Innova Art showed how to do it at The Photography Show, NEC, Birmingham, 16-19 March 2019
On the basis that show, not tell, is always the best way to convince anyone, Innova Art’s spectacular Atlas of Humanity exhibition at The Photography Show 2019, NEC, Birmingham, 16-19 March, certainly did the job.
Devised in association with the Italian photographer and curator Martin Vegas, the Atlas of Humanity exhibition – images of people from around the world, printed on premium Innova Art substrates – proved one of the talking points of the fair.
As Innova Art MD Mike Ramos-Gonzalez said, “We’ve shown Atlas of Humanity across Europe and America, and the reaction is always the same: what beautiful portraits, what amazing prints – now which papers do I buy to get my work looking that good?”
The four Innova Art papers used to make the prints included two papers from the acclaimed Innova Editions® range: Exhibition Photo Baryta 310gsm (IFA 69) – a pure white photographic base paper with a true barium sulphate layer; and Fabriano Printmaking Rag 310gsm (IFA 107), the 100% cotton, mouldmade paper based on centuries-old papermaking techniques, with a unique white tone and soft grain texture.
Atlas of Humanity images were also printed on the Innova Smooth Cotton High White 100% Cotton 315gsm (IFA 14), one of the most popular Innova Art papers with a smooth, matte finish that lets images speak for themselves; and Innova FibaPrint® Ultra Smooth Gloss 285gsm (IFA 49), the multi-award-winning digital fibre based baryta paper with an ultra-smooth gloss finish.
Ramos-Gonzalez added, “There was a steady flow of people who, after admiring the exhibition, came straight over to the stand, wanting to buy the same paper they’d seen up on the wall. The exhibition was also an excellent space for engaging with visitors and talking about their work and generally.”
Digital media specialist and online retailer Fine Art Foto was on the Innova Art stand, promoting the full range as well as offering some exclusive Photography Show discounts on selected products.
Fine Art Foto’s top sellers included the papers that featured in the the Art of Humanity exhibition: FibaPrint® Ultra Smooth gloss 285gsm (IFA 49), Fabriano Printmaking Rag 310gsm (IFA 107) and the Smooth Cotton High White 100% Cotton 315gsm (IFA 14). In the ever popular Olmec™ range, the pick of the photo papers this year were the Photo Gloss Midweight 240gsm (OLM 63); the Photo Metallic Lustre 260gsm (OLM 72); and the Photo Matte Archival 230gsm (OLM 67). The simple and effective JetMaster® and GOframe display systems – quick, cost-effective and brilliantly stylish solutions to presenting and hanging images – were also popular. Special promotional deals, offering visitors a box of double-sided Olmec photo paper with a half-price Pinchbook™ Photo Book were also a hit.
“At The Photography Show we’re talking to our core customer base about products we’ve developed to help them show off their work to maximum effect,” said Ramos-Gonzalez. “The Atlas of Humanity exhibition made it clear just how good the results can be with Innova Art products, and we were delighted by how enthusiastic visitors were.”