Fanzineist Vienna Art Book & Zine Fair 2024. Courtesy of the fair. There's something quietly defiant about a printed page. In a world of fleeting feeds and constant updates, the handmade, photocopied, or risograph-printed publication holds its ground—carefully assembled, passed hand to hand, and often made with more love than funding. Zines, artist books, and small-run publications continue to offer spaces where voices unfold freely, where aesthetics and politics are intertwined, and where form resists convention.
From May 16–18, 2025, this spirit takes shape at the Fanzineist Vienna Art Book & Zine Fair, hosted at the Atelierhaus der Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien (Semperdepot). Now in its sixth edition, the fair gathers a diverse international community of independent publishers, artists, and collectives working at the intersections of art, design, literature, and culture.
This year's edition features 173 physical and 26 online exhibitors from over 33 countries, reflecting the ongoing vibrancy and urgency of self-publishing today. Among the many participants are 51 Personae from Hong Kong, a self-sustaining independent art publishing project placing special emphasis on life experiences in Asia and the Third World, as well as marginalized voices under suppression; Potato Publishing from Linz, an artist collective offering an open risography printing workshop, a zine library, and events centered on self-publishing; and A. T. Pratt from New York City, a cartoonist, professor, and paper engineer who makes self-published comics and paper crafts of all shapes and sizes.
Also participating are BL8D from Tallinn and Florence, a self-described "alternative trend book" that traces cultural undercurrents through collaborative dialogues with artists and thinkers; Ediciones Raritas from Barcelona, a publisher of zines, screen prints, and quirky risographs; Lafat Bordieu from Santiago de Chile, an artist and publisher creating handmade zines and book-objects that blend poetry, collage, and photography, exploring themes of identity and existentialism through surreal humor and creative storytelling; and profundo ediciones from Buenos Aires and Berlin, a publisher offering publications, workshops, and screen printing focused on micropolitics, subversive sexuality, corporeality, and everyday life.
The international selection will be complemented by Vienna-based contributors such as the Department of Drawing and Printmaking at Die Angewandte, which fosters experimental and collaborative approaches to print and publishing within an academic setting; Pirate Cultures, an independent publisher and collective exploring resistance, subculture, and media piracy through zines, essays, and visual art; and b!ba, a young contemporary art and design magazine.
This year, the fair introduces Queer Zone, a specially curated space dedicated to highlighting LGBTQIA+ publications and perspectives. This dynamic zone reflects the vibrancy and richness of LGBTQIA+ voices, offering visitors a unique opportunity to engage with a diverse range of queer art books, zines, and creative expressions. This section will feature 11 exhibitors: 16b editions from Marseille, Callum Leo Hughes from Berlin, ConfuzedGinger from Vienna, Garabatos Atelier from Bremen, HEATHERS (Veronika Hösch | Nora Jacobs | Nicole Sabella) from Vienna, Joanna Poupaki from Heraklion, Moom Comics from Berlin, Paper Affairs Publishers from Vienna, Q.U.I.C.H.E. Kollektiv from Basel, Shay Mirk / Crucial Comix from Portland, and studio muchogusto from Berne.
The fair's public program includes a range of workshops, talks, presentations, screenings, and performances, offering both hands-on experiences and opportunities for deeper reflection. Highlights include bookbinding with Anna Frey, zine-making with Deniz Beser, and book:collage:book with Anna-Maria Wolf & Nicole Tanneberger. Charlotte Hornung's Fluo Pop introduces stencil-printing in a compact 45-minute session.
The talks and presentations expand on the relationship between zines and politics, identity, and community. Topics include: A Daily Job / Comics Zine Presentation by Jan Grambow; Tehran Zine and Its Space – The Role of Zines in the Iranian Art Scene; Comics as a Voice for Youth and Urban Innovation in Romania by ArtiViStory Collective; On Envy by Boris Contarin; and a look at zine culture in Aotearoa with Kerry Ann Lee, among others.
The fair will also present two special exhibitions—Fanzineist Vienna Mail Art Book & Zine Exhibition and The Rock Retreat Gibraltar Zine Exhibition, both presented at Semperdepot.
Live performances by Elektro Hafiz, La Washa, TJ Tall, Wiener Planquadrat, Arda Yildiz, and others round out the program, bringing rhythm and atmosphere to the fair's three days.
An online component, hosted on the fair's website, YouTube, and Instagram, allows for broader participation and visibility beyond the venue itself. Screenings and digital showcases will highlight work from zinesters unable to attend in person.
Organized as a non-profit initiative by Deniz Beser under the Analog Dialog Art Association, Fanzineist Vienna is supported by SHIFT, Basis Kultur Wien, and ÖH Akbild. It continues to be a meeting point for those who believe that publishing—however small the format—can still shift conversations, challenge hierarchies, and build communities across borders.
Fanzineist Vienna Art Book & Zine Fair 2025 will take place at Atelierhaus der Akademie der bildenden Künste Wien (Semperdepot) in Vienna from May 16-18, 2025.
