Preface to the Exhibition
The black soil of Northeast China has nurtured an artistic soul that is both rugged and profound. Here, every incision resonates with the era and the region. In this exhibition, Naiman Printmaking Institute and Shenyang Tinglan Art Museum join hands to build a bridge for Northeast China's artistic exchanges, with printmaking as the medium.
We have invited over 30 printmaking artists from Naiman Banner, Inner Mongolia, to exhibit more than 60 works, covering diverse techniques such as woodcut, screen printing, and copperplate. These works not only inherit the traditional thickness and simplicity of Northeast printmaking but also integrate innovative expressions unique to contemporary perspectives. An academic forum held concurrently with the exhibition will focus on "the locality, promotion, and development of Northeast printmaking," exploring how to engrave the roots of regional culture with carving knives while engaging in dialogue with the world with an open attitude.
This is not just an exhibition, but a declaration — we hope to activate the creative ecology of Northeast printmaking through multi-point collaboration, allowing the sound of knives striking wood to become a new cultural echo of this land.
Naiman Printmaking Education Base
Naiman printmaking, emerging in the 1970s, is an integral part of Jirem printmaking. The Naiman Printmaking Creation and Training Base was completed and put into use in July 2013. Covering a total area of 30 mu (approximately 20,000 square meters) with a construction area of 4,536 square meters, the base houses woodcut studios, copperplate studios, screen-printing studios, as well as creation rooms, training rooms, meeting rooms, exhibition halls, and a restaurant. It can accommodate over 100 people for creation, training, and dining simultaneously, and over 30 people for closed-door creation. Equipped with advanced facilities and comprehensive functions, the base provides an ideal venue for printmakers at home and abroad to create and exchange ideas.
Since 2009, we have created more than 3,000 adult printworks, among which over 700 have been exhibited domestically and internationally. Over 100 of these works were selected for national exhibitions, and more than 300 for autonomous region-level exhibitions, with over 100 exhibitions of various types held. Our children’s printworks have been exhibited in over 20 countries and regions including the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. More than 500 works have won awards in international art exhibitions, and over 1,500 in national children’s painting and calligraphy competitions.
In 2017, Naiman printmaking was listed as an autonomous region-level intangible cultural heritage. In 2018, Naiman Banner was awarded the title of "Hometown of Folk Art and Culture in the Autonomous Region" by the Culture Department of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Naiman printmaking has become a business card of Naiman Banner. Its development has not only enriched the cultural life of printmakers but also enriched the spiritual world of the people of Naiman. Today, Naiman printmaking stands as a shining cultural card of Inner Mongolia.
