Manly Art Gallery & Museum will host a new exhibition by printmaker, photographer, educator and independent curator, Ben Rak, co-founder and director of Throwdown Press, from 28 October to 4 December.

Titled 'Pictures of Scratches', Ben's exhibition takes a tongue-in-cheek look at the media hierarchies of the art world and its currently fashionable fetishisation of the artist's mark.

Responding to the trend in art circles to make works that are purposefully intended to look 'rough', Rak begins by sourcing foul-bitten scratches from etching plates.

"These scratches are an unintentional by product of the etching process but are often, ironically, viewed as 'authentic' marks by the artist," explains Manly Art Gallery & Museum Senior Creator, Katherine Roberts.

"The scratch marks are then reproduced in different media in an attempt to determine to what degree their value changes in altered forms."

Ben poses the question: "To what lengths must the artist go to displace the origin of the marks and successfully 'pass' the print as an original?"

Ben Rak was born in California, USA, grew up in Israel and now works and lives in Sydney, where he lectures at the University of New South Wales Faculty of Art & Design.

Throwdown Press is a print based research group that invites multidisciplinary artists to produce etchings and screenprints, creating discourses on the role of printmaking within contemporary practice.

'Pictures of Scratches' opening night
Friday 28 October, 6 – 8pm
Michael Kempson, artist and Senior Lecturer and Convenor of Printmaking Studies, UNSW Art & Design, will open the exhibition.

Artist's Talk
Sunday 6 November, 3pm
Ben Rak gives insights into the key ideas and techniques that inform his art practice.

'Pictures of Scratches' exhibition by Ben Rak
Friday 28 October – Sunday 4 December
Manly Art Gallery and Museum

Manly Art Gallery & Museum is at West Esplanade, Manly, close to the Manly Ferry Wharf.
An exhibition catalogue accompanies the exhibition.