Residency year: 2025

“As a print artist, I greatly benefit from art-making in new cultural environments. I enjoy meeting other artists and learning about different art practices. I thrive with change, and I often create my best artwork at residencies. I am also always very happy to share my personal knowledge and experiences of printmaking with other print artists. In searching for a new artist residency opportunity, I discovered the Black Hand Gang Printmaking Studio in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. I have visited Bali twice and during each visit, I remained in awe of the intense artistic activity on the island. I continue to marvel at the mythic imagination of the Balinese people. I am inspired how Balinese artists magically blend Hinduism with Animism in the visual and performing arts. I also remain deeply fascinated by how contemporary Balinese artists still integrate mythology, spirituality with art-making into a unified whole.

So, in July and August 2023, I participated in the Black Hand Gang Printmaking Studio (B.H.G.) residency program because of its location in Ubud which is widely considered the cultural center of Bali. As my first artist residency in Asia, this experience was an invaluable opportunity for me to share, learn, network, and make connections while printmaking and immersing myself in the Balinese cultural ceremonies in Ubud. I was immediately captivated by the aim of the B.H.G. Residency Program because it is conceived to facilitate artistic collaborations and cross-cultural exchange between local, national, and invited international contemporary artists.

B.H.G. is an independent art organization that supports established and emerging contemporary Indonesian and international artists to work in their new, fully equipped printmaking studio. The residency welcomes a curated group of national and international artists. Each artist residency includes flexible schedules for each visiting artist to complete a self-directed body of work while printmaking collaboratively in the studio. The studio director shared with me that printmaking is an emerging contemporary art form in Indonesia and many Indonesian artists are excited to learn from Western artists.

B.H.G. is a contemporary printmaking studio facility where print artists may work in screen- printing, relief, photo-printmaking, and Intaglio printmaking. The residency provides studio space, art supplies, technical support, and the provision of printers for collaborative printmaking. B.H.G. also has extensive artistic and cultural contacts in Bali and will provide day to day support and local knowledge. Visiting artists are expected to pay for their own travel, local accommodation, and day-to-day living expenses.

At this residency, I developed and printed a small edition of two diptych linocut images with Chine-collé. I also created and printed a multi-layer screen-print. This new imagery playfully explores imaginary mythopoetic interpretations images of Balinese otherworldly spirits. B.H.G. also provided me an opportunity to lead a linocut/ Chine-collé workshop in the studio. B.H.G. offered support for me to grow my printmaking art practice in the framework of their dynamic artist community.

As a Western artist, I was thrilled to make art for two-months in Ubud, Bali. Not only did I learn about contemporary Indonesian art and new printmaking techniques, but my residency experience was fully culturally immersive. My spiritual imagination was greatly enriched by the many Balinese ceremonies in Ubud with theatrical masks and costumes, mythical dances, shadow puppetry, and gamelan music, as well as traditional architecture.

I highly recommend this studio for any F.G.V. artist members. This studio is very well equipped, and the studio staff and director are very gracious, super helpful and friendly. The BHG Printmaking Studio is also very well connected with suppliers, artists, and galleries in Indonesia, etc. The BHG printmaking studio mangers are very open to create new international connections and contacts for artist exchanges and residencies.”