Haus-A-Rest

A Zine by Artists for Artists, it’s for those who turn their raw, real-life experiences into stunning art and bold, captivating prose. We’re all about embracing the offbeat and the extraordinary, curating the untold stories, sharp opinions, and fresh opportunities that surface each month.

Got a spark of creativity itching to be shared? Our Open Calls are your chance to light up the world with your unique vision. So jump in, and let’s celebrate the voices that deserve the spotlight!

Issue 62

Pushing Boundaries

A Curated Collection of Work by Writers and Artists

What does it mean to cross a line—or to redraw it altogether?

For this issue, we invited artists and writers to explore the theme Pushing Boundaries. The boundaries we encounter daily, whether physical, emotional, cultural, political, or conceptual, shape how we navigate the world. Some are visible and enforced. Others are subtle, internalised, or inherited. These thresholds can protect, divide, define, or confine, but they can also be crossed, questioned, and reimagined.

In Strange Encounters, Sara Ahmed reminds us that borders are not only geographical; they live in the skin, in belief systems, in neighbourhoods, and in fear. Boundaries govern access, identity, safety, and belonging. And yet, they are never fixed. They shift, evolve, and sometimes dissolve.

The works gathered here push against these limits, gently, urgently, or with defiance. They examine where borders begin, who draws them, and who gets to move through them. This collection does not offer a single answer, but a chorus of voices asking: What lies beyond the boundary? And what is at stake in crossing it?

We invite you to step into this space of tension, resistance, and transformation.

The Editors

FOR THE GALLERY AND HERE FOR THE WRITER’S CORNER, AND BLOG News

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News is now on the blog

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This month’s feature is Artist

Julie Brixey-Williams

This issue’s resident creatives include our Graphic novel bookworm Mildred Burchette-Vass, critical art writer Michaela Hall, our wordsmith poet Peter Devonald, and our editors and creators Nichola and Jenna

!! Calling Artists & Writers!!

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The next open call for Issue 63 is Themed

“GRAFFITI.”

Graffiti didn’t start in the ’70s, it’s been around since humans figured out how to leave a mark. From ancient Roman walls scrawled with political insults and crude jokes to Pompeii’s public declarations of love and shade, graffiti has always been about voice, resistance, and raw expression.This open call invites work that engages with the concepts of boundaries in all their forms - physical, mental, conceptual and virtual.

We’re looking for the rule-breakers, the wall-scribblers, the midnight painters, the poets with paint on their fingers—this one’s for you.

Our next zine issue is diving headfirst into the world of graffiti, street art, and public rebellion. We want art that shouts, writing that provokes, and ideas that can’t be caged. Whether you’re tagging underpasses, turning walls into protest, or scribbling resistance on a napkin—we want your work.

This is your space to go raw, loud, political, personal, funny, furious, fearless.
No white cubes. No gallery rules. Just pure, unfiltered expression.

Think: power, protest, play, and paint. If it challenges, cracks a system, or makes someone stop and feel something—send it.

For this open call, we are seeking art and writing that explores how we can push against borders in all their forms. Follow this link to enter our next free call out …

Feel free to get in touch via the form below with your Ideas & Questions.

see our new A MENTORING

OPPORTUNITY pages

We think that the art world can be a tricky place to navigate, especially when you're coming to the end of your course and are not sure what’s next.

We have decided to run an open call for any artist who is at an early stage of their art career. This is not age-restricted, all we ask is you meet the criteria below…

If you are in your third year of an art degree, an MA / Mlitt, or are in the first three years of your art practice and would like to have 3 x one-hour sessions 1:1, one a month for three months (via Zoom or Teams) to bounce ideas, ask advice, gain practical steps and support from the Haus-a-rest team then contact us via our form here…

Please note there is no funding for this opportunity, it is your chance to be mentored by two artists who have been around the block to offer support and suggestions to help support your art journey.

There are two places available

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Looking ahead, we plan to deepen our interactions with artists through several exciting initiatives:

Mentorship Program: We are launching a mentorship program of six intensive sessions designed for early-stage and established artists. This program will provide personalised guidance, helping artists navigate their careers, develop their skills, and achieve their creative goals. Each session will be tailored to address specific challenges and opportunities faced by artists, ranging from creative development and project management to marketing strategies and networking. Our mentors, who are experienced professionals in the art world, will offer invaluable insights and support, tailored to each artist's unique needs. The goal is to create a nurturing environment where artists can thrive and push the boundaries of their creativity.
Live Exhibitions: We aim to host live exhibitions, creating immersive experiences where artists and art lovers can connect and engage with the works on display. These exhibitions will be curated to highlight the diversity and innovation within the artistic community, featuring a mix of mediums and styles. By bringing art into physical spaces, we aim to bridge the gap between digital and physical art worlds, offering a platform for artists to showcase their work in a tangible, impactful way. These exhibitions will elevate the artists’ profiles and enrich the audience's appreciation of contemporary art.
In-Person Reviews: In addition to our digital reviews, we plan to offer in-person review sessions. These face-to-face interactions will provide artists with direct, immediate feedback, fostering a deeper understanding of their work. Our reviewers, who are seasoned critics and curators, will offer constructive critiques aimed at helping artists refine their techniques, expand their conceptual thinking, and enhance the presentation of their work. This personalised feedback will be instrumental in helping grow and improve, making their artistic journey more robust and informed.
Physical Events: We plan to run a series of physical events, providing spaces for artists to meet, collaborate, and share their work in person. These events will include interactive workshops, panel discussions with industry experts, and networking opportunities designed to foster a vibrant and supportive art community. Workshops will focus on skill development and creative techniques, while panel discussions will address current trends, challenges, and opportunities in the art world. Networking sessions will create a platform for artists to connect with peers, potential collaborators, and art enthusiasts, building a strong community that supports artistic innovation and professional growth.

