Print is both an echo of the artwork and a marker of its moment. At Carl Freedman Gallery in Margate, Counter Editions: 25 Years unfolds as a vivid survey of contemporary printmaking. Bringing together more than 70 leading artists and over 140 limited-edition works, the exhibition charts a quarter century of collaboration between artists and master printers — a timeline that runs from 2000 to 2025 and captures the evolving language of the print itself.
400gsm. Produced by Counter Studio, Margate. 65 x 84 cm (25.5 x 33.5 in) Signed, titled, numbered and dated by the artist
The gallery stands near the sea, in Margate, a place where the light feels endless. Walking along the shore, breathing the fresh air, listening to the calls of seabirds, the heart settles. Then, turning a corner, you see the Carl Freedman Gallery.
When I step inside, another kind of energy rises. The air smells of paper, ink, and something electric — the scent of art itself. Each room unfolds like a chapter, reflecting both the evolution of Counter Editions and the dialogues between artists, printers, and time.
Each generation of artists becomes the awakener of its moment — sparking awareness, stirring emotion, and giving form to what usually remains unseen. Their works operate as both collective memory and private ritual, shaped by the wider currents of culture and the quiet pulse of personal practice.
Tracing Counter Editions’ twenty-five-year arc, the exhibition unfolds era by era. The early 2000s carry the raw immediacy that followed the turbulence of the 1990s Young British Artists movement, as the art world shifted away from provocation and conceptual bravado toward a more intimate, sensuous vocabulary. By the 2010s, an increasingly global culture reshaped how British art was made, circulated, and experienced. Artists began to interrogate not only the image itself but the systems that produced and distributed it, and printmaking—long tied to ideas of reproduction—became a conceptual tool for thinking about value, access, and authorship.
The 2020s mark a more introspective turn. In the wake of the pandemic and amid the rise of artificial intelligence, questions of truth, perception, and future direction pushed humanity inward. Art became a space for that reflection — a quiet terrain where the spiritual, emotional, and existential could meet. Within this shifting landscape, every print stands as a precise, understated witness to its age.
Founded in 2000, Counter Editions was born at the turn of the millennium — a moment of planetary transition. If we look beyond the surface, the rhythms of these twenty-five years seem to echo the movements of the stars: old structures collapsing, new sensitivities awakening, and, after 2020, a surge of emotional and collective energy.
Artists never work alone. They create under the pulse of the cosmos, translating invisible frequencies into visible form. Through them, the universe speaks. As a young artist myself, walking through this exhibition feels like walking through time. The works of Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas, Rachel Whiteread, Gary Hume, and Katherine Bernhardt… shine like constellations from earlier decades — each one a symbol of courage and individuality. In newer works by Salman Toor, Cassi Namoda, Studio Lenca, and Lola Stong Brett, I see the warmth, diversity, and intimacy of a new era. If human beings are connected to the universe, then these artists represent different regions of its energy and voice — channels of the cosmos, carrying also the deep memories of their own unconscious minds. They show that art is not only about invention, but about connection — a dialogue between soul and cosmos, between what we feel and what the universe reveals.
These artists act as translators of the collective consciousness, speaking both for themselves and for the moment they inhabit. The exhibition gathers those currents together — a threshold, a doorway — honouring what has been made while opening a path toward what still lies ahead.
On 25th October, Counter Editions also introduced its anniversary book: a printed archive of its memories, a birthday tribute to the medium of print itself.
Standing before these works, you sense that art, like the night sky, moves in cycles — and that every mark on paper forms its own constellation of time.
About
Founded in 2000, Counter Editions has been dedicated to producing contemporary prints and editions that are both accessible and materially exceptional. This landmark exhibition traces the journey of the past quarter-century, bringing together editions created in collaboration with some of the most influential artists of our time. The exhibition is presented across rooms divided chronologically, each space reflecting a moment in Counter Editions’ journey and the evolving conversation between artists and master printers.
What began in London with just 8 artists has grown into a dynamic presence in the contemporary art world. Today, Counter collaborates with more than 100 international artists from its purpose-built studios in Margate. Every edition emerges from a close process of collaboration between the artist, master printmaker and the curatorial team – a model rooted in craft, experimentation and artistic exchange. From the outset, the ambition has been to work with some of the world’s most celebrated artists while equally supporting emerging voices. By investing in the next generation, Counter ensures that the traditions of printmaking not only survive but continue to evolve.
Beyond the studio, Counter Editions has supported meaningful causes: from raising funds for Greenpeace, Choose Love, Team GB, Magic Breakfast and Save the Children’s centenary, to long-standing partnerships with institutions such as Tate and the ICA. These initiatives continue to place art at the heart of social engagement. Counter Editions 25 Years is both a celebration of artistic collaboration and a testament to the power, intimacy and permanence of print.
Counter Editions: 25 Years, 28th September 2025 – 4th January 2026 Carl Freedman Gallery
