IMC 2024 Echizen submission

This 2024 print is a collaborative work by Yuko Suzuki and Maki Shimizu submitted to the Fifth International Mokuhanga Conference held in Echizen, the Fukui prefecture town historically central to washi papermaking. Collaborative mokuhanga, in which two artists share the carving and printing of a single sequence of blocks, has become a recurring format at IMC gatherings and reflects the cooperative ethos that distinguishes the movement from solo studio practice. Technically, such collaborations typically require careful registration via kento marks so that each artist's contributed blocks align across the edition, and may combine differing approaches to bokashi, color saturation, and key-block carving within one image. The Echizen setting of IMC 2024 gave particular weight to washi selection, and prints submitted to the juried exhibition were produced on locally made papers chosen for their fiber length and absorbency. Suzuki was selected for the Asia regional component of the juried exhibition, marking the work's recognition within the contemporary international mokuhanga community.