edition~verso (b. 2012, Johannesburg)

About edition ~ verso

Our Story

edition ~ verso was established in 2015 by printmaker Sara-Aimee Verity, and serves as both publishing platform and workshop for the development of fine art print-works by notable makers across disciplines from the African continent and abroad.

The studio values experimentation through traditional processes. The scope of techniques on offer include but are not limited to, intaglio (etching, drypoint and photopolymer gravure), relief work (lino and woodcut), collograph, chine collé, and once-off impressions in oil and watercolour monotype. As a conscious effort towards the importance of material properties, edition ~ verso makes handmade paper from their studio waste. This endeavour allows for artists to include a facilitated paper making practice alongside the making of prints in the studio.

Listening involves interpreting and translating the ideas of artists into print, and the inquiry into forms of publishing, collaborative experimentation and technical knowledge in the realisation of print projects.
These include durational print projects, research (the tacit kind) through the print medium, a residency programme, concentrated production, and the making of publications in partnership with bookbinders and friends in print publishing.

Above all things, the verso imprint functions as a sensitive instrument; part listening practice, and part gesture of ongoing inquiry.

edition ~ verso collaborations continue over the course of many years, offering artists the opportunity to build up a comprehensive body of printed work at their own pace, exploring the various aspects of the print medium in close/far relation to their existing practice. Our collaborations lead to deep-rooted working relationships, the fostering of a studio community, and are the foundation of edition ~ verso.

Image top: Window reflections and a brass plate etching in the ferric acid bath at the edition ~ verso studio, 2022.
Image bottom: The Works Title by Kundai Moyo, Chiné Collé on paper, 2022, on the shelf at the edition ~ verso studio, 2023.

People

The edition ~ verso studio, a women-led team who work closely with artists in-house, includes founder Sara-Aimee Verity, studio manager Megan Rumpelt, apprentice printmaker, Courteney Bentley, with generous design support from Michaela Verity. We are a small team with ample technical skill and a love for what we do.

The Johannesburg studio offers artists an intimate and focussed period of print production, set within an ever-shifting garden, that plays a crucial role in making this time and focus possible. Throughout the collaborative process, we encourage artists to rediscover their own work through the various printmaking processes while we as printers advance our own expertise by meeting the artists’ vision through nuanced propositions in print.

Read more about our team below, or the artists we work with.

Together, we work without emulative parameters to create the best print possible.

Image top: Window reflections and a brass plate etching in the ferric acid bath at the edition ~ verso studio, 2022.
Image bottom: The Works Title by Kundai Moyo, Chiné Collé on paper, 2022, on the shelf at the edition ~ verso studio, 2023.

Team

Image bottom: The Works Title by Kundai Moyo, Chiné Collé on paper, 2022, on the shelf at the edition ~ verso studio, 2023.

Image bottom: The Works Title by Kundai Moyo, Chiné Collé on paper, 2022, on the shelf at the edition ~ verso studio, 2023.

Sara-Aimee Verity, Founder
Sara-Aimee Verity (b. 1981) is a master printer, apprenticed to Zhané Warren. Her practice is working with artists, attempting to translate their ideas and thoughts onto paper with the companionship of the printing press. Having worked in print for over twenty years, she has editioned for a long list of South African and international artists.**

After working at Warren Editions (Cape Town), she went on to work at Fundacion Acè (Buenos Aires), headed up the professional workshop at the Artist’s Proof Studio (Joburg) and has worked as a sessional print lecturer at the Univeristy of the Witwatersrand since 2015.

As a publisher, she always wants to do more, slowly.

*2009-2019 BAFA Tshwane University.
**Some of these artists include: William Kentridge, Kagiso Pat Mautloa, Georgina Gratrix, Handspring Puppet Company, Colbert Mashile, Doris Bloom, Hentie Van Der Merwe, Mongezi Ncaphayi, Clive Van Den Berg, Paul Emmanuel, Norman Catherine, Brett Murray, Sanell Aggenbach, Lebohang Motaung, Bianca Baldi and Bridget Baker, Michael Taylor, Ina Van Zyl, Sober and Lonely Institute, Ziyanda Majozi, Faith47, and Nomthunzi Mashalaba

Michaela Verity, Designer & consultant
Michaela Verity (b. 1986) is a multidisciplinary creative professional with a passion for visual storytelling and craftsmanship. As a Senior Creative at MediaVision (UK) and a seasoned freelance graphic designer, she brings years of expertise in branding, digital design, and visual communication. Her skills extend into photography, illustration, and crafting, allowing her to approach projects with a well-rounded artistic perspective. Beyond digital design, Michaela plays an integral role at edition ~ verso, contributing to studio operations, product development and technical support. Whether refining designs, crafting handmade paper, or stepping in as the ever-essential “clean hands,” her versatility and attention to detail are invaluable to the studio’s creative process.

To get in touch with Michaela, send us an email, and we’ll gladly pass it along.

*2009-2019 BAFA Tshwane University.

Image bottom: The Works Title by Kundai Moyo, Chiné Collé on paper, 2022, on the shelf at the edition ~ verso studio, 2023.

Image bottom: The Works Title by Kundai Moyo, Chiné Collé on paper, 2022, on the shelf at the edition ~ verso studio, 2023.

Courteney Bentley, Apprentice Printmaker
Courteney Bentley (b. 2002) is a multidisciplinary artist with a strong focus on ceramics, drawing and photography. A recent BA Fine Art graduate from Wits University, Courteney is an apprentice printmaker at edition ~ verso where she is developing her printmaking and papermaking interests.

Courteney is an avid learner, and enjoys a good book.

*2009-2019 BAFA Tshwane University.

Megan Rumpelt, Studio Manager

Megan Rumpelt (b. 1999) is the edition ~ verso studio manager. After graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Wits, Megan interned at the studio in 2024. Thereafter she worked as a fine art specialist at an auction house for a brief period.

Megan is an interdisciplinary artist who thinks through her work as installation and curates sculpture, works on paper and paintings with an attention to space and familiarity.

She is developing her printmaking experience and knowledge at the studio.

*2009-2019 BAFA Tshwane University.