By definition, most of the processes used by printmakers lend themselves to the creation of multiple impressions. This exhibition features work by 13 contemporary Japanese artists, ranging in age from their mid-twenties to mid-sixties, who are today “redefining the multiple” in new and exciting ways.

All 13 are formally trained in printmaking, which has a long and rich history in Japan, and the production of multiples remains at the core of their creative process. But many have transitioned to other media—both two- and three-dimensional—to explore subjects ranging from the traditional to the abstract.

Among the results are an oversize installation composed of etchings on cotton wool; compositions of acrylic ink squeegeed onto glass; 3-D works of cast resin; and woodblock prints that cast familiar food items in a new light.

This exhibition accompanies New Beginnings: Japanese Prints of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.


Sponsored by Nancy G. Curme, the John D. Greene Endowment for Contemporary Exhibitions and the Elaine P. and Richard U. Wilson Foundation, with additional support provided by Jane W. Labrum and Mann’s Jewelers.

Organized by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.