The ATHENS PRINTMAKING CENTER – PANDOLFINI & SIATERLI C.N.P.P. presents the group exhibition “Contemporary French Printmaking” (Gravure française contemporaine) at the ETCH INK art space, running from October 16 to November 14, 2026.

Featuring ten renowned French artists, from diverse backgrounds and cultural references, the exhibition highlights the diversity of the contemporary French visual arts scene. Among them, artists of Greek descent who live, work, and create in France contribute to shaping a fruitful dialogue between the two cultural traditions, with the art of printmaking as their common point of reference.

Through a diverse array of styles, the showcased prints demonstrate the rich variety and boundless expressions of printmaking. Focusing on exceptional artistic production, the exhibition features representative works spanning a broad technical spectrum, with an emphasis on etching, aquatint, mezzotint, monotype, collagraphy, as well as contemporary, experimental approaches to this captivating art form.

This cultural initiative seeks to acquaint the Greek public with contemporary currents in French printmaking and exceptional artwork. By bringing a wide spectrum of visual languages, techniques, and aesthetic explorations to light, the exhibition fosters an active, creative discourse with French artists and their practice.

Hélène Bascoul explores the poetics of everyday life through print compositions that chart the rhythms of daily existence: interiors, portraits, everyday objects, fleeting moments, and fine details blend to form visual poems. These works speak of intimacy, habitation, and the subtle emotions found in mundane moments, hovering on the threshold between past and present.

Hélène Baumel draws inspiration from the natural world and the inner energy of the landscape. Through dedicated, systematic observation of nature, her compositions capture the organic rhythm and raw beauty of landscapes and natural phenomena, sweeping the viewer into the vortex of their internal vibration.

Guy Braun works across a broad range of techniques, spanning classic burin engraving and etching to mezzotint and contemporary methods like carborundum, distinguishing his oeuvre through its thematic breadth. Defined by incisive detail and an insightful study of light and shadow, his compositions transform the solidity of the engraved surface into a field of dynamic artistic tension.

Shu-E seamlessly intertwines materiality, gesture, and the poetic dimension of the image. Her compositions reveal the organic bond between humanity and nature. Fragmented and abstract, the worlds she unravels pulse with color, vitality, and sensitivity, encapsulating the totality of their material universe at their core.

Carole Forges conjures underwater worlds, capturing the pulse of marine life and the enchantment of uncharted, submerged landscapes. Through fluid, hybrid compositions, her works bring to the surface the hidden beauty and fragility of a marine environment currently under threat.

Nayla Hitti shapes her artistic work around human-centric inquiry. Concepts such as identity, war, exile, and memory serve as recurring central themes. Originating from a landscape, an emotion, or an idea, her compositions gradually unfold into autonomous worlds, each carrying its own memory, movement, and distinct inner atmosphere.

Manuel Jumeau has spent over four decades devoted to the technique of mezzotint, transforming the demanding preparation of the copper plate into an existential search for light within the image. From the density and depth of the black tones, he draws forth atmospheric tonal gradations and latent imagery. The final print crystallizes as an act of hope, a light revealed through raw matter.

Caroline Lesgourgues places the search for structure, rhythm, and energy at the core of her practice. Employing intricate, calculated geometries combined with vibrant, pulsating colors, her work radiates a force that transcends mere representation, transforming into symbolic, spiritual landscapes where the geometry of etching meets the fluidity and pure intensity of light.

In the work of Lena Mitsolidou, allegory meets a peculiar visual enigma. Balancing between the allure of evocative black-and-white compositions and the energy of color, the artist constructs images that crystallize as visual riddles. Stretching the boundaries of form, language, and representation, her compositions evoke a sense of the familiar, one that, however, continuously slips away, drawing the viewer into a stream of associations and allowing the image to unfold its poetic intensity.

Dominique Van Der Veken presents works evoking transcendent, elliptical landscapes. Her practice is marked by a tactile materiality that attests to the depth and richness of printmaking techniques when merged with artistic gesture and creative spirit. Mysterious and open to multiple readings, her compositions reveal alternative versions of the world, deriving their power from energy, color, and an enigmatic nature.

With the financial support and under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture.

 

Press Kit

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ETCH INK art space

16 Argyroupoleos str., Lycabettus, 114 71, Athens, Greece
Opening: Friday 16 October, 18:30 – 22:30
Duration: 16 October – 14 November 2026
Opening days & hours:
Wednesday – Thursday – Friday 18.00 – 21.00 & Saturday 11.00 – 15.00
Info | [email protected] | www.athens-printmaking.com