In the last few years, the zine culture has become widespread in Hungary, that is, the production of art magazines with photographs or illustrations, mainly based on visual content and mostly characterized by creative freedom. You could say that it can be anything: it often revolves around a constructed concept—be it music, a dream, or a social group represented—and other times it can be a visualization of a fleeting emotion or a state of mind. In our latest selection, we have collected five zines with very different themes to show the diversity of the genre in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
Untold Stories No.1 Dream
BP-Zines | Budapest, Hungary
In the first issue of the new Hungarian zine entitled ‘Untold Stories’, we are introduced to a comic anthology with detailed illustrations, which is about dreams. And in more ways than one: fourteen Hungarian artists are featured in this risograph edition. What’s interesting is that we can follow the dreams in only two colors, orange and purple, inviting us on a special journey.
The first prints of the Untold Stories were presented at the Ukmukfukk Zinefeszt, where visitors could choose from a wide range of works by other artists. The edition is published by BP-Zines, where it is available for purchase.
BP-Zines | Web | Facebook | Instagram
Ukmukkfukk Zinefeszt | Facebook | Instagram
Real eyes zine
Varikina Studio | Belgrade, Serbia
In one of the Varikina publishing studio’s signature pieces, young underground Serbians present their dark visions and emotions at a dazing peak. Pavle Trifunović and Witty Wow collaborate on what it’s like to be inside the mind of a Generation Z man with an uncertain future, but a loving heart. A dystopian mixed metaphor.
Varikina Studio—Real eyes zine| Web | Instagram
@wittywow| Instagram
Unknown Person—Paper Unknown
Anna Dial | Moscow, Russia
They think completely differently, and it works for them. When the Unknown Person first launched, it gave attention to Russia’s underground art scene by turning unknown artists into stars appearing on the cover. Launched in 2018 by 27-year-old illustrator, designer, and animator Anna Dial, the quarterly zine now offers a platform for the country’s ‘outsider art’ with a revamped look. Their latest Postarchive publication was launched in October in Moscow as part of an exhibition of performances and videos by the artists.
Unknown Paper | Web | Instagram
Dik Fagazine
Karol Radziszewski, Martin Falck | Warsaw, Poland
DIK Fagazine is the first zine in Central and Eastern Europe to focus specifically on homosexuality and masculinity. It combines archival queer research with contemporary art since 2005, the year Warsaw’s Pride parade was banned. It was founded as an art magazine by Polish artist Karol Radziszewski and is currently edited in English by Martin Falck.
Dik Fagazine | Web | Instagram | Facebook
Weird Sisters
Mokhira Suyarkulova, Oxana Shatalova | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Although the final piece in our collection falls outside the boundaries of the Eastern European region, the post-Soviet ties make it a relevant and unique zine. The Weird Sisters was founded in 2014 by two rebellious Kyrgyz girls. It is actually a samizdat, a genre that is well-known in Hungary, too. The idea of self-publishing with an illegal theme is deeply rooted in the territories of the former Soviet occupation. Fed up with the daily sexist comments and the patriarchal system that surrounded them, the founders decided to cast their opposition in the form of a queer-feminist zine.
Source: Calvert Journal, Electronicbeats
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