CORE contemporary art

Prologue: The Show

“Postmodernism has challenged the concept of originality and connoisseurship, broken down barriers between visual arts disciplines, and allowed hybrid forms to flourish…

The explorations of these artists not so much subvert the field of printmaking as contribute towards rejuvenating and extending it into other dimensions.” (Printmaking: Understanding the Terminology; Mursyidah Zainal Abidin, Wan Samiati Andriana
Wan Mohd Daud, Mohd Razif Mohd Rathi; 2013)

While the marginalisation of print has been a much discussed topic, Faizal Suhif and Haafiz Shahimi are tackling the issue in a different manner, taking their explorations of printmaking methods to a whole new dimension that they call extended printmaking. This form of printmaking honours time-tested traditional printmaking methods, but also injects a welcome burst of refreshing energy into the genre through unconventional ways, be it concepts, materials or techniques.

Thus in extended printmaking, the process is definitely a large part of its allure. However, in today’s age of instant gratification, individuals turn their attention from image to image and object to object in seconds, constantly on the lookout for fresh visual stimuli. In this way, it is all too easy to miss out on discovering many fascinating printmaking artworks.

Faizal vs Haafiz will attempt to reverse the usual protocol of judging an artwork based on its visuals and focusing on the end result alone. We will first delve into the how’s and why’s of its formation, exploring if indeed a deeper knowledge of the artists’ innovative extended printmaking process will strengthen one’s esteem for their art, and by extension, revive the anticipation of what contemporary Malaysian printmaking can be.