El Zine: Contemporary Underground Archives, curated by Barbara Calderón, is an exhibition including monographs, ethnographies of low brow scenes, fiction, art books, health advice for POC (People of Color), educational and historical texts, and artist catalogs.
In the last ten years, we have seen “DIY” (Do It Yourself) publishers expand tenfold with a new zine fest popping up every month in cities worldwide. The incorporation of zine tents in art book fairs such as Printed Matter in New York City and Los Angeles exemplify mere fragments of the creative output that thrive outside of mainstream publishing platforms.
This generation has re-embraced the analog and “DIY” mentality of content creation by rejecting traditional processes of editorial gatekeeping– a mechanism that keeps the most interesting creators (ie. Latinx folks) at bay. This exposition gave a sense of the ideas that percolate in underground art, literature, and punk scenes across the country with work that is rare, obscure, and distinct.
The curated selection of DIY content included monographs, ethnographies of low brow scenes, fiction, art books, health advice for POC (People of Color), educational and historical texts, and artist catalogs. Most publishers exhibited in el zine operate outside of mainstream publishing and produce their zines independently with little editorial oversight.
The exhibition included works distinguished for their informality and rarity of their work. There was a freedom to explore any and all topics that have aspects of “taboo” -magic, marijuana, sex work- and personal content that may not exist in other media arenas -urban landscapes, ghost stories, Queer and Trans perspectives, Ancestral healing practices-. These zines offered an exclusive eye into the anxieties, interests, and ideas powering this generation’s cultural production.
Featuring
Julia Arredondo, Valerie Bower, Brown n Proud Press, Mayra Cortez, Suzy Exposito, Muchacha Fanzine, Luz Magdaleno Flores, Sayuri Gomez, Alfonso Gonzalez Jr., Cristobal Guerra, Yeiry Guevara, Juan Madrid, Luisa Martinez, Mujeres de Maize, Tania Negrete, Ezequiel Olvera, Dave Ortega, Kyle Richardson, Shellyne Rodriguez, Julieta Salgado, Tamara Santibañez, Stephanie Segura, STEFA, Margot Terc, Reuben Torres, Tahnee Udero, and Alvaro Zavala.