Emma Nishimura
The College of Arts is thrilled with the recent news that Emma Nishimura, one of our Studio Art faculty members, was presented with Norway’s Queen Sonja Award for printmaking. With its focus on international graphic art in all its expressions and techniques, the Queen Sonja Print Award is the most prestigious prize in this field.
An international jury considered the 42 submissions from around the world submitted by curators, museum directors and fellow artists. Nishimura’s work stood out from the others. According to the site: “The jury has been deeply impressed by the consistent quality in Emma Nishimura’s body of work. The artist explores notions of memory and how history is interpreted and re-negotiated, through a varied use of traditional and contemporary printmaking techniques. From miniscule hand-etched texts used in the topographic contours on maps, to photogravure on paper successfully molded three-dimensionally, the artist incorporates traces of history and individual stories exploring spatial and temporal realities. Nishimura questions the parameters of history through collected stories, inherited narratives, geography and family photos. Her body of work is exquisite and consistent – an exceptional thoroughness is at the core of her art practice.”
Congratulations, Emma on this tremendous accomplishment!
Emma Nishimura: An Archive of Rememory: Matsuoka Family Portrait. Photo: courtesy of the artist.
The H.M. Queen Sonja Art Foundation was established in 2011 to generate interest in and promote the development of graphic art. The Foundation presents the Queen Sonja Print Award every other year.