Homes I Cannot Afford
Artzine, Nikki Papp, 28 pgs, myrainyweekends.com, $12
The timing is right for a zine that looks at the lack of affordable housing options in our urban centers… and does so in a cute, sorta snuggly fashion. Homes I Cannot Afford is a textbook high concept zine. Its jam-packed with drawings of Vancouver-area homes, a few key details and some feisty sticker shock in the form of list prices. Nikki Papp approaches things in a fairly cerebral fashion. The high prices are referenced, but not in an aggressive or overtly angry way. The stats she provides come in three parts: list price, monthly payments, and daily payments. Again, the tone is resignation, rather than revolt in an “it is what it is” fashion. Each home includes a tasteful drawing that gives the reader a peek at the property in question. The desire comes across, as does the reality that runs through every page of the zine. Papp is a talented artist. The drawings are gentle, tidy, and consistent. The description are exact, mechanical, and precise. The whole zine works. There’s purpose and flow. Papp tells a story that’s essentially 50% inclusion (those who can buy house) and 50% exclusion (people who can’t). Ergo, this is a story of modern symmetry that kind of sucks but also is real AF. Homes I Cannot Afford was a finalist in Broken Pencil’s Zine Awards, see page 11.