he First Karachi Print Biennale – 2014, acted as a capsule, which catalogued the past and the present, associated with the Printmaking medium in Pakistan. The aim of this archive is to document the correspondence Romila Kareem held with artists, art collectors, old teachers, curators and visiting international artists.
To obtain old prints, artists and collectors were contacted via email, phone calls and letters. In order to connect different phases of this long journey, any records made in diaries, notes, journals, photographs, emails and recorded items were searched and reviewed.
Those documents caused all of Romila’s memories to resurface, the starting point of another archive.
Diary I – Includes selected events, days and photographs, which she remembered while searching for prints, and meeting people who helped with the search. It includes ephemeral bits and pieces recorded on paper and present day reflections on the past events regarding their journey
Diary II – “Try it and let’s see what happens.”
Romila has selected interesting and descriptive letters of Walter Crump. While reading his letters, many things unfolded. Different interesting topics came up that inspired her to go back to the printmaking process. The prints act as a suitable medium to respond to the content of this archival project. This collection of work is titled ‘Imprints Archived.’