International Printmaking Project Babel
Time: September 10 – October 3, 2026
Location: Art Centre Itä, Lappeenranta, Finland
Curator: Naoji Ishiyama
Project Babel is an international collaborative printmaking project. 329 printmakers from 40 printmaking studios in 19 countries created a work of art based on Pieter Bruegel the Elder’s painting “The Tower of Babel” (1563). The exhibition is part of the international printmaking symposium organized by the South Karelia Artists’ Association, which will be held from 9–13 September in Lappeenranta.
The goal of Project Babel is to bring together printmakers from all over the world and build new connections between studios. The collaboration enables the creation of a work of art made using different printmaking methods and styles. The process is interesting in its unpredictability; the result is only created when we put all our work together, and it differs from the original image in many interesting ways.
The project is led by Team Babel, a personal group of four printmakers: Anni Huttu, Naoji Ishiyama, Kaisa Koljonen and Maria Pihl. They work as freelance artists in a printmaking studio in Ratamo, Finland, and created this project to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Ratamo Printmaking and Photography Center.
© Artist’s Book Creators 2026
