Zine lovers from across Canada gather in Halifax for annual fair

It’s an art form known for being financially accessible and diverse in subject matter.

“There’s contributors from all around the world and we all talk about what it’s like to be non-binary, to not identify with a binary gender,” Leif Gifford said, a zine artist from Toronto.

The annual Halifax Zine Fair first opened in 1999.

Entering nearly a decade of collaboration with artists, known as zinesters, from across Canada, the fair offers the public a chance to experience the unique art-form of zines.

“There’s something magical about what a zine can be. It’s a whole medium, it’s a whole spectrum of possibility and creativity and what you are able to do with it,” Gifford said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: <span style="color:black;">"There's something magical about what a zine can be. It's a whole medium, it's a whole spectrum of possibility and creativity and what you are able to do with it," Gifford said.</span>

READ MORE: ‘He has a spark’: 4-year-old art phenom from India finds home in Saint John

A zine is short for magazine and often the art-form is expressed in booklets that cover a specific topic through words, shapes and a variety of other expressions.

“A zine is kind of like a small book that anyone can make and it can be about anything and it often conveys personal stories or information that you can’t find in mainstream media,” Amanda Stevens said, one of the organizers of the annual Halifax fair.

Many artists feel zines are an accessible way to break into the creative world that can often include financial barriers.

“”I think for me my problem has always been access. A lot of the art world is kind of hidden behind the closed doors of materials and fees and what not. So, I think the paywall kind of comes down with zines. They are very cheap to produce, very easy to make and very easy to give to people,” Gifford said.