Museum Musings: Repeat, Repeat, Repeat; Revising The Phenomenon of Printing at The Private Museum

The Private Museum presents a brand new group exhibition this May. Titled Repeat, Repeat, Repeat; revising the phenomenon of printing, the exhibition is curated by Zaki Razak and will run from 17th May to 7th July 2019, as the second second edition of the museum’s Guest Curator series.

In the exhibition, Zaki Razak has brought together the print work of seven different artists, namely Miguel Chew, Weixin Chong, Mona Choo, Urich Lau, Nadia Oh, Shin-Young Park and Shih Yun Yeo. It is a relative norm for printmaking exhibitions to focus on traditional methods and the expanded practice of artists who adopted painterly approaches, exploring a certain degree of experimentation, challenging the convention on what is permissible, and demonstrating sophisticated control of process.

However, more substantial is the repeat pattern of thematic exhibitions, instead emphasising on  the possibilities of print. A similar sentiment towards an often-repeated source can be reflected in the works of Albrecht Dürer, the rockstar of printmaking, whose meticulous and dynamic works are often first to be considered the most refined and celebrated, never failing to feed on the ecstasy of our sight. In Repeat, Repeat, Repeat, the various artists revisit and redefine the history of printing by exploring an array of techniques and elements, covering a wide spectrum of topics such as urban culture in the digital age, science and spirituality, robotics and ink, as well as biblical art.

Says Zaki Razak: ‘One definite consensus made is not to realise a medium-based approach exhibition but rather, break open the closed system of perception in printmaking and to instill a point of discussion on the phenomenon of printing. This in turn, respond to the essence of the tradition and the emergence of the mechanism of multiplication and repetition, the context of its evolution and revolution, and what its consequence is in this day and age.’

The artists’ visual responses in forms and formation are meant to be symbolic visual cues to the journey of printing towards a knowledgeable ascent – to bring a certain degree of consciousness, what was before and after the invention of the Gutenberg printing machine, and how the printed matter has changed or affected the human condition. With the various forms of print presentation and medium, the artists redefine the phenomenon of printing and imprint into one’s mind a fresh perspective.

Photo Credit: All images courtesy of the artists and The Private Museum

Repeat, Repeat, Repeat; Revising The Phenomenon of Printing runs at The Private Museum from 17th May to 7th July 2019. Admission is free. For more information, visit the website here