Artwork
Tanks!
Tanks! is an ink print by Ian Gonczarow. It dates from 2009 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. In 2009, Jealous Print Studio launched a residency program for recent MA Fine Art graduates from eight leading London art institutions.
About this work
This is a 2009 screenprint by Ian Gonczarow. It’s part of a series made by recent art-school grads during a print-studio residency.
Each year one grad from eight top London schools gets picked. The winners make a small print run, and all the prints go to the Victoria and Albert Museum.
That’s how Gonczarow’s Tanks! landed in the V&A collection.
Look up the Victoria and Albert Museum.
Overview
In 2009, Jealous Print Studio launched a residency program for recent MA Fine Art graduates from eight leading London art institutions.
In 2009, Jealous Print Studio launched a residency program for recent MA Fine Art graduates from eight leading London art institutions. Each selected artist received full support to produce a limited-edition screenprint during a stay at the studio. The resulting works, including Ian Gonczarow’s Tanks!, were donated to the Victoria and Albert Museum’s print collection, forming an annual archive of emerging artistic voices.
Subject & Meaning
Gonczarow’s Tanks! depicts militarized vehicles rendered in simplified, overlapping forms. The imagery suggests mechanical repetition and institutional power, possibly reflecting on themes of control, surveillance, or the legacy of conflict. The title’s blunt phrasing contrasts with the print’s abstracted composition, inviting interpretation without prescribing a single narrative.
Technique & Style
The work is a screenprint, characterized by flat planes of color and crisp, layered edges. Gonczarow employed a restrained palette and geometric abstraction to reduce the tanks to essential shapes, emphasizing structure over detail. The technique highlights the materiality of ink on paper, aligning with the studio’s focus on print as a deliberate, hands-on medium.
History & Provenance
The print was produced during a 2009 residency at Jealous Print Studio, following Gonczarow’s selection as Goldsmith’s representative in the annual graduate prize. As part of the program’s agreement, all editions from that year were transferred to the V&A’s permanent collection, ensuring public access and historical documentation of early-career work from London’s top art schools.
Context
The program emerged during a period of increased institutional interest in supporting emerging printmakers. By partnering with major art schools and donating works to a national collection, Jealous Print Studio created a bridge between academic training and public archives, positioning printmaking as a legitimate and collectible discipline within contemporary art.
Legacy
The annual series continues to serve as a record of evolving artistic practices among recent graduates. Gonczarow’s contribution remains part of a broader institutional effort to preserve early works that might otherwise remain unseen. Its presence in the V&A affirms the value of printmaking as a medium for experimental and conceptual exploration.
Artist & collection
Artist
This screenprinter turned military hardware into bold, graphic art. Their 2009 piece Tanks! turns armored vehicles into repeating patterns you can almost feel stamped into paper. It’s a straight-up celebration of form…
