Hafsa Murtaza, Garden in a Pocket, 2026.
Varied edition of 4 artist books of collaged reused prints: blockprint,
cyanotype, and digital print on Japanese paper.
3 x 3 inches when closed, 18 x 6 or 24 x 6 inches when opened.
A varied edition of four artist books, Garden in a Pocket (2026), engages with the tradition of making landscapes visual through maps that can be folded, condensed, and traversed to new lands. The books combine Petal Fold and Turkish Map Fold to create a collapsible book that can be engaged with in several ways: opened as leaves in a book, stretched out, or wrapped around to form a circle. Reused ajrak block prints, cyanotypes, and digital prints leftover from my previous works that engage with reimagining the Mehtab Bagh comprise the artist books, as do block-printed geometric North African kilim rug patterns. Similarities between textiles from different regions in their formulaic yet rhythmic patterning attest to cultural exchange.
