Play is an important activity for everyone. When adults play, it may not be obvious to them that they are playing. Play can be defined as an activity that gives a person a sense of being engaged and feeling content. Artists are creative and curious, and often care deeply about freedom of expression. The artists in this exhibition play with printmaking. This is a practice that may include steps of drawing an image, then transferring it to a surface, usually paper or fabric. For some artists this is a form of constructive play. Historically, printmaking was a way of producing reproductions: “Mass production of prints in the sixteenth century made images available at a lower cost to a much broader public than before.” Printmaking allows artists to play with their image multiple times before finalizing the edition that could be sold or shown to the public. You can keep reprinting the images.

The American artist Alexander Calder comes to mind when I think of play. While he is best known for his hanging and standing mobiles, he also made playful and energetic prints. He had a unique ability to express kinetic movement both in 2D and 3D forms. In his work Untitled [Loops],1969, Calder’s use of abstract shapes and bright colours is playful. In this print, Calder created a composition that incorporates black swirly lines that appear to move through primary coloured abstract shapes: red, yellow and blue. One shape appears in the center to resemble a red and blue yin/yang like symbol. Was he trying to give his viewer a focal point? Or was he just being playful?     

Calder emphasizes movement in this work through his use of shape and line. His use of line guides the viewer through the print. Calder graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology with a degree in mechanical engineering. It’s possible that this background added to his ability to play with kinetics in a 2D form. As I was researching his art, I noticed the colour red was often used. Caulder stated, “I love red so much that I almost want to paint everything red.” 

Artists working in abstraction employ form in unique and dynamic ways. In two dimensional work, form is the structure of the work and is made up of a variety of shapes, both organic and geometric. The forms used have been simplified to evoke certain emotions in the viewer. An artist who played with form was Bert Charles Binning. He was a significant artist in the mid-century Vancouver art scene. Binning was known for his contributions as Head of the Fine Arts Department at the University of British Columbia (UBC) and creator of the UBC Festival of Fine Arts. He was known to create abstract works, and one of his most recognizable was Night Harbour, 1950. In this print, a black background represents the night, and geometric shapes with brightly coloured tones of blue, yellow, red and green contrasted with white structured lines pull the viewer into the image. This work gives us an insight into Binning’s interest in nautical themes. It suggests an experience of sailing into Vancouver Harbour at night with reflections off the water, other ships with flags and lights of the harbour. What I find appealing about Night Harbour is the way Binning uses warm and cool colours to emphasize geometric forms.

Line is a fundamental element of abstract art. It is a starting point for the work. Artists can create with the length, width and shape of the line.  Michael Morris was a multidisciplinary artist who worked in abstract, pop art and performance art. He was a key figure in the development of the art scene in Vancouver. He was instrumental in blurring the line between poetry and visual art as seen in the print, Letter Machine, 1966. In this work, there is a large black square with black letters that are partially visible. Underneath is a monochrome orb made up of smaller geometric shapes. Black letters are placed on the surface against the line hatching. Capital and small black letters are purposely placed alongside the work. An important aspect of this work is how it employs Concrete Poetry.  Concrete Poetry is a style that plays with visual arrangement of text and space. It: “Incorporates geometric and graphic elements into the poetic act or process.” I was intrigued by the placement of letters and numbers. As part of my research, I investigated whether or not a hidden message existed in this work, yet was unable to find one.. Instead, letters lose their function and become abstract.

Shape is a versatile element in art. In the hands of an artist, basic shapes such as squares and circles can be created using lines and colors, then playfully composed into an abstract image. In this exhibit, I am excited to show two works by Chinese-Canadian Master Printmaker Anna Wong. I chose Wong as she is one of a few women with the title Master Printmaker. However, like af Klint, Wong’s work did not receive the recognition it deserved during her lifetime. In 2023, the Nanaimo Art Gallery Permanent Collection was gifted twenty-two prints by the Wong Family. The featured prints are Squaring the Circle #6 and Magic Fan.  In the work Squaring of the Circle #6,  she uses squares in black ink on white paper to create an abstract print, using a pattern of numbers. They are placed underneath shapes. A thin white line makes an “X”  across the print. The artist uses negative space to create an image of a circle that is above the orange square. Wong’s shapes appear simple to the viewer, but they hold a deeper meaning for the artist.Also, like af Klint, Wong expressed spiritual beliefs in her art: “Her work demonstrated an interest in symbolic shapes representative of the universal, the cosmic and the mythical, resonating both her Chinese descent and a 1960s ethos.” One of the most relatable aspects of abstract art is colour. It plays a pivotal role in guiding artists’ choices and creating impactful visual experiences for viewers. Colour can carry a powerful emotional response. In the print Magic Fan, 1967, layers of orange, yellow and black are printed in 9 squares that cover the page. Magic Fan is a cosmic mandala symbol with 9 being a sacred number.” A translucent layer of light blue, orange, and yellow covers the center in a circle that touches each square of the grid, as well as 4 rectangles, one in each corner facing the center. Rectangles show the hidden numbers 5,6,7,8 and a barely visible circle.  As I was researching Wong’s work, I noticed that she used the colour orange frequently, it turns out, “one of her favourite colours was orange.”

Abstract art can appear playful; as it is not concerned with realistic depiction. This can inspire the imagination of both the artist and the viewer. By playing with line, colour, form, and shape, Calder, Binning, Morris, and Wong illustrate “ how to play” with geometric abstraction