In Japan, a country with a reputation as the land of printmaking, the traditions of ukiyo-e that originated in the Edo Period and Sosaku Hanga (creative prints) that began in the Meiji Period flourished and influenced each other, exhibiting to the world a distinctive maturity. Through the infusion of photographic technology that took place in the printmaking scene of the 1970s and then the addition of digital technology that began in the 1980s, contemporary printmaking has taken on an evolved form, becoming an increasingly appealing artistic area.

In Canada, artists working out of universities specializing in printmaking—particularly those interspersed throughout the province of Alberta—brought about a movement that garnered a great deal of attention, and was characterized in part by fusion with traditional printmaking techniques achieved by making active use of photography and video in conjunction with handmade artisanal techniques.  This movement has had a clear impact on contemporary printmaking throughout the world since the 1970s.

Despite being separated by the Pacific Ocean, Japan and Canada have actively nurtured their friendship, particularly through their artists, and held art exchange exhibitions in various forms, both large and small, having in common the maturity of their contemporary printmaking, which could be described as being very diverse.

Sharing diversity and maturity in contemporary printmaking and being premised on creativity,  MIRROR/MIRROR: Documenting the Edge of Contemporary Printmaking—CANADA/JAPAN is an exhibition that presents different aspects of this friendly match between ambitious artists from the two countries who have continued innovating rather than choosing complacency. With art today, it seems meaningless to define an area of activity  based on technique and form, but these sixteen artists attempt to answer the earnest, universal question of the meaning of quality in the context of art produced by focusing on prints today.

This exhibition aims to place the artists’ works in a situation like two mirrors placed facing each other, where the two bodies of work can be reflected, illuminate each other’s approach, and inspect each other deeply, and where this can be shown to a wide audience. Through learning about the current state of print art in Japan and Canada and its history this year, which marks the ninety-fifth anniversary of friendship between  our two countries, we hope this show will further deepen understanding between the cultures of Japan and Canada, situated on opposite sides of the Pacific Ocean.