From Blank Pages to Grid Walls
Turning a zine into an exhibition
Nothing ever goes as planned. Much like the irony of titling my first photography zine Be There in 5 Minutes—and taking over a year to finish—my debut solo exhibition came together through a mix of missed deadlines, rushed decisions, and unexpected breakthroughs. Yet, somehow, it all finally came together with intention and heart, turning a string of missteps into an experience I couldn’t have imagined when I first started this journey.
How It All Began
It wasn’t long after I shared my digital zine online that I was approached by the owners of The Hidden Space, a multi-purpose space designed by Séverine Morizet and Paul Victor known for championing emerging and unconventional artists. They asked if I’d be interested in translating Be There in 5 Minutes into a full exhibition. The idea seemed both thrilling and daunting. I didn’t know what a “gallery-ready” version of my work might look like, but their enthusiasm made the decision easier.
We were offered the option of giving ourselves plenty of time to prepare, but we decided to work on an unusually tight timeline—partly because we wanted to keep the momentum going and partly, to be honest, to avoid the dreaded overthinking and perfectionism that had slowed down the zine’s release in the first place. Learn from your mistakes right?
The Zine’s Evolution
The zine’s online iteration was born out of instinct and spontaneity, but even that took twists and turns. For example, the online version doesn’t have any text on its cover. This wasn’t some high-concept design choice—it simply didn’t happen. Life got in the way, and we never got around to it before sharing it digitally.
When it came time to print physical copies, we could have easily designed something more polished. Yet, while working with the printers to cut and bind the pages, we realized we actually liked its simplicity. So, we made the intentional decision to leave the front cover title-less (without any text on the cover). Instead, we decided to write directly on the cover by hand, letting the imperfection speak for the personal nature of the project.
That one decision sparked an idea. Why not let the handwritten aesthetic carry over throughout the entire zine? That’s how it evolved into a special edition version, where all the text was handwritten onto the pages instead of digitally printed. It felt more in line with what Be There in 5 Minutes had become—a celebration of mistakes, detours, and the beauty of less-than-perfect execution.
From Zine to Art Space
But translating the zine into an exhibition was an entirely different beast. One of our early challenges was realizing that the tone of the zine—fun, casual, and lighthearted—felt completely out of place in a traditional white-walled gallery setting. The photos didn’t hold the same energy when displayed behind pristine frames.
Instead of forcing them to fit into that world, we went the opposite route: we embraced a DIY aesthetic that honored the zine’s origin. We covered 7 meters of gallery wall with grid mesh, creating a massive collage-like backdrop. Mounted on top of the grid, the photos felt raw and dynamic, almost as if they were pinned to a teenager’s bedroom wall—a chaotic flood of thoughts, memories, and moments.
The Final Touches
The path to completion wasn’t without its growing pains. There were definitely moments of doubt—days spent staring at an unfinished grid that looked more like chaos than cohesive art. But then, there were also these small accomplishments along the way: the grid finally coming together, the handwritten zine covers turning out better than we’d hoped, and seeing the space start to feel like a living, breathing extension of the project.
Ultimately, the feeling of accomplishment didn’t hit until the very last moments before we opened the doors to the public. While adding the final touches, I stepped back and realized—it was all there. The work didn’t feel like someone else’s creation displayed in a gallery; it felt personal, imperfect, and unapologetically real.
This is fucking cool. Well done 👍 must have been so cool to see people's reactions to physical images too!