Why zines? Why now? It’s the natural thing. We want to be offline and now we’re getting to be, again.
No longer a niche subculture
What was once a niche form of DIY publishing is increasingly being embraced by museums, universities, and public libraries. The 2025 LA Zine Fest was hosted in partnership with The Broad museum, while academic libraries across the U.S. and U.K. have expanded zine collections and circulation programs. Our own Art & Copy has been bought, by Hong Kong-based Asia Art Archives, which includes an analog zine library where two of our issues will be. And I recently presented about our project at the online conference Academizines, too, about our story of making zines with people I’ve met through QR codes on flyers.
Institutions are paying attention to zines, too. They’re getting cataloged, circulated, and incorporated into library collections, now. Perhaps they see zines as cultural documents more than fringe publications. Here’s a very in-depth report from one library about preserving and circulating zines.
Zines are stylish now?
Zines may be way older than the internet, but they’re getting renewed attention in the digital age. Like graffiti that goes into art galleries now, I’m wondering if this is a fad, this idea that what was once a niche form of DIY publishing has gotten into museums, universities, libraries and the like. Or if it’s a sign of the times updating the definitions of what counts as ‘culture’. And artefacts of that.
I’m happy that more people are asking about zines and making them with me, now, in Art & Copy International Zine Club. I’ve started DESK to give myself a place to work out the ten years’ worth of diaristic musings and my favorite artwork from my tim ein Cambodia. Perhaps an archive of my own works, in the form of these A4 zines that are designed with my original Design Kompany audienc ein mind. People lokoing for inspiration, a fresh take on ‘making,’ and perhaps a little bit of encouragement to take a step out into the wild and try new things.
Order it through the links you’ll find here, or at our crowdfunding page for the old zine S P A C E.
To the journeys!