tangent- a great little art zine from the UK

How happy was I to pick up a copy of tangent recently at the Flux Factory in Long Island City, Queens? I have been publishing zines for eight years now and though I love zines and think they are a really important and viable form of independent media and expression, lately I've been incrediby disapointed by the zines that have come my way. Not so with tangent! Tangent is a smart, small independent art zine out of London, edited by Karen D'Amico. It includes gallery listings for London and also a great listing of art websites. But even better, the meat of it is work and writing by "emerging" artists who create thought provoking, political and aesthetically interesting art. My personal favorites from the zine including a piece by Rachel House about why she loves DIY (do-it-yourself) culture and projects. She matches some of my feelings on the importance of community in DIY and zine culture, writing, "I made friends and became part of a community of creative misfits, drawn to the immediacy and lack fo censorship in the making of a cut & paste photocopied zine." I also liked the "cool artist" profile of Amanda Dumas-Hernandez, who makes art out of garbage and specifically, made a "Plasitc Bottle Chandelier."

All together tangent is very refreshing, as the artists profiled seem more concerned with making interesting work than being cool or becoming art stars. It's always nice to find something produced by people who share some of the mission and values of riffRAG. It makes me feel like we are truly participating in creating and bringing together different communities and voices of artists.