Ukraine, Callot, and Picturing War

Join Resident Artist, Cameron Mankin, for a conversation about Regarding Ukraine, a new series of copper etchings created at Spudnik Press Cooperative. Part artist talk and part research presentation, this virtual lecture re-presents work by Jacques Callot in the context of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. 

In 1633, printmaker Jacques Callot made his Miseries of War – a series of 18 etchings depicting the invasion of his home, Lorraine, that would go on to inspire the works of artists like Francisco Goya and Otto Dix. At the same time, he was developing an incredibly rigid system of etching, preserved in Abraham Bosse’s Manual of Etching.

Regarding Ukraine applies Callot’s etching system to news images circulating today in order to ask what the connection is between this influential 17th century French etcher and contemporary work-for-hire news photography. This series explores the way images shape our perception of the public sphere and current events, and the often overlooked systems of design that are employed to do so.

Zoom Meeting ID: 836 5660 6314

Artist Bio

Cameron Mankin makes prints, artist’s books, and sculptural installations that investigate the role of reason and rhetoric in the arrangement of public space and personal identity. Working primarily from found archives (news site banner images, apartment floor plans, and grainy security camera footage), he employs traditional print and bookmaking techniques to approach delicate systemic problems with a tongue-in-cheek rigor. The material properties of paper and ink set measurements and catalogs to collapse under their own unwieldy weight. The resulting projects vibrate between love letter and biting rebuttal – both addressed to vernacular image-making that goes unquestioned in our day to day lives.

Mankin received his BA in Studio Art (Printmaking) from the University of Virginia in 2016 and his MFA from the University of Chicago in 2020. He currently lives in Chicago, IL, where he teaches in the Media Arts and Design program at the University of Chicago.

The 2022 Residency Program is possible with generous support from the National Endowment for the Arts Arts Work Grant.

This event is for everyone! ASR closed captions will be available. If you require another access service to fully participate or have any questions about accessibility, please contact Breanna Robinson at breanna@spudnikpress.org To ensure the best experience, please try to contact us at your soonest convenience.