Traces of the Past: Contemporary Printmaking and the Cultural Psyche of Guangdong

This study investigates how contemporary printmaking in Guangdong reflects and responds to the region’s evolving cultural psyche through visual symbolism and thematic resonance. Focusing on representative works by artists such as Xu Qinsong, Zhang Minjie, Luo Biwu, Li Kang, and Zheng Feng, the research employs a semiotic and sociocultural approach to analyze how visual forms encode symbolic meanings that engage with historical memory, social transformation, and personal introspection. Placing these works in their socio-political contexts, from post-reform changes to urban migration and ecological reflection, the study shows how printmaking conveys personal and collective emotion. Ultimately, this paper argues that contemporary printmaking in Guangdong functions as a repository of cultural memory, where traces of the past persistently shape the emotional and symbolic landscape of modern southern Chinese society.