Wood block relief print is an example to indicate the relationship between our knowledge and natural world. Technical limitation is one of reasons why people developed the wood block relief prints earlier than the intaglio. In addition, wood is easier to get than the copper and metal. However, nowadays, materials which are artificially coated with wood pattern and colour are used in many ways, such as print tiles, chopstick and wall paper. These materials have nothing to do with nature. On the contrary, it may potentially damage the environment. In this show, the blocks used to create my prints are made of fake wood. The image of prints symbolises the knowledge of tree in our different learning stages, such as the vocabulary card, the Chinese painting study template of tree, and the cell of tree tissue. We do know a lot about trees, but we don’t observe them closely. When carving the block, I have not only found the sensational difference between the wood and the fake wood, but also experience the alternative “wood carving” experience. Can we claim the prints produced by blocks of fake wood as “wood block print”? It is such a paradox.
The prints and works were showed in the group exhibition “Evolving Images: Modern Hong Kong Printmaking” in Sun Museum from March to June 2017.
Ling Chin Tang Parry 