Early in 2018, I was invited by a printmaker friend from New Zealand to form a group of 8 printmakers from Edinburgh Printmakers to join their cultural exchange project Thinking of Place. This project would be exhibited at IMPACT 10 International Printmaking Conference in Santander, Spain in September 2018 followed by shows in each of the host cities. The 9 artist groups involved hailed from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Ireland and the UK. 

Whether a group is based on a shared geographical location or print studio, each one is committed to advancing printmaking and supporting artists working in print-based media. Collaborative projects such as Thinking of Place give printmakers the opportunity to not only exhibit their work on the international stage but to foster professional and personal connections across the printmaking community, globally. 

The exhibition, which comprised some 64 prints, has already been shown in Santander during IMPACT 10, and this year in October in Auckland, New Zealand and October - December in Cairns, Australia. Looking ahead, the third iteration, which is already in the pipeline, will include a total of 17 artist groups from over 10 countries. 

Conus Ater was created specifically for Thinking of Place cultural exchange project.