The Printers

Past printers

Mats Undén

(FULL TIME 2008 – 12 )

Mats Undén joined us from Sweden in September 2008. Mats has had extensive editioning experience as the owner-operator, since 1993, of CBS Grafik, one of the two main professional print workshops in his country. He specialised in multi-plate colour etching and drypoint for his clients in Sweden, including Helmtrud Nystrom and Mikael Kihlman. Mats has had a long-standing interest in Australian Indigenous art, studying it at university level. In past years, he travelled in Australia to a number of communities and after joining BHE he conducted workshops in Jabiru, Daly River, Ali Curung, Warmun and Beswick and collaborated in Darwin with artists from Katanning and the southern capitals. Owing to the BHE relocation in 2012, he has now lecturing at Charles Darwin University in Northern Territory. 

Nena Zanos

(ON STAFF OR CASUAL 2007 -2012 )

Nena completed her printmaking studies at Charles Darwin University in 2009 and worked part-time at BHE for five years as a printer. Nena often assisted on workshops and accompanied Mats or Basil on trips to Warmun, Indulkana and Peppimenarti in 2010-11. She also helped to run other activities at the Darwin studio in those years. With BHE’s relocation south, she returned to study at CDU and is now teaching.

Natasha Rowell

(ON STAFF OR CASUAL 2002-2007; 2010-12)

Natasha trained as a printmaker in Tasmania (BA with Hons) and joined BHE in 2002, working with Basil in remote locations during the first five years, while BHE still operated from a studio under Basil’s house in Nakara. Tash editioned many of the Yilpingi Love Magic etchings, produced for the Australian Art Print Network in 2002-3. She attended Garma 2003 and 2004 and helped to produce the first Garma Panel, comprising the etchings of 80 artists. She also helped run workshops in Yirrkala, Ernabella, Yuendumu and Hall’s Creek, to name a few. She had three years away from the studio, during which time she  married, travelled to Indonesia and had two children. She came back as a part-time printer, joining Basil, Mats and Nena in May 2010. Tash returned to university study in 2012, where she has completed her Masters.

Sean Smith

(2007, 2008)

Sean has been living, working and studying in Melbourne in 2008, but has made three trips to Darwin to work for BHE as a printer. In December 2008 he joined us once again, this time for six months. Sean has a BFA (first class honours) from the College of Fine Art, University of NSW and has completed a Graduate Diploma in Business Management at University of Melbourne. He originally gained some printing experience working at Cicada Press with Michael Kempson. More recently he has editioned at both Northern Editions and BHE, run workshops and spent some time working with Elcho Arts. He now works for himself at his studio in Melbourne.

Merran Sierakowski

(ON STAFF OR CASUAL 2005-08; 2012)

Merran has visual arts training, most recently completing her Honours at the Charles Darwin University, where she also gained experience as a custom printer. She joined Basil Hall Editions late in 2005 and became an important part of the team. Merran is an exhibiting artist and divided her time between making her own work and editioning at BHE. She and Basil ran the successful workshops at Buku Larrnggay in Yirrkala in 08, introducing Yolngu artists to softground etching for the “After Berndt” project exhibited at Gulkula during Garma Festival and in Darwin during the Darwin Festival 2008.Pictured above Merran is printing the large shaped zinc plate: “Kwod”, by Dennis Nona. Merran was involved in editioning many of Dennis’s larger etching plates in 2007 and 2008.

Monique Auricchio

(2003-08)

Monique Auricchio worked as a custom printer at Northern Editions, NTU Darwin from 1997 until 2003. After Basil’s departure, she became Editioning Manager of the busy workshop, where her duties included running workshops in remote Indigenous communities and overseeing the production and printing of etchings, silkscreen prints, relief prints and lithographs. From mid-2003 until 2008, Monique then worked as a senior printer at Basil Hall Editions, where she ran workshops in the bush and collaborated with Australian Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists in the studio.Monique is a practising printmaker and shows regularly at Australian Galleries.

Clinton Barker

(2007 – )

Clint joined BHE in 2007, but is based in Brisbane, where he has been a commercial screen printer for the last 12 years. He made four or five trips to the Top End each year and completed editions for artists from Darwin, Ernabella, Warmun, Peppimenarti, Yuendumu, Nyapari, Tiwi Islands, Fitzroy Crossing and Arnhem Land. Clint was involved in printing several of the editions for BHE’s 2008 project, Custodians. In 2009, Clint printed the Tjungu Palya silkscreen editions for their successful folio of prints by 10 important Nyapari artists. More recently, Clint has worked on the St Vincents Hospital Reconciliation Project silkscreen with Basil and new prints for numerous clients. He is now in Japan for a few years, so we wish him well!