CWAJ established the Young Printmaker Award in 2005 as part of the 50th Print Show celebration to encourage the development of young artists. Eligible applicants are the artists selected at the Annual Exhibition of the Japan Society of Printmaking. Selected on the criteria of a project proposal, artistic potential and creativity, the recipient is expected to use the cash award of 500,000 yen within one year for a specific project. In addition, the recipient has an opportunity to exhibit the award print at the CWAJ Print Show and is also allowed to exhibit a new print three years after receiving the award. Many of the past recipients are flourishing in the printmaking world, a testimony to the importance of this award to inspire young artists.
2025 Young Printmaker Award Recipient
KOBAYASHI Kanta
Born: 2001 in Yamanashi, Residence: Tokyo
Enrolled in the Master’s Program in Printmaking, Department of Fine Arts, Graduate School of Arts, Nihon University
2024
The 9th Yamamoto Kanae Print Competition, Selected
The 49th Annual Exhibition of the Japan Society of Printmaking, Excellence Award
I create works with the aim of clarifying my own values and fixing them on the screen. Even if I see the same motif in the past, present, or future, the information I receive from that motif often differs depending on my sensibilities and changes in my surroundings. Therefore, through my work, I measure my current values and observe how my priorities change over time. The award-winning work, “Under the Light,” was created using a park near the dormitory where I live as a motif. I visited the park every night and reinterpreted the sounds, lights, and tactile sensations I felt there, expressing them on the canvas using lines and shapes. The figure in the painting is based on a cherry tree, and as I created it, I wondered what the tree, which has likely been watching over this place since before I was born, has seen over the years. The prize money I received from the YPA Award will be used to further develop my foundation as a printmaker, specifically for comparative experiments with Japanese paper and tools.
