Roland Hipkins worked with woodcuts as a student at the Royal College of Art in London in 1921 before immigrating to Aotearoa the following year to teach art at the Napier Technical College. He became a champion of the linocut here, encouraging its use by children and adult students alike. In 1929 Roland had an article published in Art in New Zealand encouraging artists to take up relief printing. He wrote: “The artist, ever ready to bring forth beauty, no matter how humble the means, has discovered the new medium in the use of linoleum.” He enjoyed the vitality, spontaneity and fluidity inherent in the linocut.

Ink on Paper: Aotearoa New Zealand Printmakers of the Modern Era, 11 February – 28 May 2023