In the middle of the printmaking workshop stands a German Krause copper printing press from the early 1900s. When the Royal Institute of Art’s printmaking department moved to Skeppsholmen in the late 1950s, the press was already there – it had probably previously been used by the navy to print nautical charts. Today, it is part of the workshop’s gravure printing and is used to print etchings and drypoint, for example. The workshop is run by Jenny Olsson, artist and adjunct lecturer in fine art/printmaking, who has been employed at the Royal Institute of Art since 2010.
What is your background in art, and how did you end up at the Royal Institute of Art?
– Early on, when I went to art schools, I came into contact with printmaking, and I found it very enjoyable, so I focused on it for a long time. Later, I worked for a long time at Grafikens hus, as their master printer, so I printed for other artists – an activity I still do. It’s challenging, because you have to find an expression that is personal to the person you’re working with. It’s a bit like working as a teacher at an art college – following the students in their education and being a support is something that never gets boring. At Grafikens hus, I had specialized in various etching techniques and printed many of their editions in gravure and screen printing. Then there was a position at the Royal Institute of Art that I applied for.
Why did printmaking become your main mode of expression?
– Printmaking has served as my form, my medium and my path for 25 years. I have been interested in new materials and interdisciplinary methods while having experience in both traditional and new techniques in printmaking. From time to time, I have made detours into other forms of expression to express my ideas. Printmaking gives me the opportunity to think in layers, where they gain meaning through connections between the technical and the designed. The materials and the process fascinate me; it is acid, light, metals and paper. Working with printmaking means working with contrasts, dissolving and combining, high pressure, chemical processes. There is a lot to explore.
– The methods, techniques and inertia of the materials and the unique expression are also in line with what I want to convey in my art, and the processes become part of my rhythm of thought.
What inspires you in your art?
– It can be both literature and different types of approaches. A novel by Sara Lidman inspired a major exhibition at Katrineholms konsthall in 2023, where I borrowed her texts and explored how I related to different things in her books. It was both about my relationship to the landscape and about philosophy and mysticism.
– I have been drawn to the logic of Gaston Bachelard’s books on the four elements: water, air, earth and fire. Bachelard charges the elements with meaning and finds parallels between science, poetry and philosophy. There are complex and unexpected connections between worldly things and existential questions, imagination and images.
How do you see art?
– I think that art is different for different people and that there are many different reasons and starting points for working with art. I believe that listening to different ways of seeing and understanding is fundamental.
What is your best advice for anyone interested in a future in the arts?
– Be persistent and patient. Work hard, be organized and always do your best. Have fun! Try to be curious and open-minded and keep developing and challenging yourself and your ideas. Take support from your teachers, colleagues and fellow students. Take care of and respect your process and be kind to yourself.