Why Imprint

Print. The Gateway to Collecting Contemporary Art.

Print has always shaped visual culture.

Long before images moved instantly across screens, print transformed how ideas travelled, how audiences engaged with art and how artists experimented with form.

From woodcut and engraving to photography, screenprint and digital production, print has continually sat at the forefront of artistic innovation - a space where artists test ideas, embrace new technologies and expand visual language.

Yet despite its significance, print remains persistently misunderstood.

Too often, it is viewed simply as reproduction or positioned as an entry point before “collecting proper” begins.

We believe the opposite is true.

Imprint exists to reposition print where it belongs: at the centre of contemporary art and collecting.

Why Print?

Print has never stood still.

Historically, it has been one of the most important engines of artistic experimentation - shaping how images circulate, how ideas evolve and how audiences encounter art.

Time and again, artists have turned to print to push practice forward.

Whether through etching, lithography and woodcut, photography, screenprinting, sculptural editions, textile-based works, digital production or moving image, print has continually evolved alongside technology and culture itself.

Today, contemporary artists increasingly work across disciplines, embracing print not as a secondary medium but as part of an expanded practice.

Print is often where artists take risks first.

It is where processes are tested, materials challenged and ideas refined.

Its unique combination of experimentation, materiality and multiplicity offers something increasingly rare: proximity to artistic process itself.

To collect print is not simply to acquire an image, but to engage more closely with how contemporary art is conceived, made and shared.

Equally, print offers one of the most meaningful and accessible ways to begin collecting contemporary art.

Through editions and multiples, collectors are able to engage directly with important artistic practices in ways that are both financially and culturally accessible - without compromising quality, ambition or significance.

Why Imprint?

Imprint was founded on a simple but ambitious belief:

Contemporary art should feel more open, more navigable and more exciting to collect.

Today, contemporary art can often feel divided - one world for established collectors and another for new audiences.

At the same time, print remains too often overlooked or misunderstood despite its central role in artistic practice.

Imprint exists to bridge those gaps.

Bringing together leading galleries, celebrated artists, independent practitioners, publishers, curators and emerging voices, Imprint creates a space where discovery and connoisseurship sit side by side.

A place where first-time buyers can confidently begin collecting, while established collectors encounter ambitious new practices, perspectives and ideas.

At its heart, Imprint is about connection:

between artists and audiences, collecting and making, process and finished work, tradition and innovation.

More Than an Art Fair

Imprint is built around three interconnected strands:

Fair

A curated presentation of galleries, publishers, artist-led practices and independent artists working across contemporary print and editions.

Championing both established names and new discoveries, the Fair places ambition, quality and experimentation side by side.

Programme

Talks, interviews and conversations bringing together artists, curators, writers, collectors and cultural voices to explore contemporary art, visual culture and collecting.

Studio

Live demonstrations and process-led encounters reconnecting audiences with how works are made - offering a rare opportunity to experience contemporary printmaking and expanded practices in action.

Together, these elements position Imprint not simply as a marketplace, but as a platform for ideas, conversation and discovery.

The Gateway to Collecting Contemporary Art

We believe collecting should not feel inaccessible.

Nor should accessibility come at the expense of seriousness or quality.

Imprint is designed to lower barriers without lowering standards.

You do not need specialist knowledge to begin collecting contemporary art.

Whether acquiring a first artwork, building a collection, discovering new artists or deepening existing knowledge, Imprint aims to create an environment where curiosity is welcomed and confidence can grow.

Print offers a uniquely compelling place to begin.

It allows collectors to engage with ambitious artistic practices, better understand process and build meaningful relationships with artists and ideas over time.

Looking Forward

Print has always shaped how art evolves.

As artists increasingly move fluidly between mediums, technologies and disciplines, print remains uniquely positioned as both process and proposition - a space where ideas are tested, images circulate and artistic practice expands.

We believe there has never been a more exciting time to collect print.

Imprint exists to ensure the future of collecting feels more open, more curious and more connected to artistic practice itself.

Imprint Art Fair
Print. The Gateway to Collecting Contemporary Art.