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Hamja Ahsan

Hamja Ahsan

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Zine Mela: South Asian journeys in DIY Cultures

Curated by Hamja Ahsan (founder of DIY Cultures festival)

Venue: WIP Space Studio, London - SW18 1EY

Follow: https://www.instagram.com/zine.mela

for latest updates, video interviews and details

@zine.mela #Zinemela2025

Zine fair: 26th July 2025, 12pm - 7pm, Saturday

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/zine-fair-zine-mela-south-asian-journeys-in-diy-cultures-tickets-1421745893239

#ZineMela2025

A day long creative fair of stalls of zines, comics, makers, social justice, solidarity, alternatives, contemporary craft, small press, underground books, punks, photography, illustration, prints, posters, graphics from all across South Asia and the diaspora. Free rooh azfa, chai, pakora & carrom if you come early.

Confirmed tablers: Adda Zine, Jalebi Press (Roo Dhissou), Prakriti Pachisia, Reya Ahmed, Zartoon, Red Grits, Saudam Mukadam, Toulip Wonder & Suren Seneviratne, Books Peckham, South Asia Solidarity Group, Brick Lane Circle, Radical Chicken & Zines from Sister Library, Dharavi Art room, Bombay Underground

South Asia denotes Bangladesh, Kashmir, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Adivasi indigenous nations, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan, Afghanistan and their diaspora across the world.

Tables available for South Asian makers, solidarity groups & creatives. Apply here Google form

Email: hamjaahsan@gmail.com

5 copies of a zine may be considered for the communal table.

Deadline: 1st July 2025 7pm

Talks & Panels Programme for 26th July

5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Panel Talk: DIY Education Decolonial Liberation

Panel discussion with Amrit Wilson speaking on Inqilab Magazine Archive - South Asian Solidarity 1990s publication & Aanya Mukhtyar on her Kolinaar painting trilogy & new zine, the role of Zines in decolonialising the University - including talk on Student Encampments, creative campus Palestine Solidarity & Muhammed Abdullah (Brick Lane Circle) on colonial history community self-education. FREE Fanon Zines, FREE Spice War books for all attending.

3:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Panel Talk: DIY Home, Housing & Homelands with Kieran Yates

Journalist Kieran Yates, editor of British Values Zine discusses housing , reflects on Bengali Squatters & her zine British Values. Kieran’s debut book about home and the housing crisis titled ‘All The Houses I’ve Lived In’, published by Simon and Schuster, is out now. Kieran Yates is a London-based journalist, broadcaster and editor who has been writing about culture, technology and politics for over 10 years. She’s written everywhere from The Guardian, FADER, VICE, The Independent and beyond, had an acclaimed monthly column at VICE titled ‘British Values’, was nominated for Culture Writer of the Year in 2016 and regularly host events and panels discussing issues across music, politics, and news. Kieran is also a regular host, most recently hosting a discussion at the Southbank’s WOW festival discussing race, interviewing Mohsin Hamid and Riz Ahmed at the London Literature Festival, and hosting discussions around decolonising architecture for RIBA.

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Panel Talk: Zine Fairs, Zine Worlds, Zine Scapes

Zine Fair organiser talk about the landscape of Zine fairs. Wenxi Liao (Outland Publishing fair) the Chinese-language & Hamja Ahsan talk on DIY Cultures fair (2013-2017) other speakers TBC

Exhibition: Riso Mela & Zine Reading Room & Archives

24th July - 14th August 2025

Open 12pm-6pm Thursday-Sunday (8th-9th August may have limited availability contact: hamjaahsan@gmail.com for update)

Appointments available from 10am-9pm Monday- Sunday -

email: hamjaahsan@gmail.com with “ZINETIME” in the subject header

with an entry time and number of people and estimated time available

and if you want a guided curators tour.

Exhibition curator Hamja Ahsan: “I possess a vast archive of zines, comics, ephemera, and artists’ books that I

have collected for over 30 years - partly documented on DIY Zine bank from Bangladesh to Trinidad & Tobago.

(https://www.instagram.com/diyzinebank ). I will exhibit zines from Adivasi first nations, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal,

Afghanistan, Kashmir, Sri Lankan, Bhutan, Maldives and the global South Asian diaspora within this collection, as well as related

vinyl cover, risograph prints and posters. These will be exhibited around the gallery space, and

the downstairs meeting room will function as both a quiet room, zine library, reading room, and

zine archive.

Confirmed Exhibition Artists (video & animation): Sasha Patel, Kiran Kaur, Reya Ahmed & More

Riso Mela: aqui Thami, Sabba Khan, Laiba Raja, Mariya Nadeem Khan, Reena Makwana, Em-dash, Osman Sahir, Akash Sheshadri & More

During the course of the exhibition, the archive will be participatory and open, with audiences

contributing new zine creations. The exhibition will also feature posters and flyers from zine

fairs such as Bombay Zine Fair, Chobi Mela, Bradford Mela, Underground and Punk Festivals, as

well as analogue media vinyl, screen prints, and risography.

There will be showreel of video art, short film and animation from across South Asia.

With interviews with leading South Asian zine makers in the archives room.

Volunteers for the festival and archives - welcome and appreciated. Email: hamjaahsan@gmail.com with #MelaVolunteer in the subject header if interested with mobile contact, location and your interest.

Curator Hamja Ahsan was the founder of the legendary DIY Cultures festival which ran from 2013-2017 at London's Rich Mix, which he co-curated with Sofia Niazi from Rabbits Road Press / OOMK and Helena Wee. This is his first zine fair since then. He is best known as author of the book Shy Radicals : Antisystemic Politics of the Militant Introvert. He has presented art projects at Documenta 15 to He is an artist, writer, curator, campaigner based in London, UK. He has been collecting and making zines for over 30 years since 1990s. IG: @shyradicals / X: @hamjaahsan

For media and interviews - contact him via his website: hamjaahsan.com

This project is funded by Wandsworth council South Asia Heritage Month

A day programme talks, animation, video art, workshop, Riso Mela exhibition, reading room & archives, zine open mic.

updated online timetable: hamjaahsan.com/mela