Biography
Benoit Varaillon, who signs his prints as Beno, is a French artist-craftsman-engraver who has devoted himself to mokuhanga, the traditional Japanese water-based woodblock printing technique, since founding his studio Atelier UKI-GA near Bordeaux in 2013. Born in Montauban in 1978, Varaillon designs, engraves, and hand-prints all of his own work using the complete traditional process of polychrome woodcutting: carving multiple matrices corresponding to individual colors, diluting inks with water, and printing by hand with a baren.
Varaillon perfected his techniques in 2017 under the guidance of a Japanese engraver and printer, and has since achieved mastery of the medium's most demanding advanced techniques, including glossing (shomenzuri), embossing (karazuri), gradient printing (bokashi), the application of mica powder (kirazuri), and gold leaf work. He makes most of his own tools, including traditional bamboo barens, reflecting a commitment to the complete artisanal chain of the mokuhanga process.
His subjects range across landscape, Japanese history, and nature, rendered in a style that consciously bridges traditional ukiyo-e aesthetics and contemporary graphic design. Varaillon follows in the tradition of Henri Riviere (1864-1951), who was among the first French artists to adopt Japanese woodblock printing methods after encountering them at the Paris World's Fair, and other 'japoniste' printmakers of the late nineteenth century including Auguste Lepere. His creative project is rooted in this lineage of French artists who found in mokuhanga a perfect synthesis of Eastern technique and Western vision.
Varaillon works primarily on commission and creates prints in both limited series and unique proofs with variations. He is also an applied arts teacher. Notable exhibition projects include his 'Samurai' presentation at the Chateau des Ducs de Bretagne in 2014, and the 'Icone' and 'Chushingura' exhibitions in 2016-2017. In 2018, his engravings were featured in the publication 'La gravure sur bois en Bretagne (1850-2000).' He participated in the Fifth International Mokuhanga Conference in Echizen, Japan in 2024, and has been featured on The Unfinished Print podcast. His work is represented by the Michelle Champetier Gallery.
Key Facts
- Active Period
- 1978
- Nationality
- 🇫🇷France
- Movement
- Contemporary Mokuhanga
- Subjects
- Daily LifeWashiMythologyWarriors
Frequently Asked Questions
Benoit Varaillon, who signs his prints as Beno, is a French artist-craftsman-engraver who has devoted himself to mokuhanga, the traditional Japanese water-based woodblock printing technique, since founding his studio Atelier UKI-GA near Bordeaux in 2013. Born in Montauban in 1978, Varaillon designs, engraves, and hand-prints all of his own work using the complete traditional process of polychrome woodcutting: carving multiple matrices corresponding to individual colors, diluting inks with water, and printing by hand with a baren.
Benoit Varaillon was active born in 1978. They were associated with the Contemporary Mokuhanga movement.
Benoit Varaillon's work was shaped by the Contemporary Mokuhanga tradition in Japanese woodblock printmaking. Contemporary Mokuhanga: Contemporary mokuhanga (literally "wood-block print") encompasses artists working from approximately 1970 to the present who continue or reinvent traditional Japanese woodblock printing techniques.
Benoit Varaillon's prints frequently feature daily life, washi, mythology, warriors.
Benoit Varaillon is a contemporary printmaker working in the mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock) tradition. Their work contributes to the living tradition of Japanese woodblock printing. Prices for contemporary mokuhanga prints range from $100 for smaller works to $1,500 for major compositions. Most prints sell in the $180–$600 range. The global mokuhanga community has been growing, with increasing exhibition opportunities and collector interest. Contemporary mokuhanga represents an affordable entry point for collectors.
