Five Must-Read Zines of Zinefest
Five wonderful, self-published beacons of creativity.
The Auckland Zinefest, the festival full of weird and wonderful zines and self-published curiosities is upon us once again. The Zinefest has grown in popularity and scale year on year, attracting veteran zine makers and newbies alike. This year the location of the main event, the Zine Market, has been upgraded to the roomy Pitt Street Methodist Church to accommodate over 60 stall holders.
We have five stalls for you to look out for on Saturday 29 August. This is just a small sample of the fascinating goods on offer, so be sure to come early to survey the scene and participate in the side events held on the day.
Sarah McNeil
Sarah McNeil is known for her beautiful illustrations of animals, including commissioned personalised portraits of pets. These precious pieces are full of delicate detail, rendered in pencil and gauche. If you have a special furry friend who deserves such a tribute, you can order one here. More affordable, but equally covetable, are her zines. She has made a collection of almost 20 to date. Sarah McNeil's zines are lovely risograph printed pastel-coloured bundles, sparsely populated with charming drawings and words. She has a unique lightness of touch and a penchant for finding poetic moments of beauty in the world.
Inky Palms
Inky Palms are the new cool kids on the block with a recently opened gallery space in La Gonda Arcade on K'Road. Their focus is on prints, zines and illustrative work. You may have seen one of the founder's, Chis ’Chippy’ Hutchinson's colourful, fun illustrations around. Inky Palms have a risograph printer rearing to go and will be teaching a workshop of risograph printing as part of the zine fest. The workshop has sadly filled up, but keep an eye out in case they announce another session. Be sure to check in at their stall at the Zinefest, it will be full of wall-worthy goodies.
Dreary Modern Life
Fresh & Fruity will be presenting a new edition of Dreary Modern Life, a publication by zine making veteran Hana Aoake, co-created in collaboration with various contributors and conspirators. The latest Dreary Modern Life is curated by Aoake and Mya Middelton, and delves into the world of social media and it's role as a personal branding tool, whether you consciously intend it to be used this way or not. The series of publications explore internet culture, mixing critical texts with found material and visual collages that represent our fragmented experience online. Dreary Life is a sign on the times. There are only 100 copies available, so make a beeline for Fresh & Fruity and snap one up quicksmart.
Suga Cyan
Suga Cyan, otherwise known as Pablo Espinosa, is an illustrator and designer from Mexico, who has made Auckland his home for the past five years. A designer at digital agency Gladeye by day, and Suga cyan, illustration wizard by night. He is a a pro when it comes to vibrant, bold digital illustration and has a great eye for colour. Espinosa's hand-drawing skills are also top notch. He will be selling a number of zines created in collaboration with his partner.
Single Dad
Single Dad's marital status is uncertain, but she is certainly not a dad. She is Camila, a talented zine maker and drawer. Her zines are full of hand-printed text that captures fragments of her life, her daily interactions, and observations, in a humorous and insightful manner. Her characters are full of personality, many of them based on her experiences of working at an independent cinema. Single Dad has a wonderful knack for comedic timing in her comics, which is helped along by her wobbly, David Shrigley like drawing style.
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