The 'HITS!' Print series
What is 'HITS!'? HITS! - Printmakers Top 10 is an international print series initiated by artist Annegret Frauenlob. Every year, ten printmakers are invited to choose a favourite lyric or song and create a 7" square (folded or unfolded) print for the box-set. 50 copies of the complete set are available for sale and the series has been exhibited at art book fairs internationally, including London Art Book Fair (at the Whitechapel), Frankfurt Book Fair, CODEX (USA) and artbook.berlin. What are the prints in this series? The three works below are the prints I created for the 2019, 2020 and 2021 'HITS!' series. They are a separate edition (denoted by Roman numerals) to that for the box-set (denoted by Arabic numerals) and in fact the 2019 print is a re-print created especially for this fundraiser. I think they work well as a series, partly because of the common elements (the lasercut shapes and the choice of typefaces, Eurostile Bold Extended and Plantin) and also because of the space I wanted to give to the lyric excerpts. |
Fundraiser 2021
[ The following text was written in Autumn 2021 when these prints were sold to raise funds for Refugee Action's Afghan Arrivals Fund. The issue of the UK's responsibility is ongoing and unresolved. ] Throughout lockdown I have reflected often on my responsibilities as an artist, as a parent and, fundamentally, as a human in an unequal world. I am in a fortunate position, so I've initiated a series of print sales to raise funds. The first was for my local food bank and the second for a charity working with young people. This is the third fundraiser. I chose the lyric for my 'HITS!' contribution in early summer 2021. The band is Irreversible Entanglements, a free jazz / spoken word collective who came together originally to perform at a Musicians Against Police Brutality event in New York City. The words are by vocalist Camae Ayewa (aka Moor Mother): "they say freedom down the road / if we could just hold on / hold our breath / make it through the checkpoints / make it over the bridge across the sea / under the fence / if we could just hold on". They speak powerfully because of their universality. But, throughout August 2021, as I worked on the print, they clearly spoke too of the evolving situation in Afghanistan. I worked for the UK charity Refugee Action from 2007 to 2012 on a service that provided advice and advocacy to people granted refugee status in the UK during the period immediately after the decision on their asylum claim. The support, or lack of, that my home country offers to people in challenging and highly distressing circumstances remains an ongoing issue that I cannot ignore. |
Print details
Size: 17.5cm (H) x 54cm (W). This equates to roughly 7" x 21"; ie, 7" square if folded. Stock: 160gsm South Bank book smooth (acid-free archival paper) Edition size: 25 |
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