November 9, 2008 - February 8, 2009
This exhibition examines the woodcut medium within a variety of genres, from the fine art print, to street banners serving social activism, and its use for popular cults and devotional purposes. A cross-cultural survey, it explores the adoption of this readily available technique in countries across the world. The diverse range of works on display includes experimental prints by modern masters Paul Gauguin and Edvard Munch, but also captivating compositions by anonymous artists who service a demand for imagery in bazaars in India or in Buddhist monasteries.

The exhibition focuses on the versatility of the gouge, the instrument used to incise the woodblock, and on the natural forms of the woodgrain that are often an intentional part of the artist’s design. Works by Anselm Kiefer, Willie Cole, and Christiane Baumgartner, among others, suggest the evolution of the woodcut medium within the contemporary studio.