The Wonder Wall: Printmaking sans frontiers by Jonathan Comerford

Preview event: Friday 27 June, 5pm-8pm

This exhibition is a showcase of linocuts by 50+ artists across four continents, collaboratively printed by Jonathan Comerford, exploring identity, culture, and connection through 30+ years of printmaking.

The Wonder Wall: Printmaking sans frontiers is the culmination of over three decades of collaborative printmaking, led by South African artist and master printer Jonathan Comerford. This powerful exhibition brings together 50+ linocut prints by 50+ artists from Africa, the UK, Europe, and the United States, all working within the democratic, accessible tradition of relief printmaking. A passionate advocate for collaboration and inclusion, Jonathan founded the program in 1991 as part of his workshop, Hard Ground Printmakers, in Cape Town, South Africa. Born during the final years of apartheid and expanding internationally over time, the project has always championed the idea of art without borders—art that is not limited by geography, medium, identity, or ideology.

The linocut—long valued for its directness and affordability—serves here as an egalitarian means of visual expression. Whether in the hands of an experienced printmaker or a first-time block carver, the medium offers immediacy and impact. The artists represented in the exhibition range widely in background and approach: some are seasoned printmakers, while others are better known as painters, sculptors, photographers, or designers. Each was invited to respond freely to the open-ended concept of art sans frontiers—art beyond boundaries.

Their carved impressions reflect a diverse and deeply personal set of responses to the world around them: its fractures and fusions, its injustices and joys, its shifting politics and enduring human stories. These prints are not only individual voices—they are also the outcome of shared studio time, technical dialogue, and mutual trust. All the works were printed by Jonathan himself, using traditional hand-press methods in both South Africa and, since 2007, in the UK under the evolving banner of Printmaking Sans Frontiers.

This exhibition is not just a survey of artistic styles or techniques; it is a living archive of connection—of one artist reaching out to others across geographic and cultural boundaries. Jonathan’s collaborative ethos has embraced artists across race, gender identity, artistic discipline, and experience level. The result is a rich visual tapestry that foregrounds inclusivity, accessibility, and the shared language of print.
As we look back on this 33-year journey, Printmaking Sans Frontiers stands as a testament to the enduring power of the print studio as a place of experimentation, exchange, and solidarity. In a world that often feels fragmented, these works offer clarity, resistance, humour, beauty, and connection.

Jonathan Comerford continues his printmaking work today in Scotland, where Printmaking Sans Frontiers remains a living, evolving program—open to new voices, stories, and impressions carved in lino.

Jonathan Comerford has been both a practising artist and collaborative printmaker for the past 34 years, working formatively in South Africa and, for the last twenty years, in Britain, previously in London, now living and working in Scotland. He has always been interested in the role of collaborative printmaking between the printmaker and the artist or artisan. Coming from the socio-political backdrop of the pre- and post-Apartheid era, he experienced the deep divisions and exclusions shaped by race and culture. This led him to commit to working with artists from diverse socio-political and cultural backgrounds and learning difficulties, both as a personal and professional mission. In addition to working directly with individual artists, collaborating through print studios and pop-up print studios offers an added opportunity for engaging a wider community, both the artists associated with the studio and the broader public in which the studio is situated.