Yorkshire Artist's Nasa Print Unveiled at Cartwright Hall Exhibition

A unique piece of space history has been uncovered for a new exhibition, featuring a screen print by a Yorkshire artist who was commissioned by Nasa during the dawn of space exploration. The artwork, titled Komtek I, was created in 1962 by Michael Fossick, an alumnus of the Bradford School of Art, to honor a Hong Kong company that manufactured microcomputers. Fossick was among 38 artists selected by then-Nasa administrator James Webb in March 1962 to visually document the space agency's historic journey to send the first humans to the moon.

Fossick's piece was crafted as a screen print utilizing an exceptionally early computerized image. He subsequently entered the work into the inaugural British International Print Biennale held at Cartwright Hall in 1968, where it successfully claimed a prize. The newly opened exhibition at the Bradford gallery highlights the history of the biennale, which ran across eleven editions between 1968 and 1990, and will remain open to the public until March 2027.

A rare 1962 Nasa-commissioned print by a Yorkshire artist is on display in Bradford.

Exhibition curator Jill Iredale noted that the display includes famous works by artists like Andy Warhol and David Hockney, alongside lesser-seen pieces like Fossick's creation. Hockney served as a judge for the first biennale in 1968 and designed the official poster for the event, which is also featured in the gallery. Iredale explained that the local pop art boom emerged as a creative response to the seriousness of World War Two, supported by a post-baby boom youth culture and an experimental, do-it-yourself aesthetic among local artists and colleges.

Why it matters

The Pop Art at Cartwright Hall exhibition tells the story of the British International Print Biennale, showcasing how regional British artists connected with global endeavors like early space exploration. By bringing together rare works from local talents and international icons, the gallery preserves an important era of post-war artistic experimentation for contemporary audiences.