Main Sponsor for Printfest

“We are very excited to continue to be the main sponsor of Printfest and support contemporary print makers producing high quality affordable art. One of the reasons we, as a species, have managed to evolve from hanging around in trees to populating the world is because we develop the ability to express ourselves through art. Good art should challenge us to think, tell a story and allow us to use our imagination.”

Karel Jacobs
Canter Holland
kareljacobs@canterholland.com

Administration Centre
16 Commerce Road,
Lynch Wood,
Peterborough PE2 6LR 117

Farringdon Road,
London, EC1R 3BX

Office 0845 127 1444
hello@canterholland.com
www.canterholland.com

Coming to get you, Etching with acquatint by Tim Southall, he says “using horror movie characters from the golden age of Hollywood, I have attempted to create a number of different stories in this gothic shocker.” Purchased at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2025.

Are you looking at me? (Because you probably should), A2 Screenprint of 17 colours by Charlotte Farmer. Purchased at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2025.

I have no beef with you, etching by C Alan. This print celebrates a rich tradition of satirical printmaking, inspired by masters like Hogarth and Gillray from the Napoleonic era. Inspired by Hogarth’s “The Gate of Calais”, or “The Roast Beef of Old England”. Purchased at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2025.

Art, empathy, and the power of everyday connection
Sarah Igo talks to Karel Jacobs of Canter Holland

When this year’s Printfest theme of empathy was first announced, it immediately put me in mind of Karel Jacobs and of a conversation we had not long ago about one artwork hanging in his office. A recent acquisition titled ‘Read the Room’. “It makes me smile,” Karel said at the time. “It’s staggering how many people don’t read the room.”

Empathy can be described as that ability to ‘read the room’, to sense mood, emotion and unspoken feeling. A long-standing supporter of Printfest and a passionate collector, Karel lives and works surrounded by art: in offices, meeting rooms, stairwells and unexpected corners. For him, art is not about prestige or price tags, but about connection: those simple moments when a print or picture sparks a smile, a conversation or a shared pause for thought between people.

There’s always more than one way, ~ photograph by Tim Brookes. Humour can point you in more than one direction. Purchased at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2025.

In this Q&A, Karel reflects on humour, accessibility, background art and cave art, tackling the tricky problem of elitism in art (and wine) and why empathy in art doesn’t live in grand statements, but in the small, human exchanges we often overlook.

You’ve collected several new works recently. What continues to draw you to events like Printfest?
Every year we go to Printfest and tell ourselves we’ll be restrained, because wall space is our limiting factor… but we never are. Like a kid in a sweet shop, we ended up with four pieces last year and could easily have bought more. What always strikes me is the broad range of art and the number of new faces. At many art fairs, it’s the same artists year after year. Printfest is different!

What would you say to someone who doesn’t consider themselves ‘an art person’?
I’d reject that label. When cave dwellers drew animals on walls, they weren’t asking if they were art people. They were just expressing what they saw and felt.

This year’s theme is empathy, often described as the ability to ‘read the room’. Do you think visual art can sharpen that instinct?
Yes, I do. For art to grab people’s attention it has to be eye-catching and interesting. That might be through humour, boldness, difference or scale. For me, humour works best. It makes people smile and takes their mind away from whatever they’re dealing with. I challenge anyone to look at Tim Brookes ‘There’s Always More Than One Way’ (acquired at the RA Summer Exhibition) and not walk away smiling and humming that particular Blondie song.

You’ve described small, unplanned conversations sparked by the art in your offices. Is this where art’s empathetic power really lives?
Yes. We make a point of having striking art behind us during Zoom calls. It invariably leads to conversation. Recently, on a call with a London investment firm, I noticed they had two works by Gordon Cheung behind them from his Tulipmania series. We had one too. It instantly changed the dynamic. It gives you something different to talk about.

Novelist and psychologist Keith Oatley describes art as a ‘safe space’ to practise emotional understanding. Can offices function this way through displaying art?
I think so. Art creates friendly, interesting workspaces. One of our team said that seeing art on the stairwell in our Peterborough office inspired her to hang pictures on her own stairs at home.

At festivals like Printfest, people meet the artists themselves. How important is that human proximity?
Very important. You want to understand what motivated the artist. The more connection you have to the person behind the work, the stronger the emotional relationship becomes.

Distraction in February, waterless lithography by Jane McKeating. purchased at Printfest 2025.

Do you think empathy in art is still undervalued?
Yes. We’re still fighting the elitist battle.

You’ve spoken about elitism in art before, about art needing to be approachable. Do you think accessibility is, in itself, an act of empathy?
Yes, it’s a big bugbear of mine. Art should be approachable, not elitist. You could describe that as empathy. It should be ‘social’ without the ‘ist’ bit at the end. Wine is another passion of mine, and again, one often viewed as elitist.
[Karel is speaking to me while travelling in Franschhoek, one of South Africa’s most eminent wine regions].
It’s telling that top wine estates attract expensive art. The town is full of galleries selling extremely high-priced work, and none of it has prices on display. If you need to ask, you can’t afford it. It’s crazy – and it’s completely elitist.

How do we resolve elitism in art?
We must stop treating it as being elitist. Galleries exist to make money, and artists, often after years of living with very little, won’t refuse large sums when they finally come. I understand that. But in an ideal world, all artists would be paid fairly, without a handful earning fortunes while the vast majority struggle. I am not sure how this can be resolved other than keep talking about it!

In a world of AI-generated images, does humanmade art take on new emotional meaning?
I think meeting the artist and hearing their story is the powerful part, and I don’t think AI can replace that.

Does ambiguity in art – not being told what to think – create more space for empathy?
It does. We’re already told how to feel and behave endlessly by the authorities. I want to understand what the artist was thinking but to be free to then interpret it for myself.

And finally, how do you feel a festival like Printfest seeks to tackle the problem of elitism in art?
By sticking to the policy of only accepting printmakers who sell directly to the public, and by insisting that the artists are present throughout the event.

Ten Bobs, waterless lithography by Jane McKeating. Karel purchased this print from Jane at Printfest 2025.