In Zines We Trust - (Re)claiming Space! Zine-Making Workshop with Deniz Beşer

The zine-making workshop, led by artist, curator, and publisher Deniz Beşer, explores the topic of having a voice in the public domain. Experimenting with collage and illustration techniques, we will tackle the questions: How can interculturality be supported and promoted by governmental institutions? How can we create more contacts and overlaps between different cultures in social life? How can we engender a space where we can share and multiply our passion for our different cultures? And how can we ensure that under-represented voices are heard in decision-making processes?

A zine is an independently published analogue medium, a self-produced and distributed publication. In the workshop, there will be a short introduction about the past and present developments of fanzines and self-publishing. Under the guidance of Deniz Beşer, we will learn the basics of making a zine – for example, how to prepare a page layout – and dabble in a number of folding tricks. After the step-by-step demo and introduction, participants can create their own zine.

Bilingual: Turkish and German (with English interpretation)

Türkçe: Fanzin, bağımsız olarak yayınlanan bir materyaldır, kendi kendine yapılan ve kendi kendini yeniden üreten bir kitapçıktır. Atölyede, geçmiş ve şimdiki zamanlarda üretilen fanzin ve kişisel yayıncılık hakkında kısa bir giriş alacaksınız. Deniz Beşer'in rehberliğinde, zine yapımının tüm temellerini, sayfa düzeninin nasıl hazırlanacağını ve katlama detaylarını öğrenip kolajlar hazırlıyor olacaksınız. Bu aşamalardan sonra kendi derginizi yapma şansına sahip olacaksınız.

Sanatçı, küratör ve yayıncı Deniz Beşer atölye yürütücülüğündeki Zine yapımı atölyesinde kamusal alanda ortak karar alma kavramını keşfedeceğiz. Kolajlar hazırlayarak ve birlikte örnekleyerek şu sorulara yaklaşacağız: Kültürlerarasılık kamu sektörü tarafından nasıl desteklenebilir ve teşvik edilebilir? Farklı kültürler arasında kesişme noktaları nasıl oluşturulabilir? Farklı kültürlerimize olan tutkumuzu paylaşarak ve çoğaltarak nasıl bir alan yaratabiliriz? Yeterince temsil edilmeyen seslerin karar alma süreçlerine dahil edilmesini nasıl sağlayabiliriz?

Deniz Beşer (b. 1986) is a Vienna and Istanbul based visual artist, curator and independent publisher. He received his BA degree in Ceramics and Glass Design at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University and studied in Painting at University of Sevilla. He is the director of Open Studio Days İstanbul, Fanzineist Vienna Art Book & Zine Fair and FanzineIST – Zine Fest Of İstanbul. Besides, Beser is the co-founder of the publication & art collective Heyt be! Fanzin.

Beşer has exhibited throughout Europe, Asia and Canada including shows at New Jörg, Vienna in Austria and Kunsthalle Zürich in Switzerland. His work has been reviewed in Canon Europe, Schwäbisch Tagblatt, The Bridge Magazine and featured in Artribune, renk magazin and Augustin. In 2021, Beser received a grant from READ (Goethe-Institut Skopje & Center for Balkan Cooperation – LOJA) for his solo exhibition and artist residency program in Tetovo, North Macedonia.

Due to the WUK renovation, concerts, performances, exhibitions and children's theatre can temporarily not take place at their usual venues. Under the title "VERSUCHSANSTALT" Kunsthalle Exnergasse, Musik, performing arts and KinderKultur curate the program in the newly renovated project space and interweave their topics and formats in a spatial and content-related juxtaposition and togetherness.