Moth Woman Press zines in Canada

Poker Faces, mini-zine, Moth Woman Press, 2012, edition: 100
(Selected page views)

In response to an invitation from curator, Jim Drobnick, two Moth Woman Press mini-zines, Poker Faces and Card Sharps, have just travelled to Toronto, Canada. Jim is one half of the curatorial collaborative, DisplayCult. Along with fellow curator, Jennifer Fisher, he is currently gathering examples of cards and card-related material.

Card Sharps, mini-zine, Moth Woman Press, 2013, edition: 100
(Selected page views)

Jim and Jennifer are still in the research phase of this extensive project; they plan to hold an exhibition and eventually write a book on the topic. Following this, they intend to donate the collection to a university, so that research on the decks, artworks and publications can continue. 

Jim Brodnick is a critic, curator and Associate Professor at OACD University, Toronto. 

Jennifer Fisher is a critic, curator and Associate Professor of Contemporary Art and Curatorial Studies at York University, Toronto.

To learn about other DisplayCult projects, visit the website:

www.displaycult.com

MWP zines at Sticky Institute

Stocked at Sticky: Top row: The Shadow Women 1-3 and Card Sharps
Bottom row: Poker Faces, Tattooed Faces and
Tattooed Faces in Living Colour

Since Hand Held Gallery closed its doors in 2013, Moth Woman Press has felt rather like a ship without a sail. The aesthetic of our zines was in comfortable alignment with the artist books and zines that gallery director Megan Herring showed; in fact, many were sources of inspiration for our own fledgling efforts.

Despite Melbourne’s thriving zine culture, as witnessed by the annual Sticky Institute Festival of the Photocopier zine fair (FOTP) held last month at Melbourne Town Hall, commercial outlets for zines are somewhat thin on the ground - at least, as far as I've discovered.

There is, however, a notable exception, namely the above mentioned Sticky Institute, a veritable Aladdin’s cave located in the Degraves Street Subway, Campbell’s Arcade (“Under Flinders Street Station”, as they say on their website).

My first memories of this arcade, with its distinctive pink tiles and art deco curves, date from childhood train trips to the city with my parents. Sticky has been there for considerably less time than that, but since its formation in 2006, it has firmly established itself as the mecca for zine culture in Melbourne.

Campbell's Arcade, Degraves Street Subway, leading to platforms
for Flinders Street Station

As of yesterday, a small selection of MWP zines are now stocked by Sticky. I’m not sure why it took me so long to approach them. I’ve visited many times, and have acquired numerous zines for my personal collection from there. I guess I had it in my head that the aesthetic of my own zines wouldn’t fit in with those at Sticky, and that they’d be rejected out of hand. In fact, Sticky shows an astonishing range of zines, and I’m thrilled that seven Moth Woman Press publications have joined their number.

Sticky Institute

Card Sharps: Hot off the (Moth Woman) Press

Cardsharp (kärd'shärp) noun. A female card player with exceedingly sharp teeth, beak, horns, claws, fangs, thorns or spikes. 

The eight page zine Card Sharps has now been printed and assembled. It will be signed and limited to an edition of 100. Here it is, ready and waiting for its official launch at the opening of Tall Tales on Thursday evening, June 13.

Pictured left and above: Card Sharps, 2013, zine, edition: 100, 10.5 x 7.5 cm

Card Sharps

All the work for my solo exhibition Tall Tales is ready for the hang on Sunday. Finding myself with some unaccustomed, albeit brief, free time, I've decided to keep my creative hand in by making a small folded zine. It is called Card Sharps and will be launched on the opening night of the exhibition. 

The methods and materials (ink and acrylic on playing cards) are the same as those used for Poker Faces, the zine I made last December for Hand Held’s Christmas show BAZE (Book Arts and Zine Exhibition: see blog posts December 6, 7 and 8 December 2012). For more about the project, click HERE.

Pictured below is the zine in progress, laid out ready for photocopying, cutting and folding. Click on images to enlarge:

Card Sharps, 2013 (original artwork) ink and acrylic on playing
cards on A4 paper.

Card Sharps, 2013, original artwork (detail). When the zine is folded,
these will be its back and front covers