This selection of works is a celebration of the various Master Printers who have collaborated with William Kentridge in David Krut publications.
Krut and Kentridge began their collaborative and friendly relationship in 1992, meeting by chance at an opening at Johannesburg’s Market Theatre Gallery. Krut was based in London at the time and had developed a relationship with Master Printer Jack Shirreff, and Kentridge was due to visit London, so Krut suggested Kentridge visit Shirreff’s 107 Workshop in Wiltshire.
At Shirreff’s workshop, Kentridge was able to work with copper places on a large scale that was inaccessible to him in South Africa, and after that Krut became Kentridge’s primary publisher. Some early publications made in collaboration with Shirreff include the iconic large-scale “Heads” series (1993-8), the “General” (1993-8), the “HMV” series (1998), and the “Atlas Procession” series (2000).
In 1998, Krut introduced Kentridge’s work to the USA with an exhibition in Chicago, through which Kentridge’s work was acquired by major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art. Krut continued this promotional activity with USA exhibitions throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s.
After Krut established David Krut Workshop (DKW) in Johannesburg in 2002, Kentridge became a frequent collaborator there with Master Printer Randy Hemminghaus, with whom he created the “Zeno Writing” (2002) and “Thinking Aloud” (2004) series.
Subsequently he began a long and productive collaboration with Master Printer Jillian Ross and her DKW team. The collaboration between Ross and Kentridge yielded various large-scale print series, including “The Nose” (2006-10), “Universal Archive” (2012-16), and the monumental “Triumphs and Laments” woodcuts (2016-19).
After Ross relocated to Saskatoon to open Jillian Ross Print, Kentridge has continued his work at DKW, notably completing the “Studio Life” series (2020-22) in collaboration with Kim-Lee Loggenberg-Tim.
This exhibition highlights the contributions of this group of talented collaborators in bringing Kentridge’s unique vision to life.
