Eye Cup (Counterfeit)

One of Vollmer's more formally hybrid works, 'Eye Cup (Counterfeit)' from 2008 combines mokuhanga — the traditional Japanese water-based woodblock process — with rubber stamp on [washi](/glossary/washi), introducing a mechanically reproducible element into a hand-craft context. The parenthetical subtitle, 'Counterfeit,' foregrounds questions of authenticity, reproduction, and the status of the original that are inherent to printmaking as a medium. An eye cup is a small vessel used to wash the eye, and its invocation alongside counterfeiting suggests themes of scrutiny, deception, and the limits of perception. The rubber stamp, pressed directly onto the washi surface, creates a different ink quality than the water-based mokuhanga passages — typically sharper and more uniform — creating a legible contrast between the two mark-making systems. The work participates in a broader conceptual tradition of interrogating craft and reproduction from within, using the materials of both fine art printmaking and commercial reproduction simultaneously.