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PRESS PRINT: RISOGRAPH PHOTOBOOKS

July 25th, 2024 - November 1st, 2024 — EXTENDED until November 15th, 2024

The gallery hours for this exhibition are Monday through Friday, 2 PM — 6 PM. Admission is free.

NEW YORK, NY —  NEW YORK, NY —  Penumbra Foundation is pleased to present Press Print: Risograph Photobooks, an exhibition of contemporary Risograph publications from around the world.

First released in Japan in 1980 by Riso Kagaku Corporation, the Risograph is a machine designed for high-volume duplication. It operates by using soy-based ink that passes through a master containing the image, which is burned with thermal technology. This process enables fast, cost-effective printing of digital files directly from a computer, making it both an economic and ecological option. For decades, the Risograph was favored by schools, churches, and businesses needing 100 to 10,000 copies. However, in past decades, this utilitarian device has evolved into an artistic tool, leading to an explosion in Risograph zines, books, and photobooks worldwide.

The publications in Press Print expose the scope of possibilities and the relationship between labor and material in different parts of the world. These disparities shape creative choices in book production and highlight the popularity of Risograph printing among younger makers and those with socio-political interests due to its do-it-yourself nature. Publishers and artists embrace limitations such as imperfect registration and non-drying ink, as well as those who use the unique color space and printing process to challenge the conventional reproduction of photographs.

Over the course of the exhibition, the 2024 Eureka! & Penumbra Risograph Publication Residency artists Hady Barry, Maite Mérida, and Daniela Spector will use Penumbra’s Risograph to produce their books from within the exhibition space, creating a dynamic environment that blurs the lines between the gallery and the studio. Upon the conclusion of the exhibition, all the books will form the basis for a new collection of Risograph publications at Penumbra and serve as a resource for the community.

Public programming expanding upon the presented ideas and the Risograph process includes a window exhibition of Penumbra’s Risograph Photobooks at Printed Matter, St. Mark’s Place, with an opening reception on July 31, from 6–8 pm (on view July 31–Sep 7, 2024). The 2024 Eureka! & Penumbra Risograph Publication Residency artists will launch their residency publications on Thursday, October 17, from 6–8 pm in the Penumbra Exhibition Space. 

Publishers included in our Library Collection:

Friday, October 11th, 2024 | 7:00PM | IN CONVERSATION: LINDSAY BUCHMAN & KEVIN KUNSTADT MODERATED BY DOLLY MEIERAN
This panel is organized in the context of the exhibition Press Print: Risograph Photobooks. More information here.

Photobooks at Penumbra

For additional information about Photobooks at Penumbra, including Photobook resource lists for artists, please click here.

Print Press: Risograph Photobooks was organized by Camilo Otero and Leandro Villaro.

Interim Director of Programs: Lisa di Donato. Text Editor: Liz Sales. Production: Vishnu Gangaran and Pedro Wainer. Cataloguing and documentation: Bruno Sorrentino Jansen. Education Coordinator: Chloe Brover. Risograph Residency Coordinator: Eva Parra. Social Media and images: Gabrielle Gowans and Emily Kayayan.

Acknowledgments

This program has been possible thanks to the support and generosity of the Jacques and Natasha Gelman Foundation and the following individuals: Diana Michener, Susan McLaughlin, Phillip S. Block, Richard Grosbard, Deirdre Donohue, Jeffrey Gutterman, Edward Grazda, John O’Donnell and Michael Lang.

Penumbra's Exhibition Space is supported in part by the Joy of Giving Something.

Penumbra Foundation’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.