Zines of all kinds rest on the colorfully decorated tables and gleaming, wooden floor of the Gatov West gallery as a part of the visually and thematically diverse Cal State Long Beach Zine Fest.
Short for magazine or fanzine, a zine is a small book of often self-published works that can range from photographs to drawings to text.
Zine Fest organizer Shelby Roberts described zines as “a quick, entertaining way to start feeling curious about something.”
The exhibit debuted on Feb. 26, for a full room of gallery visitors, according to Roberts. Artists who contributed zines to the exhibit included community members, student organizations such as La Raza Student Association and the Printmaking Club, as well as students from other universities.
“It’s a hard medium to describe, because it can be about anything,” Roberts said.
The zines present were used for many purposes. Some told stories, while others paid tribute to things that the artist loves.
“Onomatopoeia Mornings” by Pa Lo is a black-and-white zine that uses only one cut-out picture of a clock per page accompanied by sound describing words like “buzz,” “vroom,” and “yawn.” It conveys the passage of time with the clocks as it tells the story of a person waking up and leaving home to start their day.
Meanwhile, Natalie Hour’s “My Mom’s Home Cooked Cambodian Food” consists of black-and-white pictures of the food made by the artist’s mother and a brief explanation of what the dish is and how to best eat it.
Though some of the zines on display were for sale, many were placed for the purpose of exhibition or giving away.
“A zine isn’t meant to be a commodity,” Roberts said. “They’re for sharing info.”
“Machines That Can Make Your Cat Fly” took a comedic approach to information sharing through zine. As the title implies, it uses exaggerated drawings to list ludicrous ways that a person can make a cat fly, such as using a cannon or placing your cat inside of a star. Roberts warned that you may not see your cat again if you listen to this zine.
However, other zines used their pages to educate about more serious issues such as puberty, race and rape culture.
A series of zines titled “Stay Woke” by Daniel Garcia of Influentza Independent Press took on a magazine-like form, and told stories within its pages in order to make readers aware of how they may be participating in rape culture and racism, and what they can do combat prejudices.
Amber McCall’s “You’re Becoming a Woman,” uses written word and drawings of the human anatomy to detail changes that occur during puberty. This zine reads like a series of letters sent from an older sibling to their younger sister, and aims to educate her and its readers on what is happening to them during puberty and explain to them that feeling confused is normal.
Zines are not the only art featured in the exhibit. Students of Sculpting Professor Michael Parker participated in the Zine Fest by creating clay sculpture replicas of houses in the city of Long Beach. Students created zines and placed them within or near the sculptures, detailing their process for creating their contributions.
The Zine Fest will be on display between Fine Arts 2 and Fine Arts 3 until March 2, from 12-5 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday, and 12-7 p.m. on Wednesday.