The University of Warwick this year celebrates its 60th anniversary, as does its fascinating in-house art collection. 

Works which are usually displayed around the campus have been brought together in Warwick Arts Centre’s Mead Gallery - alongside works by Andy Warhol, Damian Hirst, David Hockney, Tracey Emin and more - to showcase the art of printmaking. 

Taking the title The Future Is Today: Prints And The University Of Warwick, 1965 To Now, the exhibition illustrates how printmaking lends itself to ideals of curiosity, creativity and forward thinking - attributes which the university hoped to nurture when it opened in the wake of the post-war baby boom. 

The exhibition itself is striving to carry this ethos forward, as visitors are invited to unlock their own creativity within the gallery space.

Printed works are relatively cheap and easy to produce and reproduce, and prints are a familiar sight outside of a gallery setting - whether in the form of posters, record sleeves or slogans on t-shirts. Part of the medium’s power is the potential to tell otherwise unseen stories, and to quickly spread the word about contemporary issues. Important historical events can be captured and shared in print, replicated and circulated, without reliance on patrons or funders, and without censorship. 

The Future Is Today is divided into broad sections which explore, for instance, political activism and ideas of identity, imagery and control. 

One of the included works from the university's collection is Richard Hamilton’s My Marilyn, which features a selection of photos of Marilyn Monroe, revealing her own marks and amendments on the images, indicating which could be published. After her death, the images were all published, contrary to her consent. In the exhibition, Hamilton's work is displayed alongside two of Andy Warhol's iconic portraits - an emblem of Monroe's commodified image. 

Historically used to circulate ideas found outside of the mainstream, prints can provide a platform for people whose voices might not otherwise be heard. At the heart of the ‘hands-on’ section of the exhibition - located next to a workshop area where the process of printmaking can be explored - is a library of Zines, collected by Lu Williams. Zines - small-scale, self-published works which provide an insight into an artist’s perspective - have the potential to allow a disenfranchised individual’s experience to be shared, acknowledged and celebrated.

The exhibition offers more than a visual treat, as the gallery periodically becomes a hive of activity. On Thursdays and Saturdays, between midday and 4pm, a print technician will be guiding free drop-in sessions, during which visitors can try their hand at printmaking. 

On Thursday 6 February, the gallery will be open into the evening, hosting an event which features a print fair, live music, vintage clothing and records for sale - and, of course, printmaking!
Providing a backdrop to the workshops and events is a series of works showcasing different printmaking techniques, from the simplest potato print, through woodcuts, etchings and lithographs, to the most complex example: Polymergravure. 

A newly commissioned work entitled Placing Place is also on display, created by Ben Sanderson, who grew up in Coventry. The work has been printed in a limited run of 60 copies, which are on sale at the venue.

As well as diving into past works and exploring present-day printmaking, the exhibition looks to the future - a selection of the pieces on display have been created in response to the climate emergency. Leonie Bradley’s Swarm, for example, is comprised of nearly 2,000 origami fortune-tellers, representing choices which can impact the future and showing how people can unite to make meaningful change. 

The exhibition as a whole contributes to this idea, highlighting the power of printmaking to galvanise people, communicate new ideas, and imagine a hopeful future. 

The Future Is Today: Prints And The University Of Warwick, 1965 To Now shows in Warwick Arts Centre’s Mead Gallery until Sunday 9 March. The Gallery Late x Print Makers Market takes place on Thursday 6 February.

Image: Lubaina Himid, A Rake's Progress Hole in her Stocking (2022)