Reading People - Shanghai International Print Exhibition 2014

Reading People - Shanghai International Print Exhibition 2014 was a thematic international print exhibition with an emphasis on character creation. At the time, the trend of international printmaking was changing, with increasingly rich aesthetics, but at its core it was still preoccupied with the exploration of print techniques, materials, and textures, understandably so if one considers the medium as a means to explore its inherent limits, rather than as a thematic medium which could interrogate social and political issues.

Among the many issues concerning contemporary art, such human issues cannot be circumvented or ignored. In recent years, although there have been fewer works with character themes, some artists still have a strong interest in figuration, and have created a number of impressive works. The prints in the exhibition convey thoughts around people, using styles and techniques different from others, becoming self-contained and impressive. The exhibition takes the theme of "Observing" as an entry point, taking into account the exploration in recent years and the chronological history of observational printmaking to show the inheritance, status and diverse trends of character-based print works. We also took the opportunity to invite experts in the art and cultural circles to a series of public seminars and events, to discuss and explore critical dialogues about the development of contemporary printmaking.