A life in Zines & DIY Cultures
ZINE
workshop
with Hamja Ahsan & friends
wednesday
26 march
18:00 -22:00Hamja Ahsan has been making and collecting zines for over 30 years. He is in possession of what is probably the world’s largest zine archive on the topic of neurodivergence, and advocates for the zine as a medium for all ages to access a practice of creative play within the drudgery of adulthood.
At the same time, Hamja understands zines as a tool of activism and empowerment. For five years, he organised the DIY Cultures Fair in London, which distinguished itself by its commitment to Black and people of colour empowerment and centralising marginalised histories and subcultures, including decolonising initiatives, diaspora stories, prisoner solidarity, radical mental health and Muslim communities under the War on terror.
more information on the workshop will follow soon :)
www.hamjaahsan.com
At the same time, Hamja understands zines as a tool of activism and empowerment. For five years, he organised the DIY Cultures Fair in London, which distinguished itself by its commitment to Black and people of colour empowerment and centralising marginalised histories and subcultures, including decolonising initiatives, diaspora stories, prisoner solidarity, radical mental health and Muslim communities under the War on terror.
more information on the workshop will follow soon :)
www.hamjaahsan.com
interesting zine archives
Hamja interviewing marc from zine depo
zine depot Marc van Elburg
Bacteria
Stadsarchief
Amsterdam Koninklijke bibliotheek
IISG
About the artist
Hamja Ahsan
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Hamja Ahsan is a award-winning artist, writer, curator and activist based in London.
His art practice draws from the language and formats of Liberation movements. He is best known for the book Shy Radicals: Antisystemic Politics of the Militant Introvert, recently made into a film, that envisions a utopic homeland for quiet, awkward and neurodiverse peoples. He was awarded the Grand Prize at Ljubljana Biennial 2019 for the art work Aspergistan Referendum based on this book. His art practice weaves inside and outside the artworld, progressive movements, muslim diasporic spaces, in the form of speaker-tours, coining critical languages, zine fairs, building archives and collections, as well as exhibition spaces.
He has presented art projects at the NY Art Book Fair at MOMA PS1; Tate Modern, London; Gwangju Biennale; Shanaakht festival, Karachi; and Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) in Warsaw and was a resident artist at Jan van Eyck Academie in Maastricht in 2020–21. He is currently working on his 2nd book Radical Chicken about his Documenta 15 project on Halal Fried Chicken shops.
Website: hamjaahsan.com
IG: @shyradicals
>SUPPORT Patreon: my tours, artwork, activism (from £1.56 a month)
IG: @chickencontemporary
> Radical Chicken (Documenta 15)
Liberation Fried Chicken Merchandise here
About Marc van Elburg
Hamja Ahsan
Hamja Ahsan is a award-winning artist, writer, curator and activist based in London.
His art practice draws from the language and formats of Liberation movements. He is best known for the book Shy Radicals: Antisystemic Politics of the Militant Introvert, recently made into a film, that envisions a utopic homeland for quiet, awkward and neurodiverse peoples. He was awarded the Grand Prize at Ljubljana Biennial 2019 for the art work Aspergistan Referendum based on this book. His art practice weaves inside and outside the artworld, progressive movements, muslim diasporic spaces, in the form of speaker-tours, coining critical languages, zine fairs, building archives and collections, as well as exhibition spaces.
He has presented art projects at the NY Art Book Fair at MOMA PS1; Tate Modern, London; Gwangju Biennale; Shanaakht festival, Karachi; and Ujazdowski Castle Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA) in Warsaw and was a resident artist at Jan van Eyck Academie in Maastricht in 2020–21. He is currently working on his 2nd book Radical Chicken about his Documenta 15 project on Halal Fried Chicken shops.
Website: hamjaahsan.com
IG: @shyradicals
>SUPPORT Patreon: my tours, artwork, activism (from £1.56 a month)
IG: @chickencontemporary
> Radical Chicken (Documenta 15)
Liberation Fried Chicken Merchandise here
About Marc van Elburg
more info coming soon
March 2025