Self-made: zines and artist books

This bold exhibition delves into the evolution of do-it-yourself culture, from limited-run artist books to cut-and-paste photocopy fanzines.

Discover science fiction fanzines from the 1940s, ground-breaking 1970s punk zines, Australian underground press publications, and artist books designed to defy tradition and buck the commercial gallery system.

Supported by Visions of Australia and Creative Victoria.

About the curator

Monica Syrette attended the Canberra Institute of the Arts in the late 1980s, when the city was a major centre for artists books in Australia. In the 1990s she worked at Sydney independent music retailer Waterfront Records, ordering zines from local and international makers and distributors. Monica was archivist at Arts Project Australia and assistant curator at the Grainger Museum, founded by composer and pianist Percy Grainger. Most recently she curated the exhibition Wharfies support! Social justice activism from the Melbourne Docks at Library at the Dock.

Exhibition locations and dates

Experience the Self-made exhibition at any one of these locations: 

• Bunjil Place Gallery (2 Patrick North East Drive, Narre Warren, Victoria), 8 March to 29 April 2018
• Mildura Arts Centre (199 Cureton Avenue, Mildura, Victoria), 21 June to 2 September 2018
• Murray Bridge Regional Gallery (27 Sixth Street, Murray Bridge, South Australia), 15 September to 21 October 2018
• New England Regional Art Museum (106-114 Kentucky Street, South Hill, New South Wales), 9 November 2018 to 3 February 2019
• Tweed Regional Gallery (Mistral Road, South Murwillumbah, New South Wales), 1 March to 19 May 2019
• Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery (531 Ruthen Street, Toowoomba, Queensland), 1 June to 28 July 2019
• Latrobe Regional Gallery (138 Commercial Road, Morwell, Victoria), 10 August to 10 November 2019