Dear All,



This is the 10th and final issue of Romka, a project I started in late 2008.



Romka is a collective photo album — established artists as well as amateurs share the stories behind their most treasured photographs. I’ve been collecting and publishing these images over the last years, because I’ve always been interested in the interplay of photography and personal memories. How we link life-changing events and mere anecdotes to photographs — sometimes at the very moment of exposure, sometimes in retrospect, way after the fact.



About half of the contributions in this issue are from artists I sought out because their work caught my attention in one way or the other. I asked them for a photo, any photo, that genuinely strikes a chord in them and to explain why that is. I also put out an open call earlier this year; my favorite submissions make up the other half.



The photo below is by Paul Mpagi Sepuya, who contributed a story to this issue as well. I chose it as the cover because it captures the intimacy of the printed page so perfectly. I’m also a sucker for tender hand gestures.



I hope you enjoy this issue.



Thanks,

Joscha