Shining a Light on Dante: Two Artists Interpret The Divine Comedy Through Print

Dante, the medieval politician and poet, wrote The Divine Comedy during his exile, after being sentenced to death for his outspoken criticism of the church. The work is often seen as a reflection of Dante’s own personal crises and his journey toward understanding the soul’s path to God. Over the past 700 years, countless artists have turned to this epic to explore its themes of human suffering, salvation, and spiritual transcendence.

Tacita Dean, who first began collaborating with Niels Borch Jensen’s studio over 20 years ago, has made printmaking an integral part of her practice. Her work, often inspired by her films and found materials such as vintage photographs and postcards, uses a range of printmaking techniques, including photogravure, direct gravure, offset lithography, and screenprinting. These techniques enable Dean to translate her poetic visual narratives into the realm of print.

At Market Art Fair 2025, Dean will present her large-scale work Inferno, a ten-metre print in eight parts, which depicts the descent of Dante and Virgil into Hell. The prints feature an inverted mountainscape in negative space, inscribed with text, marks, splashes, and collaged elements. The source of the work is a found image: a series of nineteenth-century photographs of a mountainous panorama. Dean’s striking combination of techniques and materials transforms the timeless narrative of Inferno into a visual meditation on suffering, despair, and human resilience.

In contrast, Alexander Tovborg – a Danish artist whose work spans painting, prints, sculpture, installation, and performance – has long been drawn to fundamental human questions, particularly those explored through religious narratives, mythology, and symbols. His distinctive figurative imagery and rich colour combinations consider how grand narratives are formed and how they might evolve.

Tovborg has worked with BORCH Editions for over eight years, producing three large series of etchings inspired by each of the three books of The Divine Comedy: Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. His most recent series, which will be part of the BORCH Editions presentation at Market 2025, offers a rich, symbolic interpretation of Dante’s journey through the afterlife.

While Dean and Tovborg’s works differ greatly in expression, scale, and printing techniques, both projects are united by their deep engagement with Dante’s text and their exploration of the eternal questions raised by The Divine Comedy. Both Dean and Tovborg’s projects speak to the enduring relevance of Dante’s Divine Comedy, bringing the medieval text into contemporary discourse through innovative printmaking techniques. These large-scale projects are not only visually stunning but also invite deep contemplation on the eternal themes of human suffering, redemption, and spiritual transcendence.

For Market Art Fair 2025, these two monumental print projects will offer a powerful glimpse into how printmaking continues to evolve while also promising to offer visitors a rare opportunity to engage with two unique interpretations of one of history’s most important literary works. BORCH Editions’ presentation at Market Art Fair 2025, featuring Dean and Tovborg’s print projects, is a testament to the studio’s ongoing commitment to artistic collaboration, pushing the boundaries of printmaking while preserving the timeless power of Dante’s original vision.