About Tehran Zine
Established in 2021 by Amir Moghtada and Saghi Parkhideh, Tehran Zine was founded to provide young Iranian artists with the opportunity to create and publish their own Zines. Tehran Zine aims to introduce this medium, which can simply be described as “Art in the form of a booklet,” to both Iranian artists and collectors at the same time.
Tehran Zine publishes two issues per year: The Special Edition, Which is a Zine created by an invited artist, and The Young Artist Edition an edition featuring works by artists who have participated in Tehran Zine’s open calls and have been selected by a jury. The published Zine will be launched and distributed by Tehran Zine.
At Tehran Zine, our goal has always been to create a space for Iranian artists to explore the world of Zines. In line with this mission, we have established a rich collection of artistic Zines by both Iranian and international artists under the title of “Tehran Zine Collection.” The Tehran Zine Collection is accessible to the public by appointment or during open visit sessions, allowing enthusiasts to view a diverse range of Zines up close and become familiar with different types of Zines and their publishers.
Alongside this collection, the “Tehran Zine Library” has also been established, focusing on topics such as Zine production and publishing, educational books on bookbinding techniques, book-making, artistic printing, and limited edition publishing. This library is available to artists as a valuable resource.
Tehran Zine is supported by Rezvan Projects and Rā Studio.
Founders
Amir Moghtada (born in 1987, Kashan) is a designer and the
founding director of Rā Design Studio (est. 2015, Tehran).
Initially studying Carpet Design at Kashan University, he expanded his work into graphic design working on numerous identity and publications projects. In Kashan, he founded Patil Magazine and organized public events exploring contemporary trends in design.
Moving to Tehran and establishing Rā Design Studio, Amir developed a specialized team and infrastructure for environmental experience design, along with offering a wide-ranging portfolio of design services. Under his direction, Rā Design Studio has undertaken a diverse set of projects, including in immersive environmental and experience design, logo and identity design, publications and book design and much more.
Amir has continued to work on his independent projects along with his work at Rā.
Saghi Parkhideh (Born in 1989, Tehran), is an artist and independent publisher. In her projects, she primarily works with various printmaking techniques, incorporating drawing, artist books, and installations while focusing on the subjects of the body, boundaries of private space and observational learning. Saghi Parkhideh has studied at Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts in Grenoble, France, and holds a Master’s in Fine Arts.
In 2017, she founded Rezvan Projects, an art publishing project that collaborates with artists to publish limited edition portfolios, multiples, and contemporary prints.
In 2022, she founded Tehran Zine, an initiative aimed at providing young Iranian artists the opportunity to create and publish fanzines using a Risograph machine. Tehran Zine aimes to introduce this medium, which could be described simply as art in booklet form, to both Iranian artists and collectors.
She lives and works in Lyon and Tehran.
About Risograph Duplicator
Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, the Riso Kagaku is the inventor and distributor of duplication print equipment known as Risograph. The Risograph was marketed for high volume and inexpensive duplicating and to this day it is mainly used by businesses and schools who need production runs of 50 to 10,000 prints of the same thing.
Risograph is a print process which combines the best of digital and traditional print: a hand-made look and feel with the speed, low cost and efficiency of a modern printer. Though it looks on the outside like a copy machine, the Risograph is not a copier ; It is a duplicator with a process like screen printing. The Riso duplicator internally creates a stencil that is laid onto a drum filled with ink. The drum then spins at high speed, forcing the ink through the stencil onto the paper, where it is absorbed creating a unique look and texture.The use of individual inks makes it possible for Risograph printing to use florescent colours as well as metallic colours.