Yens Franke

Handmade Toyobo-print chine-collé

I am grateful to have been part of a wonderful exhibition at the end of last year, which was so confusing. Because of the constant new editions, it was not easy for the gallery owners of the ARTESPACE GALLERY MUNICH to realize the plan of an exhibition during the Christmas season 2020. In the end, however, the great efforts were more than worth it.

A big thank you also goes to Eric Levert from the Netherlands. Despite the time constraints, this master of printing managed to refine my works for the exhibition into breathtaking Toyobo-prints Chine-Collé within a few days, thus creating two exclusive editions.

But, what is a Toyobo Print? It is a special printmaking technique where a digital file is exposed on a light-sensitive layer. The image is then washed out in water. The plate is a negative and can then be printed as a (positive) etching in circulation. It gives deep dark prints with a beautiful texture. With the ancient Chine-collé technique the image is transferred onto a surface that is bonded onto a heavier support in the printing process. Ultra thin Japanese paper pasted on the heavy cotton etching paper gives the artwork its beautiful color. I love this kind of printing technique. It gives a beautiful uniqueness to each image of an edition.