Ghost Images (2016)

The Ghost Images series were created by restoring old lithographic stones from the printing department of the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam. Some of these stones had been used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries before companies stopped using lithographic methods for mass product image printing. The old images still present in these stones are referred to as ‘ghost images’ as they sometimes appear unwontedly during the printing process of new images. Considered a technical error, this can take place when the old images have not been properly cleaned or erased.

'Ghost Images' tries to resurface this erased images. Through the restoration process it was possible to re-print images that were still imprinted in the stones. Judging from the condition of the stone and the type of image concerned, the images used for this work probably date from the 1920s until the 1980s. Each print in this series is made out of several layers of lithographic printing on a digital print, a photograph of the litho stones.

Credits

Image concept: Aimée Zito Lema / Lithography printing and photo: Erik Fliek

All images: Lithography print and inkjet print on paper, 58 x 41 cm, 2016

All works for Rijksakademie Open were made possible with the generous support of: Stichting Stokroos, Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds and the Mondriaan Fund

Special thanks to: Graphic department Rijksakademie / Pieter Verwij