Rock, Paper, Scissors is an exhibition of prints by sculptors in the British Council Collection, from the 1950s to the present day. Looking at the artists featured, it is apparent that the process of printmaking, be it etching, screen print, lino-cut or lithograph remains a very popular way for sculptors to develop ideas and expand their portfolios. The works in the show are drawn from the Collection’s rich holding of prints, including a number of recent acquisitions, some of which are being exhibited for the first time.

The exhibition offers a display of the variety of printing processes and takes as its starting point prints by the prominent sculptors Henry Moore and Eduardo Paolozzi, whose work was to inform that of a subsequent generation of artists. Rock, Paper, Scissors aims to examine how artists have developed the interaction between the two and three-dimensional, as well as the possibilities offered by printed materials. It shows how prints have not only as be used as studies for the development of sculptural works, they also offer a record of the original.

Collection Artist(s)

Glossary

  • Etching

    An intaglio process whereby a metal plate (normally copper, zinc or steel) is covered with an acid-resistant layer of rosin mixed with wax. With a sharp point, the artist draws through this ground to reveal the plate beneath. The plate is then placed in an acid bath (a water and acid solution) and the acid bites into the metal plate where the drawn lines have exposed it. The waxy ground is cleaned off and the plate is covered in ink and then wiped clean, so that ink is retained only in the etched lines. The plate can then be printed through an etching press. The strength of the etched lines depends on the length of time the plate is left in the acid bath.