The connection between us and those who did the paintings some 35 000 years ago in Altamira, Spain and the Lascaux caves, France makes for a breathtakingly beautiful thought. Humans invented the idea of drawing as a way to preserve knowledge. The material may have changed, but the method is as it always has been. The need to leave an imprint has always existed, and various surfaces have been used to do so: the Sumerians in southern Mesopotamia wrote with wedge-shaped characters on clay tablets; the Egyptians had hieroglyphs and pictograms; then there was the discovery of the papyrus plant, which though brittle resembled paper. Papyrus books were roll-formed. With time, papyrus was replaced with parchment: thin, scraped, bleached animal skin – strong enough that it could be formed into a book without breaking. The invention of paper in China was clearly something great. It facilitated communication. Knowledge could be shared and acquired more easily and more quickly. Artists welcomed paper and began to use it for printing images. The first method, relief printing, adorned documents and increased our reading comprehension. The image is more important than the word.

Our selection here stems from our wish to show all four printmaking methods: relief, intaglio, planographic, and serigraphy. Digital technology draws inspiration from all of these. Our further wish is to show how artists from different parts of the world use printmaking as a means of expression. The triennial brings together cultures and continents. The work of the artists provides insight into their lives. Printing is a means of communication. The methods are the same wherever, but the motifs differ. To hold or attend a triennial is a means to finding out what is current in the world of printmaking. We like to think of the print triennial as a project for peace.

Dialogue on enhanced cooperation with the International Print Triennial Society in Krakow (IPTS) was initiated in November 2010. The exhibition International Contemporary Printmaking from Krakow with 27 award-winning works by contemporary artists from the International Print Triennial in Krakow 2009 had just been inaugurated in the art gallery at Dalarna Museum. The long-standing cooperation between the Municipality of Falun and Dalarna Museum, which commenced in 1991 and resulted in three Falun biennials and four Falun triennials, interested our guests from Krakow, who were members of the IPTS board. Together we were able to offer three prominent “P” ideas: Print collections, Print workshops, and Print exhibitions. We were invited to become part of the international print network that Krakow, Oldenburg, and Vienna had established. Falun’s role as a northern link was considered valuable.

The municipal printmaking workshop in Falun (Falu Konstgrafiska verkstad) focuses heavily on sharing knowledge about prints and printmaking to children within the province of Dalarna. Activities have gradually increased in number, extending to children beyond Sweden’s borders. The most recent example was the 3Grafik, comprising images made by children in Zakho, Lublin, and Falun. The exhibition was held at Dalarna Museum and also offered creative activities for children and adults alike. Printmaking is always included in the museum’s educational programmes for schools. This autumn, for example, all children in grade 5 from Falun created prints in a joint project between the museum and the county theatre.

Now it is finally time to present the International Print Triennial – Krakow – Falun 2013 with works by 140 artists placed in three locations in Dalarna. The other two towns, Rättvik and Smedjebacken, are also home to significant art scenes, both having their own printing press as a result of support from the provincial art advisor. Dalarna is a printmaking province to be reckoned with. Welcome to Fridell & Co.

Modhir Ahmed and Anne Seppänen
Jury for the International Print Triennial – Krakow – Falun 2013