How Woodcut Carving Speaks Truth to Power

Woodcut carving and printmaking occupies an interesting space within visual arts, as it crosses the lines between the traditional and the modern, between folk art and contemporary art. A current exhibition called “Carving Reality” features works from Malaysia, Indonesia, East Timor, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan, and spotlights the emergence of social realist woodcuts in East Asia. We speak with the exhibition’s curator Krystie Ng about the movement’s history, and why woodcut carving is often a means of criticising imbalances of societal and political power.

Image Source: The Back Room