearoa. Having built a reputation through its collaborations with local and international artists, the studio planned to return to this year’s event with another exclusive series of prints. Partnering with Ōtepoti Dunedin-based painter Kushana Bush for the 2022 fair, the works have been created using a traditional limestone press. APS founder John Pusateri tells us more.
You tend to work with artists who don’t ordinarily use print as a medium. Why?
We want the artist to explore something new. The nature of printmaking forces you to break your work down into layers and examine it. Many artists fall into a rhythm within their practice, and printmaking is a great way for them to unpack and then recombine it.
What drew you to Kushana’s work?
Kushana’s drawing ability and sense of composition and colour are particularly exciting to work with as a printmaker. I can see the new ways that her images can be built up through layering and collage. Her work pushes our studio into new territory and challenges us technically, which we love – if it were too easy, it would be boring.
What can we expect from Kushana’s art fair editions?
We’re doing something quite exciting, using paper marbling in her works. In one edition, we’ll marble each background uniquely and then print her images on top, while in another, we’ll be using that marbling as a collage element.
What do you hope to achieve with these collaborations?
We provide a method that allows artists to explore ideas in a fresh way – I think that’s the ultimate goal. To us, the pinnacle of a good collaboration is when the audience sees something new but still recognises it as the artist’s work. Like in this collaboration, there’s something inherently “Kushana”, but it’s new. It’s different.
Auckland Print Studio
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