Trispace Print Fair

Michael's prints are inspired by buildings whose character and presence manage to penetrate deeply into the atmosphere of the London streets below, as well as by the more subtle monuments found within interior spaces.  He explores the monumentality of buildings and interiors through the expressive physicality of the marks created in printing. The energy generated by this friction between subject and process is used as inspiration for the bold structures, unconventional angles and tactile surfaces of his unique and characterful furniture. 

"I trained in Painting at the Royal Academy Schools and then as a printmaker at Central School of Art in London. Starting out as a portrait painter, I also became an art teacher and a course leader and tutor on adult painting courses, which I continue to enjoy providing. My own practice is increasingly concerned with the figure and depicting the human form in a lively, rigorous and intense way. The nature of oil paint itself, which as Ralph Steadman said, writing about Rembrandt "is itself an object, subject to its own motivation, rules and dynamic which the artist must overcome, ignore or amplify" is paramount, more intrinsic than even subject matter or Patrick Heron's disdainful "mere verisimilitude". Intensive study of the masters is the paradigm to which I constantly return. My printmaking is primarily about pattern and flat colour. My painting, although I paint with persistence, is stubbornly about freedom of markmaking in the search for something that is truly personal."

Alessandro started his engraving practice 4 years ago, with the animal skulls series. In 2013 he won the "Premio Nazionale Grafica Italiana" which is the national graphic prize for student with one of his drypoint engraving called "The life of Stefano".  His engraving practice is quite different from his painting one: with drypoint and etching he mixes animal and human skulls, dealing with them as basic structures to make new beings and shapes between abstraction and representation.

‘One thing that interests me about the current British folk revival is how the aesthetics of the music can be interpreted as a response to the rapid advances in technology that our generation has grown up with. The musicians that I have come to know within this genre are often united in their nostalgia for simpler ways of living and being in this world. Their music expresses a longing to reconnect to the land and to each other in a way that technological advances seem to have threatened. In this way their romantic subject matter and poetic use of language can be interpreted as a reaction to a rapidly changing environmental and personal landscape. Furthermore their choice of instruments and recording techniques can be interpreted in relation to a massive upheaval in the musical landscape, now dominated by digital production and assimilation. There is a strong sense of community values amongst these artists, harking back towards roots movements and reverence for the oral tradition. Being romantic in your lifestyle and artistic pursuits is often met with distain in the contemporary artistic climate. However there has always been an important role in society for artists who aim to inspire through their selective and often utopian ideals and reflections. Such artists signify the human desire to dream beyond the everyday and into a kaleidoscope of histories, both artistic and social. Folk music and art has always reflected this tug of war between nostalgia and progression, to yearn for the lost through the creation of the new. For me, it is the most fascinating tension that lies at the heart of its production.’

My inspiration is my surroundings. Nature, human behavior and the connection between the two are the subjects I like to explore. Female figures and textures are important parts of my work. Currently, I am working on headless figures because I want to depict humans, in general, not any particular individual. Face is one of the primary things we use for identification. So these headless figures help me to achieve my aim."

MaryamZakwani’s forced ice melting concept conveys the idea that technology and industrial development are accelerating the rate of global warming. Creating a connection with technology, climate change and the viewer she provokes the question as to whether we are causing destruction, represented by the ice destroying the nature inspired prints. Printmaking, much like nature is one of the most permanent forms of art, demonstrating how something as permanent as nature can be destroyed by our impact on the world.

" I specialise in alternative darkroom printing techniques. Currently I am a resident of the Double Negative Darkroom and am working on a project leading up to a solo show. The project I am working on revolves around construction sites in London. I monitor a few building sites within the inner city and am particularly interested in the starting stage of a construction, but also take incremental shots as the works take it's course. Within the darkroom I often take certain parts of a photograph that describe or accentuate the building materials or structure which helps me find the process of printing accordingly. The images I would like to submit are parts of a site in Canary Wharf processed in Lith on warm tone paper. "

Born in 1989,Sintija Vikmane is an emerging artist based in Hatfield. Currently she is studying Fine Art at the University of Hertfordshire. She has finished Interior design, Art history and Classical Art studies in Riga, Latvia. Sintija helped to curate Augustin Rebetez personal exhibition last year and will be participating in a group exhibition this summer in Brighton.Trough her art, she researches the convergence of history, beliefs and mythology from diverse cultures in an attempt to make engaging and critical art. Expressing herself trough  printmaking she aims to make conceptually and physically provocative art that opens up a space for dialogue.

He currently lives and works in London.