Artwork
Untitled (Lubok)
Untitled (Lubok) is an ink print by David Orme. It dates from 2010 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Check out the Jealous Print Studio Graduate Prize portfolios at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
David Orme’s Untitled (Lubok) is a 2010 screenprint held at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It came from a prize Jealous Print Studio started in 2009 for London art-school grads. Winners got a paid print-studio residency to make a new limited-edition piece.
Orme was one of eight winners in 2010 from the Royal College of Art. His print landed in the V&A’s collection with the rest of that year’s graduate portfolio.
Check out the Jealous Print Studio Graduate Prize portfolios at the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Overview
Untitled (Lubok) is a 2010 screenprint created by David Orme as part of the Jealous Print Studio Graduate Prize. The prize, initiated in 2009, selects one graduating MA Fine Art student from each of London’s eight leading art institutions. Winners receive a fully funded residency to produce a new limited-edition print, with all resulting works donated to the V&A’s print collection.
Subject & Meaning
The work draws on the visual language of Russian lubok prints, popular folk art characterized by bold outlines, simplified forms, and narrative clarity. Orme’s composition evokes this tradition without direct illustration, using abstracted shapes and rhythmic patterns to suggest cultural memory and mass reproduction. The title references a historical medium, inviting reflection on how imagery circulates across time and class.
Technique & Style
Executed as a screenprint, the piece employs layered inks and precise registration to achieve flat planes of color and sharp contrasts. Orme’s approach favors minimalism and repetition, echoing the mechanical reproduction inherent in both lubok prints and contemporary printmaking. The aesthetic is deliberate and restrained, prioritizing structure over ornamentation.
History & Provenance
David Orme, a graduate of the Royal College of Art, won the Jealous Print Studio prize in 2010. As part of the award, he produced this print during a residency at Jealous’s London studio. The work was included in the annual group exhibition of graduate editions and subsequently acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum as part of its permanent print collection, alongside the other seven 2010 winners’ works.
Context
The Jealous Print Studio Graduate Prize emerged as a response to the declining access many emerging artists had to professional print facilities. By offering residency and production support, the initiative bridged academic training and commercial printmaking. Orme’s inclusion reflects a broader effort to integrate contemporary fine art practices with traditional print methods and institutional preservation.
Legacy
The V&A’s acquisition of all graduate editions from the prize since 2009 has created a unique archive of emerging British printmaking. Orme’s Untitled (Lubok) contributes to this record as an example of how early-career artists engage with historical visual forms through contemporary techniques. The work remains accessible for study, reinforcing the role of institutional collections in documenting artistic development.
Artist & collection
Artist
This artist made screenprints in a playful, narrative style that nods to Lubok, a traditional Russian folk print tradition.
