According to the creator’s note, this little zine was originally created to accompany an exhibition of paintings by artist Mark Beldan. I really wish I had seen his show, because this zine is a bit of an enigma. At first glance, it seems to be about testosterone-driven car culture. The paradox is that the line-drawing diagrams of cars which are featured brazenly alongside the dialogue-heavy text all look a lot like my dad’s old Datsun, in which he would drive me and the neighbourhood kids to school, while we screamed and fought in the back seat. What I to mean say is that the cars Mark put in his zine are nothing to be particularly proud of – they’re boxy, practical and dime-a-dozen. Perhaps it’s the inherent paradox of this zine’s contents that intrigue me so much. The text that flows next to the cars is proud, guyish, and filled with barely contained violence. I’m very curious as to Mark’s next work, because this one’s well worth a buck. Maybe, if you slip a note in with the loonie, he’ll send info about his next art show as well… (EPW)
art zine, $1, Mark Beldan, 14 Grove Ave, Toronto, ON M6J 3B6