A print exposition like never before — the “First International Print Biennial Karachi, 2014” — presently on at the VM Art Gallery unfolds as a rare treat. Comprising archival, contemporary and open call sections as well as marked space for international visiting printmakers it spotlights the past, present and emerging future of printmaking in Pakistan.

Here it is pertinent to mention that in our milieu the print aesthetic is amongst the lesser understood mediums and suffers from marginal viewership. Despite this the Print Biennial proves that, undeterred by this disservice, our artists have continued to engage meaningfully with the genre over the years.

This project owes its successful orchestration to the dedication and untiring efforts of printmaker / curator Romilla Karim. Confident that she could find enough authentic prints and textual material to mount a biennial, she spent more than a year researching, locating and selecting the works from public and private collections in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. Necessary support was provided by co-curator Riffat Alvi Director VM and advisors Mehr Afroz and Naiza Khan.

The First International Print Biennial highlights the past, present and emerging future of printmaking in Pakistan

Boasting a wealth of prints, all under one roof, the expo calls for patient, extended viewing if audiences desire to grasp the trends and techniques of the master artists, influences of the visiting printmakers and innovations of contemporary artists. In the archival section an original Chughtai print, is as much a rare find as the Shemza and Anna Molka print because most works of these masters are buried in private collections and not easily accessible in the flesh.

Poshak I (2006), Meher Afroz

As a show the biennial reads as a virtual history of print art in Pakistan. In the 1950s the Punjab University’s art faculty possessed a print department where small orthodox presses for intaglio, relief and planographic printing (printing from a flat surface, as opposed to a raised surface) were available to students for printmaking and significant prints were made by Colin David, Ghulam Rasul, Safi Safdar and Saeed Akhtar in intaglio, litho and relief in the early ’60s.

New experimental techniques were imbibed when, in the fall of 1966, The United States Information Service invited Michael Ponce de Leon to conduct a workshop in Karachi. Participating artists included Ahmed Khan, Saeed Akhtar, Marjorie Hussain, Naz Ikramullah, Mansoor Aye, Ghulam Rasul, Mahmood ul Haque, Bashir Mirza, Zahoor ul Ikhlaq, Ghulam Mustafa, etc. The impact of the workshop was far reaching as some of the displayed prints testify. Awareness levels began to grow and in 1973 when the Pakistan National Council of Arts (PNCA) organised its first national exhibition of paintings and graphics awards were given for the three best entries in painting and printmaking.

Academically the print aesthetic gained credibility when qualified artists like Mehr Afroz arrived from Lucknow and began teaching the subject at the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts (CIAC). At the National College of Arts (NCA) the medium’s scope expanded when print specialists such as Nazish Ata Ullah, Anwar Saeed and Afshar Malik took up teaching posts and the Cowasjee Print Studio, established in 1987 with the generous support of famous writer / journalist Ardeshir Cowasjee, became operative.

Madonna (1995), Rukeya Sultana

The section devoted to visiting artists is significant because of the role their workshops have played in opening the local sensibility to new technologies, processes, ideas and expertise. In 1986 workshops were held with Portuguese printmaker Bartolomeu dos Santos, from the Slade School of Arts’ print department in London and, later, Peter Daglish also from the Slade. In 1992 American printmaker and photographer, Walter Crump, conducted a ‘monoprint workshop’ in Karachi, under the aegis of the Karachi School of Art. He also taught for a year at the National College of Art, Lahore.

In 1998 Spanish printmakers Fernando Bellver and Joaquin Capa conducted a printmaking workshop in Lahore. The next year, fellow Spaniards Monir-ul-Islam and Anna Bellido conducted an intaglio printmaking workshop at the NCA in Lahore. In February 2010 Australian artist Damon Kowarsky taught a three-week printmaking workshop in two-plate colour etching at the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (IVSAA) in Karachi.

Fellow Australian Michael Kempson also collaborated with the printmaking department of the IVSAA. Box print portfolios evolving out of some recent printmaking workshops have also contributed to the popularity of the print aesthetic. Three major limited edition print portfolios were produced between 2009-2010 — two by the Indus Valley School and one by the NCA.

An entire gallery brimming with prints selected for the Open Call segment testifies that the print genre is a favoured option amongst mid-career and emerging young generation artists. Prints by known artists such as Usman Ghouri, Abdullah Syed, Roohi Ahmed, Adeel uz Zafar, Usman Syed, Rabeya Jalil, Sophia Khawaja, Fatima Syed, etc, establish the medium’s contemporary status and perspective.

Launched with the support of VM Gallery and Rangoonwala Trust this event has an extensive format. To promote public knowledge and understanding of printmaking educational outreach programmes and artist talks are scheduled along with two collaborative gallery exhibitions. Research-based documentation in the form of a catalogue is also part of the biennial event.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, September 14th, 2014