Printmaking in the age of AI

Explore how printmaking thrives alongside AI, showcasing innovation and resilience through exhibitions in Kolkata and Delhi.

At a time when Artificial Intelligence (AI) is posing a serious threat to creativity, printmaking is thumbing its nose at it. The artistic process that can traces its roots to 3000 BCE — when cylinder seals were used in Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley — has an inbuilt sense of mobility that is hard to silence. One of the reasons why it’s having a moment in 2026.

In Kolkata, the third edition of the Print Biennale is on (till February 15) at the Lalit Kala Akademi. Featuring over 204 artists from across the globe, it highlights contemporary printmaking. In the national capital, Dhoomimal Gallery is opening an exhibition titled Print Age – The Art of Printmaking in the Age of AI Reproduction (on February 3), in conjunction with the India Art Fair. It will show a collection of 156 original prints created by 80 artists from various backgrounds and eras, including Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Anish Kapoor, Jyoti Bhatt, and contemporary Indian artists. All of this begs the question: why is printmaking thriving in the age of AI?

“Printmaking in India is thriving not in spite of difficulties but [because it is working] through them — shaped by a lack of awareness among the general public, the absence of studio facilities, and persistent market challenges,” says Krishna Setty, curator of the Print Biennale and commissioner at Lalit Kala Akademi. “These constraints have compelled printmakers to innovate, collaborate, share resources, and continually rethink the conceptual, technical, and social possibilities of the medium, giving contemporary Indian printmaking a renewed vitality and critical relevance.” The Akademi has long been a great support to printmaking; its new Regional Centre offers state-of-the-art printmaking studios.

“We have an extensive, and often ignored, history of printmaking in India. Our visual landscape has been shaped by print culture over the centuries, and this exhibition draws from the many significant private and institutional collections in Vadodara, Ahmedabad and Delhi that have amassed important works over time. Also included are new works created by younger artists.” Johny M.L. Curator, Print Age

Just another design tool

Printmaking, historically, also holds an important place in Indian culture. “The Quit India Movement was made viable through the many leaflets and posters made by India’s dedicated team of printmakers, like Chittorprasad, Bimal Roy, Zainul Abedin and Somnath Hore,” observes art historian and collector Neville Tuli. “In fact, Chittorprasad travelled extensively in the famine-stricken areas of Bengal to document and report on the dire conditions of the people, which triggered outrage and revolution.” It is upon this strong culture that printmakers now build their community.