Bani Abidi's ARTMargins Article Examines Pre-Internet Art Education in Pakistan Through Photocopied Materials

Bani Abidi's article 'Color Charts' was published in ARTMargins Volume 12, Issue 2 on June 20, 2023. The piece examines how Western art history was taught in Pakistan before widespread internet access, when educational materials consisted primarily of black-and-white photocopies from original publications. These reproductions transformed glossy art book pages into grainy, monochromatic versions. Abidi argues this practice represented a form of radical piracy rather than a disadvantage. The blurred and often illegible nature of these materials created a liberating educational experience. The article appears on pages 95-105 with DOI 10.1162/artm_a_00353 and is available through MIT Press with subscription access. ARTMargins Online hosts the content at their website.