5th International Mokuhanga Conference, Echizen, Japan, 4-6th April 2024

Jurried Exhibition at the 5th International Mokuhanga Conference, Echizen. My red face is beaming more than usual.

Three wonderful days of exhibitions, talks, workshops and paper mill tours.

Being a bit star struck on my first night and for the following three days is probably the best description of the experience. For couple of years prior to the conference, I have been learning the Japanese printmaking method ‘mokuhanga’ and researching and following the master print makers on line. Now suddenly, I was sharing a taxi with two of them, that I listened to their mokuhanga story on a podcast (Unfinished Print by Andre Zadorozny, check it out, it’s brillint!). The exhibition we headed to, ‘Masaban’ by Mokuhanga Sisters was stunning and full of the faces I recognized from Instagram and many articles I read, all about my beloved printmaking.

The theme for the conference was Inheritance and Innovation: Mokuhanga Artists Explore Japanese Paper. What followed was a fantastic mix of talks by experts in the field, printing demonstrations, workshops in paper making, paper sizing and print testing. The tour around the Echizen paper mills was just perfect for understanding how the paper is made from small post card size to huge sheets for shoji screens. The hands on paper making workshop demonstrated how difficult it is to make a perfect sheet of washi. My two sheets, that are very imperfect, are a treasure to me regardless.

The experience was profound. I have learned so much, connected with artists I admire, made some dear friends, and will treasure the memories for very long time. Till next time!