Juror's statement

First of all I want to say, that it has been a great privilege and pleasure being a member of the jury for the Miniprint Finland 2007 triennial. The jury got a lot of help from the organizers who presented a very well working organization which also created a pleasant atmosphere for the jury's work.

Within a very short period of three days the jury had to make up its mind about which of the 2291 prints by 647 artists from 52 countries would be shown in the exhibition, and about the prize winners of the competition.

The amount of prints sent in shows that there is a great interest for graphic art. It also indicates that international exhibitions like Miniprint Finland are of great importance. The material sent in was also distinguished by very high and even quality in both technical and artistic accomplishment. This was of course very nice to see but it also made the jury work difficult. The jury also noticed that there seemed to be a lot of new and young artists spreading their wings which is very gratifying for us all.

After three days of hard work the jury ended up with 326 prints by 149 artists from 32 countries. All kinds of printing techniques are represented in the exhibition from the oldest to the newest, from pure handwork to digital prints, from monochrome to colour explosions, from subtle drypoints to roughly cut expressions. We hope that this exhibition with its variety of techniques and expressions will form a good picture of where graphic art and printmaking in the world are standing today.

The jury has also chosen the prize winners of Grand Prix, two Commendatory Awards and three honourable mentions (which of course was an even more delicate work than choosing the works for the exhibition). The prize winners' works have been chosen to be distinguished by techniqal skilfulness, artistic achievement and individual expression.

Finally I would like to express my gratitude to the organizers of the Miniprint Finland 2007 for their contribution to create and support this great interest for printmaking, which is reflecting in the very special exhibition that Miniprint Finland constitutes. Hopefully the organizers will also be able to continue their fruitful work to engage artists, especially young ones from new countries and continents which is so important for all of us engaged in printmaking today.

Lars Wikström
Chairman of the jury

The members of the jury:

Sirje Eelma, printmaker, Estonia
Maija-Riitta Kallio, curator, Lahti Art Museum, Finland
Johanna Kiivaskoski, printmaker, Finland
Eija Piironen, painter and printmaker, Finland
Lars Wikström, printmaker, Sweden


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