Art Profile of the Month, Denmark
Printer’s Proof is pushing the boundaries of a rare artform Valby, Copenhagen: in a one-storey building designed by Danish architect Ole Vinter in 1953, printmaking experts Olga Zolin and Kell Johan Frimor are running Printer’s Proof – an etching studio, publishing house and gallery. But something unusual is happening in their workshop. Since its establishment in 2013, the studio has been quietly nurturing a bygone form of printing. By Lena Hunter
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Photos: Printer’s Proof
“When we say we work with printmaking, most people assume that it’s lithography. But it’s deep print – an intaglio method in which motifs are etched into copper plates. It’s a much older technique that originated in the 1400s,” says Olga.
qualified Master Printer. “Perhaps the only qualified intaglio printmaker in Denmark,” says Olga. At Printer’s Proof, the pair collaborate with artists of all disciplines, facilitating the production of etchings in their studio.
Though Olga and Kell are experts in printmaking, neither are artists themselves. Olga studied art history in Italy and the Netherlands, while Kell is a
“I think the reason why artists – whether they are a painter or a sculptor – don’t go into printmaking is because it requires such huge know-how. So this form of
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Issue 149
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December 2022
collaboration is extremely important because, when artists come to our studio, our ambition is not to create something that imitates their existing production, but to facilitate the creation of a completely new body of work, while staying true to their studio practice,” explains Olga. “It’s a very close collaboration from beginning to end,” adds Kell. “It may be my hands doing the printing, but it’s their thoughts and ideas. You could say that they’re the head and I’m the hands, until we have a finished work that hits the mark.” “Often, something exceptional occurs” Olga and Kell actively seek out artists who have never worked with etching before.