Jesse Greulich: Blaudruck at Grafische Werkplaats
Exhibition Opening
September 26 during Hoogtij 19.00-23.00h
Guided tour by Jesse Greulich at 19.15h
Artist Talk
October 16 19.30-21.30h by Jesse Greulich
Exhibition
September 26 – October 27
Open during our regular opening hours.
Blaudruck, an intangible heritage, is more than a printing technique, it is a living archive of stories embedded in the rhythm of craft. Using carved wooden blocks, craftspeople print patterns in a dye-resistant paste onto fabric, which is then immersed in indigo to reveal delicate white motifs on deep blue. On the surface, it may appear simple: stamp, dye, unveil. Yet beneath this lies a choreography of precision, patience, and knowledge passed from hand to hand over generations.
This project spans two summer seasons of material and embodied research, exploring how heritage knowledge can be carried into a contemporary context without losing its essence. The process involved cultivating woad (Isatis tinctoria) and Japanese indigo (Persicaria tinctoria), developing dye-resistant pastes from locally sourced and abundant materials in the Netherlands, and adapting these methods for silkscreen printing.
The research moved beyond colour into the social, historical, and cultural dimensions of Blaudruck. It opened conversations with expert practitioners, led to collaborative experiments with women whose practices are rooted in care and craft, and bridged traditional plant-based dyeing with contemporary making. Here, blue is not only a pigment, it is a relationship with plants, place, and tradition.
