This exhibition features 18 artists who reimagine conventional notions of printmaking through hybrid approaches. Many works in the exhibition combine two or more printmaking techniques, blending traditional methods with digital technologies, or incorporate other media such as collage and drawing to create multi-dimensional artworks.
The exhibition’s title refers to the fact that many artists use multiple matrices to build a single work. Joan Mathison employed 18 silkscreens to create her artwork Antecedent, while Frol Boundin used 40 matrices to complete Spheres. By presenting a selection of these matrices alongside finished prints, the exhibition offers viewers insight into the complex, handmade processes involved in creating each impression.

Many of the artists work with their matrices in unconventional ways: Some have chosen to create sculptural works with their matrices, such as Jose Hugo Sanchez, and Clay West. Others have chosen to make monoprints, or singular works that can never be reproduced exactly the same way twice, as seen in the work of Frol Boundin, Evelyn Contreras, Steve Gibson, Casey Rubenfeld, and Kelvin Lopez.

This exhibition invites viewers to consider not only the complex process behind each piece, but also the material surfaces and the relevant narratives explored by the artists such as family history, migration, the environment, and social justice. Visitors are invited to explore and experiment with printmaking in the OMA Print Lab, located in the museum lobby.
Danielle Deery, Curator

Featured Artists

Frol Boundin, Michele Burgess, Jennifer Chen, Evelyn Contreras, Bill Kelly, Chris Lahti, Steve Gibson, Kelvin Lopez, Joan Mathison, Kimiko Miyoshi, Chris Padilla, Yvette Roman, Casey Rubenfeld, Sibyl Rubottom, José Hugo Sánchez, Neil Shigley, Tava Tedesco, and Clay West.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am deeply grateful to all of the artists for collaborating with me to create this exhibition. I would especially like to acknowledge Frol Boundin, who generously connected me with leading printmakers in our region that helped guide the direction of this exhibition. Additional thanks to Chris Lahti and Chris Padilla for their valuable recommendations. Given the depth of talent within the Southern California printmaking community, I relied on the guidance of trusted professionals to help shape the final artist selection. Thank you to my Curatorial Advisory Committee - Alessandra Moctezuma (Gallery Director at Mesa College), Jordan Karney Chaim (Curator, Institute of Contemporary San Diego), Xavier Fumat (Master Printer at Gemini G.E.L.), and Diane McLeod (President of the Los Angeles Printmaking Society Foundation) for their thoughtful guidance throughout this process.

I would also like to extend my sincere thanks to Mary C. Whelan, Executive Director of University Design, Collections, and Galleries at the University of San Diego, for lending three seminal works by Bill Kelly and Michele Burgess to this exhibition. Thank you also to Consul Gaspar Orozco and Bárbara Encinas, Cultural Department, Consulate General of Mexico, and María Monserrat Sánchez Soler, Subdirectora de Exposiciones at CECUT, for providing invaluable resources that allowed José Hugo Sánchez’s Polinization sculpture to cross the Mexico/U.S. border for its first presentation in the U.S.

This show would not be possible without the dedication and support of the talented OMA staff: Maria Mingalone (Executive Director), Katie Dolgov (Director of Exhibitions and Collections), Drei Kiel (Lead Prearator), Dana Edwards (Exhibitions and Collections Associate), Wanda Wease (Director of Marketing and Communications), Sarah Cathers (Director of Operations and Programs), Abigail Goodman (Public Programs and Education Manager), Elizabeth Dale (Visitor Experience and Volunteer Manager), Miranda Cain (Lead Installation Assistant), and Justin DuPree (Installation Assistant), whose efforts made this exhibition a reality. Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to colleagues who supported me throughout this journey: Daniel Foster, Teri Sowell, Beth Marino, and G. James Daichendt.