Meet the team
Ina Arraoui
Festival Director
The concept for this festival is the brainchild of Ina Arraoui, a print artist and curator based in Auckland. After studying printmaking at Il Bisonte Foundation for Art and Printmaking in Florence, Italy, she returned home and started researching the local printmaking community, publishing interviews with artists and print studios on her website to create an online resource and open archive.
Through her interviews she found that there was a lack of understanding and gallery representation of print based work which gave birth to the idea of Printopia, which will provide a physical space to educate the wider community, including art students, educators, galleries, and museums about contemporary printmaking in Aotearoa.
Jessie Kanji
Marketing Assistant
Originally from Wellington, Jessie Kanji came to printmaking while completing her Postgraduate Diploma at Elam School of Fine Art. Her colourful, abstract forms are inspired by her studies in physiology, indigenous cultures, and Mother Nature.
Jessie plays with the elements of connection, movement, space and colour, studying the interconnectedness of life through exploring the interplay of physiological processes. Her artwork expresses the dance of life processes through Mother Nature as reflected in the human form. She advocates for the healing power of art in all its forms and the meaning it can bring to all shades of humanity.
Karlin Morrison Raju
Graphic Designer
Karlin Morrison Raju is an artist and graphic designer based in Tāmaki Makaurau. His journey in print began in his final year at Elam School of Fine Art, with the help of the legendary Steve Lovett who introduced him to the exciting world of printmaking, focusing first on screen-printing before moving to linoprint.
He worked as an assistant print technician alongside Steve Lovett after graduating from Elam School of Fine Art, and now currently teaches a printmaking class at Toi Ora. After attending Printopia last year and loving it, he is super excited to be involved in Printopia 2023!
Prue MacDougall
Print Talks Coordinator
Offering her extensive knowledge of the print community in Auckland and beyond is Prue MacDougall, a full-time print artist residing in Auckland. She graduated from Elam with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and was awarded the Annual Prize of Excellence in Fine Arts in the same year.
Since then, Prue has travelled extensively, developing her art practice through close examination of master works in galleries and museums in Europe, the UK and the USA and participating in postgraduate study at international art schools. Closer to home, Prue has exhibited in many galleries around New Zealand and is represented in many collections in New Zealand and overseas.
Toni Mosley
Print Demos Coordinator
Toni Mosley is an Auckland based printmaker and educator who tutors at several locations across the city with extensive knowledge of a range of printmaking techniques for different skill levels and abilities. She is a member of the Print Council of Aotearoa NZ, Handcraft Printers NZ Inc, and founder of Out of the Cupboard – a platform to share and promote artist’s books from Aotearoa.
Originally from Colorado in the United States, she has a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Art and American Studies from the University of Wyoming and a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from The State University of New York in Buffalo.
An Wang
Web Designer
An Wang, who originally hails from China, lived and worked in several countries before settling in sunny Napier where he gained his degree in Information Technology.
As a freelance Web Developer, An has developed a passion for web development and design, helping many companies from all around the globe to create an outstanding and effective online presence. In his free time, An enjoys travel, fitness and outdoor activities.
