‘Riso Bar’ Exhibit Showcases Printing Technology
Letterpress and risograph studio Strange Power Press, SMU’s Hamon Arts Library, Dallas-based curator May Makki, Dallas-based photographer Finn Jubak, and Recipe Oak Cliff are collaborating on the Riso Bar exhibition. The exhibit explores the risograph’s potential as a tool for learning and experimentation in printing.
The risograph is a printing technology invented in Japan in the ‘40s as a cost effective and environmentally friendly alternative to the photocopy. In subsequent years, riso has become a creative tool for users including artists, designers, publishers, and universities. The exhibit opened Jan. 25 and will remain open until Dec. 15, 2020, in the Pollock Gallery office space at 6116 N. Central Expressway.
“Riso Bar is a long-term exhibition for collective learning and skill building,” curator Sofia Bastidas said. “Our hope is that it will be a launching pad for a new riso press in Dallas after the exhibit concludes.”
A risograph machine will be available to the public for use while the Pollock Gallery is open over the course of the exhibit. Visitors are invited to use the machine to create their own works.
A series of workshops led by riso producers from Texas and elsewhere will also allow visitors to develop and expand both their skills and knowledge of riso history and practices. These workshops are free and open to the public.
In collaboration with SMU’s Hamon Arts Library, Riso Bar will include a collection of riso books and more from all over the world.
