Printmaking and the Language of Violence

Our world is an extremely violent one. Throughout history artists have engaged with the language of violence in their work, however none more so than printmakers working with the medium of etching. The etching process embodies an inherent tension; there are unsettling and disquieting aspects of the process that emanate from the process itself. This tension often translates into the work itself, heightening the visual experience in viewing the violent image. Artists exampled by such as Jacques Callot, Francisco de Goya, Otto Dix and Trevor Lyons have used the etching process to create indelible images of violence that hit a raw nerve with the viewer. Their violent images captured through etching depict a searing vision sometimes referred to in political printmaking as the bite of the print ; a term that connects one to the language of attack. Process actions words such as proof, bite, acid, cut, pressing, pulling, etching and bleeding all relate physically and psychologically to both the act of etching and the act of violence. In my PhD work I am seeking, through the medium of etching, to give expression to my concerns in relation to everyday violence occurring in urban Australia. I am particularly engaged with racial violence, gang violence and street violence.