Copy Machine Manifestos: Artists Who Make Zine

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Robert Ford with Trent Adkins and Lawrence Warren, “Thing, no. 4,” Spring 1991

offset zine (collection Steve Lafreniere) (courtesy Arthur Fournier), (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, Evan McKnight)

Copy Machine Manifestos: Artists Who Make Zines is the first exhibition dedicated to the rich history of five decades of artists’ zines produced in North America.

Since the 1970s, zines have given a voice and visibility to many operating outside of mainstream culture. Although zines have much in common with other independent publications—they have their own distinct lineage. This exhibition charts how artists have harnessed the medium’s essential role in self-expression and community building and used it to transform material and conceptual approaches to art making. This groundbreaking exhibition documents zines’ relationship to various subcultures and avant-garde practices, from punk and street culture to conceptual, queer and feminist art. It also examines zines’ intersections with other mediums, including collage, craft, film, drawing, painting, performance, photography, sculpture and video. Featuring nearly one thousand zines and artworks by over one hundred artists, Copy Machine Manifestos demonstrates the importance of zines to artistic production across North America.

Vancouver has a rich history of artists’ zines that emerged around the Western Front community of artists in the 1970s. To compliment the exhibition, we have created a reading room featuring a selection of zines and small publications produced by local artists and makers in a range of styles, formats and subject matter. The reading room highlights the robust zine culture that exists in the city. Artists include Ho Tam, Whess Harman, Erica Wilk, Cole Pauls, Cheryl Hamilton, Lisa g Nielsen, Liz Knox and many more. The reading room is framed by an artwork created by local artist and zine maker Marlene Yuen, and we invite visitors to sit and enjoy a sampling of Vancouver’s expansive zine culture.

Please note that this exhibition contains graphic content and language. Viewer discretion is advised.