The Programme for the 31st Biennial of Graphics Art, Ljubljana

Founded in 1955 in Yugoslavia, it is not only one of the world’s oldest biennials, but the first dedicated to the graphic arts. Since its inception, this focus has enabled it to serve as an alternative distribution system for images and artworks, crossing geo-political borders and acting as a prototype for exhibitions in other postwar non-aligned countries such as Colombia, Peru and India.

Curated by Nicola Lees, Over you / you will bring together a group of international artists addressing the history of the graphic arts and the formal and sociopolitical characteristics associated with the medium. The exhibition will reflect on the Biennial’s history as a radical site for the distribution of images that made art available to a wide audience, rather than examining it as a presentation of traditional fine art printing techniques. Many of the artists are influenced by projects shown at previous Biennials. The graphic medium was adopted by the Biennial for the ease with which graphic works could traverse international borders without political restriction, a mobility that is now amplified by the speed with which images are dispersed digitally. Over you / you will include new commissions by artists exploring the limits of traditional print mediums, such as woodcut, screen printing and etching, as well as artists focusing on the tools of reproduction that drive transmission and distribution.