Every three years, Liège becomes the nerve centre of international contemporary engraving, thanks to the International Triennial of Contemporary Engraving organised by the La Boverie museum.

The international triennial of contemporary engraving is recognized for bringing together the finest artists, and promises to once again celebrate the art of printmaking in all of its forms, with techniques that are more and more innovative every year.

The exhibition for this 13th edition of the Triennial brings together 45 artists from 11 countries at La Boverie. They were selected from 408 applications, and offer a unique overview of contemporary trends.

While the competition does not have a set theme, it is interesting to see that some issues transcend generations and borders. In particular, the works by the selected artists highlight the banality of everyday items, an interest that stems from artistic research conducted during lockdown. Personal and shared histories also become a source of inspiration, reflecting the fleeting nature of time. Social and climate issues also inspire engravers, and are rooted in contemporary issues. In some cases, techniques are used to bolster ideas, and rebellion is expressed through the artist’s gestures and the power of the material used: wood or linoleum. Engraving is also integrated into original contemporary forms, by combining it with other disciplines, such as illustration, comic books, photography, binding and textiles.

After this initial selection process, an international jury awards the Triennial Award (which has a value of €5,000) to the winner. The jury comprises five experts from different countries:

  • Brenda Guesnet: Curator and deputy director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Eupen;
  • Velina Grebenska: Curator and organiser of the International Print Biennial in Varna;
  • Chloé Perrot: Editor-in-chief of Nouvelles de l’Estampe – National Library of France;
  • Roel Goussey: Artist and honorary professor of engraving at KASK in Ghent;
  • Bert Joostens: Painter.

Candidates for the 2024 edition

Georges Amerlynck, Belgium; Babé, France; Benjamin Badock, Germany; Naïm Barbach, Belgium; Godelieve Bieswal, Belgium; Jeroen Bisscheroux, Netherlands; † Marie-France Bonmariage, Belgium; Yvonne Bronner, Germany; David Cauwe, Belgium; Isabelle Cellier, France; Cléa Darnaud, France; Hanna De Haan, Netherlands; Luc D’Haegeleer, Belgium; Steven Dixon, Canada; Lygia Eluf, Brazil; Maria Luisa Estrada Sánchez, Mexico; Marnix Everaert, Belgium; Dragana Franssen-Bojic, Serbia; Giske Sigmundstad, Norway; Marie Laure Gueguen, France; Mariuga Guimarães, Belgium; Veronika Günther, Germany; Adelina Iantcheva, Bulgaria; Davida Kidd, Canada; Geneviève Laplanche, Switzerland; Jose Luis Largo, Spain; Marta Lech, Poland; Eva Maes, Belgium; Antonin Malchiodi, France; Véronique Martinelli, Belgium; Kristin Meller, United Kingdom; Linda Moonen, Belgium; Muriel Moreau, France; Isabel Mouttet, France; Reiner Nachtwey, Germany; Stephanie Russ, Canada; Augusto Sampaio, Brazil; Lisa Sibillat, France; Kateryna Svirgunenko, Ukraine; Alex Thompson, Canada; Pierre Vasic, Belgium; Martin Velisek, Czech Republic; Sophie Vink, Belgium; Raphaël Wu, China; Leszek Wyczolkowski, Poland.