Zoé Tur at the Bo Halbirk workshop - 2024
"I naturally turned to the Bo Halbirk workshop because I know that their level of excellence will enable me, more than anyone else, to reach the highest level in printmaking. For me, this workshop is the ideal setting to learn and deepen a multitude of techniques and practices around printmaking." - Zoé Tur
Zoé Tur, winner of the Prix Savoir-faire en transmission 2024, is doing her internship at Atelier Bo Halbirk, a non-profit organization that provides artists with printing equipment for intaglio engraving and etching.
Halfdan Halbirk's father, Danish printmaker Bo Halbirck, founded the studio over 30 years ago. After an artistic career focused on sculpture and installations, Halfdan took over the running of the studio with a wealth of knowledge inherited from his father, continuing the family legacy. " My father taught me without me realizing it," Halfdan confides.
The workshop has become a rich circle of over 200 engravers, made up of established artists and young talents of all nationalities.
" Being a member of Atelier Bo Halbirk means being a professional and autonomous artist, mastering a vast knowledge of traditional techniques and knowing how to go beyond them with innovative experimentation in printmaking," Halfdan explains.
Zoé was initially drawn to a career as an illustrator, but quickly realized that this profession would not allow her to make a decent living. Eager to enrich her technical baggage, she explored new skills. During her preparatory classes, she discovered engraving, a technique that immediately fascinated her. She was particularly taken by the way the material was worked and the multi-stage printing process. So she decided to specialize in engraving and printed images at the École Estienne, from which she graduated.
" For us, it's very important to host trainees thanks to the Prix Savoir-faire en transmission," explains Halfdan.
Since April, Zoé has been fully committed to her internship at the Bo Halbirk studio. She appreciates the opportunity to produce and learn from Halfdan and the other artists.
Zoé also had the opportunity to take part in an exhibition at the Journées de l'Estampe Contemporaine. This experience enabled her to familiarize herself with the organization and logistics of a trade show, skills rarely taught at school.
Before winning the Prix Savoir-faire en transmission, Zoé had already acquired a wide range of engraving skills at the École Estienne and during various training courses. She has mastered techniques such as etching, aquatint, soft varnish, drypoint, manière noire, photogravure, burin, xylogravure, linocut, silkscreen and lithography.
Zoé aspires to perfect her skills and discover new techniques.
For the future, Zoé would like to exhibit in a gallery the work she is developing around childhood and nature.
