CARTEL SUR

Fabricated out of several materials such as metal, wood or rubber, movable types are unique typographic pieces elaborated through casting, carving or cutting and that, when combined together, form words and complete paragraphs that are transferred to paper using ink and pressing with the appropriate force.

The unfolding of the exhibition circulates around the textual and poetic interpellation that the works propose through their graphics. From the affection and enthusiasm generated in the intimacy of the workshop to their external life pasted on the walls of cities —surfaces to which they cling to disseminate messages related to social contingencies—, the posters are convened so as to permeate the showcases of the room with its textures, colours and verses.

Exhibitors

62 Pontos | Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Graphic arts research and production collective focused on movable type typography and printmaking. It consists of Adriano Nascimento, Flávio Vignoli, Gabriel Nascimento, Luis Matuto, Olavo D’Aguiar, Ricardo Donato and Vitor Paiva, a group of friends who met and learned the typographic printing trade thanks to the generosity of “Seu Matias”, one of the last typographers who still works from his village,  who they are still learning from. 62 Pontos – a name that is inspired by the immovable measure of 62 points of height for the printing pieces – seeks to build, starting from different materialities of papers and inks, not only a text to be read, but also to be seen with open themes, which includes emotional personal texts, quotes and Brazilian music at length. 

Caja Baja | Canelones, Uruguay
Typographic printing workshop founded in 2013 that salvages the technique of composition and printing with movable types starting from old materials, with which they intend to revive the spirit and beauty of this trade, connecting it with graphic design. The designer and academic Gabriel Pasarisa, its creator, began working in the graphic area in the 1980s by diagramming books and newspapers. He learned everything about typographic printing in hand with old master typographers and simultaneously; he collected for years what constitute today his typographic heritage. One of his greatest aspirations has been to salvage the technique of the old graphic school, to make it last and to disseminate it among the new generations, but also to resignify it through experimentation.
Currently, Caja Baja carries out calls for designers and creators to participate in projects, internships and workshops, among other activities related to the field.

De la Munda | Villa La Angostura, Argentina
A joint venture between a pair of artists from the Argentinian Patagonia who have been dedicated to printmaking and the production of typographic posters since 2020. They were initiated in the technique of typographic printing, working with a Heidelberg printing press from 1867. However, after it broke down –and given the impossibility of repairing it living in Patagonia–, they have implemented different craft techniques of movable types, in order to continue with the trade.

Their motivation has been to create a type of work that combines the message, the trade, the manual, the nobility of the raw material, the creative and the possibility of distributing all that to the largest amount of people.

Imprenta Rescate | Buenos Aires, Argentina
Pritmaking and craft publishing workshop created by Leandro Jacob in 2012. Imprenta Rescate arose after Leandro stumbled upon a typographic press from Leipzig, Germany, forged in 1905. With it, he learned about the manual typographical trade, which –according to himself– rescued him and gave a turn to his life. Currently, he works every day in his 35-m2 workshop, located in the Parque Chacabuco municipality, only with his machine (which he baptized “Dorotea”, that is, “gift from God”) and a few items. His creations stand out for their simplicity and creativity, which take advantage of the richness of the alphabet and the abundance of human sense.

Laboratorio Artífice | Santiago, Chile
Diffuse and nomadic Chilean collective, made up of 6 to 8 artists who have been working together on typographic printing since 2017. Laboratorio Artífice defines itself as a project of typographic archaeology and street propaganda that positions itself from the trench of art against art, for the agitation in the street and the creation of new political imageries. Their works express criticism to power, society and all hegemonic forms of domination and death. 

Magianegra | Buenos Aires, Argentina
Created by the museologist and collector Javier Alba in 2016, Magianegra arose from a chance encounter at the printshop in Pucará, Buenos Aires, where Javier had the opportunity to see a printing house for the first time and learn about wood type typography. He immediately felt the need to “create typographic art”, so he began his search for movable type and in a short time amassed a varied collection. Later, he took a workshop with Gabriel Pasarisa in Caja Baja, where he had his first approach to typographic printing. That experience allowed him to visualize his own workshop where he could develop his craft, which he soon opened to the public with his own productions and typography workshops.

Obrera Gráfica | Santiago, Chile
María José Prenafeta: “Obrera Gráfica” – a name that alludes to the trade union of female printshop workers –, has dedicated herself to design and bookbinding since 2006. As a graphic designer, she knew the theoretical aspects of typographic printing as part of her professional training; however, it was not until she took courses in book arts at Columbia College of Chicago that she delved into papermaking, printing and binding practices. Little by little, she gathered her collection of movable types, acquiring complete collections. In 2009 she returned to Chile in love with this trade and determined to dedicate herself to it. Since then, Obrera Gráfica’s press has not stopped, pouring the author’s creativity into every little and great detail.

Prensa La Libertad | Buenos Aires, Argentina
After finishing his studies at Universidad de Buenos Aires, graphic designer Federico Cimatti encountered the business of movable type printing. The experimentation with this technique prompted him to found Prensa La Libertad in 2008, a place of content production that takes up the old idea of ​​printshops and whose production seeks to inhabit the wasteland of the graphic industry.

Federico’s work combines the aesthetics and technique inherent to the printmaking of witty texts and iconic imagery. Today, Prensa La Libertad is one of the most recognized workshops in the field, inspiring not only those who come across their posters, but also other printers in love with this trade.