Rowan Siddons;
Chronicle.lu recently had the opportunity to speak with English artist and printmaker Rowan Siddons about an artist residency he completed at the Empreinte printmaking studio in Luxembourg-Limpertsberg.
Hailing from London, Rowan Siddons spent a couple of weeks recently at Empreinte Atelier de Gravure, where he created a collection of multi-plate prints using etching and monotype techniques inspired by the local landscapes. To mark the end of his time in Luxembourg, he presented his work and interacted with the public at a "Meet the Artist" event at the end of September 2023.
Chronicle.lu: You recently moved (temporarily) to Luxembourg from London. Please tell us more about when and why you moved here.
Rowan Siddons: I moved to Luxembourg in September for a two-week residency at Empreinte Atelier de Gravure, the only collective printmaking studio in Luxembourg. An artist residency allows an artist to have complete focus on their artistic practice for a given amount of time, to create new ideas, projects or collection of work.
Contact with Empreinte started thanks to Philippe Lamesch, a local artist and Head of Fundraising at the University of Luxembourg. Philippe found me through Instagram in 2017 and later recommended the art residency at Empreinte, submitting my name and practice for consideration. Following an interview, my application was accepted. However, due to COVID I wasn't able to come until 2023.
Chronicle.lu: What was the objective of your residency at Empreinte Atelier de Gravure?
Rowan Siddons: The objective of the residency for me at Empreinte Atelier de Gravure was to create and develop a new collection of prints with a focus on my already established conceptual ideas of psycho-geography, space, place and time.
Chronicle.lu: Please tell us more about your recent "Meet the Artist" open event, which marked the end of your time here in Luxembourg.
Rowan Siddons: On 29 September, which marked the end of my residency, I had a "Meet the Artist" open event in the studio at Empreinte Atelier de Gravure. This allowed members of the public to see the studio where I have been working, see my new collection "Seeking Self", ask questions about my artworks and hear about my creative processes and thinking that underpins my work.
Chronicle.lu: What can you tell us about your new collection "Seeking Self" and the inspiration behind it?
Rowan Siddons: During my time on the residency, I created a new collection of etchings and mono-prints using a multi-plate printing technique which can be seen on my Instagram feed. Although the residency at Empreinte [was] for two weeks, I have been here since 3 September gathering visual research, taking photographs, making sketches in Luxembourg City, Esch-sur-Sûre and Beaufort; completing two 25 km hikes through the landscapes in the magical towns and forests. From these experiences, they inspired my new body of work, "Seeking Self". I have a saying: "You find yourself when you are lost", so the aim was to be completely alone in order to fully immerse myself within my surroundings. This goes not only for the hikes in the woods but within a city of strangers too; it's almost an alienating feeling but a feeling of complete freedom too. It's simply like being the observer, the fly on the wall. Not to be within the hustle and bustle of the city but to watch it go by; to see what others may find mundane and to look for the hidden details that most walk by without noticing.
Chronicle.lu: What (and where) is next for you?
Rowan Siddons: I will be using this new collection of artworks to enter exhibitions around the globe whilst continuing to create new artworks with a similar aesthetic using the new ideas and processes gained during the residency. I have been selected for the Woolwich Contemporary Print Fair, so will be showing my work in London later this month [26 to 29 October 2023].
