It’s all death. It’s all beauty. | Selina Trepp

Medium: Screenprint & Monotype
Year: 2020
Edition size: 16
Dimensions: 16″ x 20″
Published Spudnik Press Cooperative
Inscriptions: Edition Number (left front), Signature (right front)

*Note: Each print in the edition is unique. Scroll through images to view individual prints. To purchase a specific print, please either take a screenshot of the print you prefer or click on the image, then copy and paste the URL into an email to info@spudnikpress.org.

“It’s all death. It’s all beauty. are prints showing complex women living freely and not trying to please or perform. The patterning in both the garment and the background reference those found in sgrafitto murals from the region in Switzerland where Trepp is from. By using these patterns, which are similar to mural patterns found in indigenous architecture in India, Africa, and South America, these prints point to a universal language via geometric patterns.

While the figure is consistent across all the prints, the faces within each print have each been hand painted using a serigraphy-based monoprinting technique in which three prints can be taken from a single watercolor painting: a first print in full saturation and two “ghosts” images, resulting in a varied edition of portraits. This unpredictable process allow each individual woman to cast her own unique gaze.

“I wanted to collide different techniques. I wanted elements of each prints to be unique. Since I never did anything like this before, I didn’t have any preconceived notations about what this would be. The faces were painted on the spot onto a screen. It was really hard to gage how they would turn out before they were printed. We usually took three pulls out of each mono print, and it was really profound how very different each of the resulting prints vibes despite coming from the same painting.” – Selina Trepp

Selina Trepp is an artist researching improvisation and economy within self-imposed limitations. For example, this edition at Spudnik Press was the first time in three years she worked from a new stock of art supplies. Trepp combines performance, installation, painting, and sculpture to create intricate setups for photos, drawings and animations. She is also active in the experimental music scene. Trepp’s work has been shown locally and internationally, as a solo artist and collaborator. She has received numerous awards including an Illinois Arts Council Fellowship. She lives and works in Chicago.