This exhibition at the Wellcome Centre explores how zines have amplified disabled voices and fostered disability justice.
From handwritten mini-zines to tactile braille and audio editions, these creations defy mainstream media, offering raw, personal narratives on disability identity, activism, and community resistance.
Drawing from Wellcome Collection’s archive of over 1300 health-themed zines, the display highlights how DIY publishing empowers marginalized perspectives. Visitors can handle and read nearly all zines in the exhibition’s relaxed, accessible space, immersing themselves in stories often excluded from traditional platforms. The show also invites participation as you can make your own zine to contribute to this legacy of grassroots expression.
Curated by artist and zinemaker Dr. Lea Cooper and Wellcome Collection’s Adam Rose, ‘Zines Forever!’ is the second in a series of collection-inspired displays. It celebrates zines not just as artifacts, but as tools of political solidarity, another string to the bow of the argument that small press can spark big change.