Afterlife

Today I visited a print exhibition called 'Afterlife' at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.

I saw recently produced prints by Jake and Dinos Chapman, Paul Coldwell, Jane Dixon, Hughie O' Donoghue, Marc Quinn, Paul Morrison, and finally Mat Collishaw, whos work I am very interested in.

It is a collection of work by some of the most renowned Printmakers, all concentrating on the theme of 'Afterlife'. There is a feeling of fragility and mortality within the small exhibition of prints. From Mat Collishaws photogravure prints of dismembered moths and butterflies, to the small and disturbing etchings by the Chapman brothers. I was very impressed to see how they curated a group of artists whose work is very different into one small exhibition room, and all using a similar theme. I liked the range of print techniques that I saw, from very traditional hand printing, to large scale digital print.  

Jake & Dinos Chapman

Paul Coldwell

The inspiration for these prints came from the media footage from the Baghdad bombings, the dots and blurred background represent both the carnage and the quality of the footage we saw on the news. He places a personal item in each print showing what was left behind after many lives were taken.