Open Call | [Berlin] Tears Odyssey Zine Fair 2026
We are Alien also has tears — an Asian creative collective navigating the gaps between cultures. This year we’re back in Berlin with our independent publishing fair!! We‘re building a space for global asian diasporic independent publishing — a place to be seen.
We’re looking for (but not limited to)
- Independent publications, artist books, photo books, zines, experimental books (merch and extras welcome!)
- Visual research, social issues, personal narratives, cultural reflections
- Other print-based publishing projects
🪷 this year we‘re especially drawn to works exploring games and food~
How to apply? Send the following to [email protected]:
1. Work description (title, year, dimensions, pages, printing method, etc.)
2. Images of your work (3–5 photos)
3. Bio (background, contact info)
⏳ Deadline: 05.05.2026, 11:59 PM CET/CEST
📅 Exhibition: July (exact date TBA) 2026, Berlin
The results will be notified by email within 3-5 working days after the Open Call ends.(If u don’t receive the mail, that means that this application has not been approved.)
Questions welcome — see you in Berlin.
Open Call | [柏林] Tears Odyssey Zine Fair 2026
我们是 Alien also has tears,一个关注文化缝隙、保持”在夹缝中游荡“视角的亚洲文化创意组合。今年我们将继续在柏林举办第二届Tears Odyssey Zine Fair —我们想在这里为中国大陆/全球离散华人的艺术书搭一个临时的舞台,让ta们被看见。
征集范围(包括但不限于)
- 艺术书、摄影书、Zine、实验性书籍(欢迎投递周边!)
- 视觉研究、社会议题、个人叙事、文化反思等内容
- 其他以纸本为媒介的出版项目
🪷 本届Tears Odyssey会对“游戏”和“食物”相关的创作尤其心水~
如何报名? 请将以下信息发送至我们的邮箱(见海报):
作品介绍(名称、年份、尺寸、页数、印刷方式等)
作品图片(3–5 张)
作者简介(创作背景、联系方式)
⏳ 截止日期:2026年5月5日,北京时间23:59 📅 展览时间:2026年7月(具体时间待定),柏林
结果会在Open Call结束之后的3-5个工作日邮件通知 (如未收到邮件则视为本次报名没有通过)
如有疑问欢迎邮件联系,期待在柏林与你的作品相遇!
腌入味儿的胶卷盲盒/ we got the films in back!
remember those cameras we left in bar toilets
3 months ago?
light leaked through small moments,
a mirror, a kiss, a tiled silence,
graffiti speaking over itself,
someone passing, someone staying.
in a place both public and hidden,
fragments of being there, left anonymous.
now they return to us,
still unfinished.
Thanks for leaving it.
📍Zur Klappe (straight bars can‘t be trusted, geklaut ☑️)
📍Silver Future
📍B-Lage
嗨,好久不见老朋友们!
我们是alienalsohastears,恭喜你找到我们!这次我们在柏林的一些公共厕所里放了一次性胶卷相机。
你可以用它拍一张照,记录此刻的厕所瞬间。
没有规则,没有滤镜。
这是一个简单的社会实验:
在一个既公共、又私密的厕所空间里,
你会想拍什么?又会做什么?
当你按下快门的那一刻,
就代表你同意照片被公开。
这是一个正在筹划秘密活动哦~
谢谢你发现我们。
Hi, long time no see, old friends! We are alienalsohastears — congrats, you found us.
This time, we’ve placed a few disposable film cameras in public toilets across Berlin.
You can use it to take a photo to capture this very moment in the toilet.
No rules. No filters.
This is a simple little experiment: In a space that is both public and private — a toilet — what would you capture? What would you do?
Pressing the shutter means you agree to share your photo publicly.
This is a secret project in the making. Thanks for finding us.
👭Live Talk: Nüshu — a language of her own: resistance, intimacy and Chinese feminist voices
Nüshu (女书) is the world’s only known script created and used exclusively by women.
It was passed down in the Xiaoshui River region (潇水流域) of Jiangyong County (江永县), Hunan Province, China.
It was born among women who had no rooms of their own, no pen or paper. With needlework and whispers, they stitched together a world where their voices could exist — softly, yet persistently.
Today, Nüshu is being rediscovered not only as a cultural vessel of women’s collective memory, but also as a symbol of connection across generations, and a gentle language of resistance. It continues to inspire artists, scholars, and feminists alike — offering a powerful source of empathy, care, and self-expression.
We may ask: In our time, do we also need a Nüshu of our own?
Guest: Yulu Chen @chenyulujuju
Born in 2001 in Yongzhou, the birthplace of Nüshu in southern Hunan, Chen Yulu is currently based in Northeast China. She engages in contemporary visual practice through anthropological fieldwork methods. Her work consistently unfolds at the intersection of historical crevices and individual memory, utilizing a calm visual language and poetic narrative structures to continuously interrogate the obscured life experiences of women.
📆 Date: 22nd June, 19:00 (2–2.5h) 📍Location: Ori, Friedelstr. 8, 12047, Berlin
🎬Screening: The Whisperers — a 50-minute documentary directed by Yulu Chen