Notice Board

Art NOW presents: Jillian Ross
The Power of Editions: Working with Prints
Noon | March 6, 2024
University Recital Hall

Editions are made through repetition. Stemming from what is learnt in the workshop, a translation of ideas that begin elsewhere, collaborative conversations between artist and printer begin. Techniques are chosen, experimentation ensues, and one begins with trusting their hands in making; allowing for a context to be shaped and repeated. As a Master Printer, I have collaborated with over 100 artists; most notably, with William Kentridge on over 190 editions. Many works we have created together have involved teams of technicians and many moving parts to make prints in a very large-scale. Centering around four major projects (including the soon to be released next editions) my lecture will unpack the power of the repeated image – an edition – and how it plays a much bigger role than anticipated in the mind of the artist and in the art ecosystem. 

Jillian Ross is a collaborative master printer based in Saskatoon, Canada. Ross began working at the David Krut Workshop (Johannesburg, South Africa) in 2003 where she became one of William Kentridge’s primary print collaborators, completing some of Kentridge’s most ambitious print projects including: The Universal Archive, the Triumphs and Laments woodcut series, and most recently the Studio Life photogravures.

Ross and partner, Brendan Copestake, founded Jillian Ross Print (JRP) in 2021. JRP is a print publisher that focuses on collaborative projects in South Africa and Canada. In 2024, working from the Remai Modern in Saskatoon, JRP will install a working studio in the gallery to showcase the editioning of their latest collaborations with Kentridge from his project The Great Yes, The Great No alongside the last 3 years of collaborations between Ross, Kentridge, The University of Alberta and David Krut Workshop. Ross is currently an advisory board member for the Prairie Art Network.

Image courtesy of Jillian Ross Print