Traces of Presence: A Woodcut Printmaking Exhibition
Zhang Fuming
Solo Exhibition
23 — 31 August 2025, 11am — 7pm
Traces of Presence: A Woodcut Printmaking Exhibition
Exhibition Dates: 23–31 August 2025, 11am to 7pm
Opening Reception: 22 August 2025, 6 to 9pm
Traces of Presence repositions woodcut printmaking as a contemporary language. It is raw, immediate, and deeply rooted in materiality. Moving beyond the idea of printmaking as reproduction, this exhibition highlights the process, presence, and physicality of the medium.
Traditionally seen as a means to an end, the woodblock is often treated as secondary to the prints it produces. Here, it takes center stage as an artwork in its own right. Carved surfaces bear traces of labor, revision, and intent, prompting viewers to reflect on how meaning is shaped not only through the image but also through the act of making.
The artist presents key works from the past ten years, with each year represented by a specific anchor piece. Together, these works form a timeline of practice, marking a sustained engagement with woodcut as a medium for personal reflection and social observation. New and recent works are shown alongside earlier ones, offering a cross-section of recurring themes and evolving approaches.
A large-scale woodcut work asserts the physicality and immersive power of the medium. Carved in stark black and white, it challenges the perception of prints as intimate or secondary, inviting the viewer into a space where the block itself holds presence, tension, and immediacy.
Rather than being tucked away after printing, the woodblocks are exhibited as finished works. This reversal shifts the focus from image to process, revealing the block as a site of decision-making, struggle, and material negotiation. Printmaking here is not a mechanical craft but a performative act with its own visual and symbolic language.
Public woodcut demonstrations will take place on 23, 24, 30, and 31 August, from 4 to 5pm. Visitors are welcome to observe or try their hand at basic carving, offering a direct experience of the medium's tactile and resistive qualities.
About the Artist(s)
Zhang Fuming (b. 1989) is a Singapore-based artist whose practice centers on printmaking, rooted in the tradition of black-and-white relief carving. Known for his large-scale works, Fuming is dedicated to the physical, hands-on process of woodcut, using the medium’s precision and raw immediacy to craft layered social commentaries through a contemporary realist lens.
Fuming’s approach extends beyond conventional prints on paper, often embracing the materiality of wood itself—amplifying the gestures, textures, and emotional weight embedded in his carvings. His deep connection to this tactile process underscores the enduring relevance of woodcut printmaking and its potential for contemporary expression.
The working titles of his exhibitions reflect a non-linear narrative, exploring cultural memory, perseverance, and everyday social realities through personal yet universal storytelling.
A recipient of the AAF Young Talent Programme 2014/2015, Fuming held his first solo exhibition The Quest; The Exquisite Rice Bowl (Ion Art Gallery, 2015). Subsequent solo shows include Poised for Success (AC43 Gallery, 2016), V. Atas (Telok Ayer Arts Club, 2019), and Props and Poses (AC43 Gallery, 2022). His work has also been featured in notable group exhibitions such as Spatial Narratives (Art Porters, 2023), Bon à Tirer (AC43 Gallery, 2018), and The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Art Week (Xiamen, 2016). Fuming’s works are held in significant private and public collections, including acquisitions by key government agencies.
In 2024, Zhang Fuming was conferred the Young Artist Award, Singapore’s highest accolade for art practitioners under 35, recognizing his contributions to printmaking and his role in shaping Singapore’s visual arts scene.