Expanded Printmaking Development in Malaysia through The Go Block Exhibition

Authors

  • Mursyidah Zainal Abidin Universiti Malaya
  • SABZALI MUSA KAHN Academy of Malay Study, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia
  • Nurhasliza Abdulah Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
  • Jehaabdulloh Jehsorhoh Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Prince of Songkla University Pattani Campus, Thailand

Keywords:

expanded printmaking, Go Block, Malaysia printmaking

Abstract

Abstract

This study argues that the Go Block exhibition series has redefined contemporary printmaking in Malaysia by accelerating development changes in practice, language, and its presentation. Using an analysis of the artwork-driven editions of Go Block from 2009 until 2025, this study maps how participating artists progressively moved from conventional print-as-image toward hybrid media, unconventional matrices, artist books, spatial performances, and programme-driven publications. This conceptual and material shift introduces a revised terminology of 'matrix' and 'foreground experimentation' as defining conditions for printmaking. This paper contributes to a typology for reading the development of printmaking as expanded through the Go Block exhibition series.

Keywords: expanded printmaking; Go Block; Malaysia printmaking.

References

Abidin, M. Z., Daud, W. S. A. W. M., & Rathi, M. R. M. (2013). Printmaking: Understanding Terminology. Procedia - Social and Behavioural Sciences, 90, 405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.07.109

Antoinette, M., & Maravillas, F. (2020). Positioning contemporary art worlds and art publics in Southeast Asia. World Art, 10, 161. https://doi.org/10.1080/21500894.2020.1821761

Baharom, M.B., Suhif, M.F., Sanusi, A.A.A., Ahmad, M.S., & Ramali, R. H. M. (2025). Printing Thoughts from A Regional Context. e-catalogue Go Block Serantau. ASWARA.

Coldwell, P. (2010). Printmaking: A Contemporary Perspective. Black Dog Publishing.

Dayang Aina (2023). People Who Print. Retrieved from https://www.cultgallery.art/exhibitions/23-goblock-senibuku-a-group-exhibition-the-practice-of-contemporary/overview/

Go Block: Potilombus Wayahinik Pinogumu (2020) The expanded contemporary printmaking. Retrieved from https://g13gallery.com/exhibitions/go-block/

Go Block Senibuku (2023). Retrieved from https://www.cultgallery.art/exhibitions/23-goblock-senibuku-a-group-exhibition-the-practice-of-contemporary/overview/

Go Block Serantau (2025). Retrieved from https://fliphtml5.com/sktfb/dwvh/Go_Block_Serantau_2025/

Ishak Ramli. (2025). Widening the Trace, Weaving the World: Serantau, Weltanschauung, and the Discourse of Expanded Printmaking. e-catalogue Go Block Serantau. ASWARA.

Izwanna, N., Legino, R., Jebakumari, & Salleh, N.M. (2020). An Element of Culture on Printmaking Artworks. Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal, 5, 107. https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v5isi1.2306

Kari, R., Samin, A., & Legino, R. (2019). The Sustainability’s Motif and Design of Fauna in Malay Block Batik. https://doi.org/10.4108/eai.5-9-2018.2281088

Krauss, R. (1979). Sculpture in the expanded field. The Mit Press, 31-44.

Liu, N., & Saat, M. K. B. M. (2024). Analysis on the Artistic Style of Chinese Printmaking (1980–2000). Salud Ciencia y Tecnología - Serie de Conferencias, 3, 800. https://doi.org/10.56294/sctconf2024800

Mat Isa, M. J. (2023). Tracing and tracking printmaking exhibitions in Malaysia: 1960-2020. Idealogy Journal, 8(1), 28-40.

Nikumbh, P. S., & Sarkar, S. K. (2022). Mapping the Pattern and Development of Printmaking Art: Its Sociological Impacts. ECS Transactions, 107(1), 9149. https://doi.org/10.1149/10701.9149ecst

Noor, R. M., & Manan, M. A. A. (2016). The Application of Printmaking Medium in Producing Artwork Among Malaysian Visual Artists (p. 101). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-1458-1_10

S. Shahir. (2009). GO BLOCK: 5 Contemporary Malaysian Printmakers. Wacana Seni Journal of Arts Discourse. Vol. 8. USM.

Published

2026-02-25

How to Cite

Zainal Abidin, M., SABZALI MUSA KAHN, Abdulah, N., & Jehaabdulloh Jehsorhoh. (2026). Expanded Printmaking Development in Malaysia through The Go Block Exhibition. Environment-Behaviour Proceedings Journal, 11(36). Retrieved from https://ebpj.e-iph.co.uk/index.php/EBProceedings/article/view/7786

Most read articles by the same author(s)