Through these initiatives, we aim to create a dynamic and supportive environment that nurtures artistic talent and fosters meaningful connections within the art community. Our goal is to empower artists, provide them with valuable resources and opportunities, and celebrate their contributions to the cultural landscape

// Issue 63 - The Graffiti Issue // Artist @nicholarodgers.artist Photo series for Of Other Spaces” This work doesn’t live in galleries. It lives in the margins. In alleys, train yards, and peeling concrete— this work exists on the other side of the river, this is the creative, musical side of the ottawa area. Graffiti is often dismissed as vandalism. But here, it’s a language. A visual pulse of resistance, memory, identity—written not on canvas, but on the skin of the city. “Of Other Spaces” is a fine art series made from photographs of unsanctioned expression. These are heterotopias—spaces that exist outside order, outside permission. Where architecture becomes archive. Where paint becomes protest. Where cities speak. This isn’t just documentation. It’s a portrait of the in-between. A tribute to places that were never meant to be seen, but demand to be remembered. #OfOtherSpaces #GraffitiIsArt #UrbanArchaeology #StreetMemory #Heterotopia #CityAsCanvas #CanadaGraffiti #UKGraffiti #RomeGraffiti #StreetLevelStories #SubversiveArt #FoundArt #ConcretePoetry #VisualResistance #AlternativeSpaces #UncuratedBeauty #GraffitiFineArt #PublicExpression #ModernRuin #StreetArtPhotography #OutlawAesthetics

// Issue 63 - The Graffiti Issue // Artist name: Niita E. @niitae.com @niitae_ Description: This is an exploration of graffiti through both photography and digital collage. It includes images from my photographic series Shoreditch Frames, which captures the raw, layered chaos of London’s graffiti-covered backstreets, framed through my lens into moments of structured chaos or meaning. The second part features collage works from my project Colonial Spell, which explores post-colonial identity by juxtaposing archival photographs from the Namibian National Archives Library with my own images of Shoreditch’s street graffiti. The aim is to weave these disparate elements into a cohesive narrative that reflects on decolonisation, cultural arbitrage, and identity. The deliberate juxtaposition of London's chaotic, graffiti-laden backstreets with the historical context of Africa's colonisation serves as a visual metaphor for the complex dialogue between past and present. While the street artists may not have consciously engaged with themes of decolonisation or empire, their work nonetheless intersects with the broader post-colonial discourse. Through this series, I aim to engage viewers in a reflective examination of the silent assumptions that guide our social interactions and cultural understanding. By bringing to light the hidden threads connecting colonial history with contemporary urban expression, the work opens space for dialogue around identity, history, and the ongoing process of decolonisation. #GraffitiArt #StreetArtCulture #TagYourTruth #ArtAsResistance #StreetVoices #PoliticalArt #ZineCulture #VandalismAsArt #UnsanctionedBeauty #UrbanCanvas #SprayAndSay #VisualProtest #RawExpression #MakeWallsTalk #CreativeResistance #ZineCall #OpenCallForArtists #DIYArt #GraffitiZine #SpeakThroughSpray @jennafoxartist @nicholarodgers.artist @michaela_hall_artist

// Issue 63 - The Graffiti Issue // Our resident poet, @peterdevonald, has written a series of poems inspired by graffiti artists. Here are some of the pieces he chose for his muse. His poems will feature in this issue when we go live. The People’s Laureate For Benjamin Zephaniah They tried to airbrush you from history, the mural came first, violently whitewashed from the wall of an underpass in Hockley. They didn’t care what it meant to us, didn’t care that it was emblem of community, spirit of our times replaced by blank walls. No respect for the community here, no respect for art that meant so much, no respect for a dead poet, genius, fallen. The establishment disconnected from the people, disinterested in culture, unaware of the power of hope, eroded, eroded, gone. Concrete artworks and statues protected, protected, monuments to the terrible past, that don’t even belong to you or I. But his huge legacy wrapped us all in love, waiting, waiting, to be discovered, still, beyond empty walls, empty thoughts, sprayed clean. Open up your mind, witness true heritage, the words have power, communicated by osmosis, world’s poet of justice, of peace, of people power. Beyond collapsing whitewashed walls of Hockley, beyond constraints felt by every single one of us, beyond the face, all about freedom, no problem. #GraffitiArt #StreetArtCulture #TagYourTruth #ArtAsResistance #StreetVoices #PoliticalArt #ZineCulture #VandalismAsArt #UnsanctionedBeauty #UrbanCanvas #SprayAndSay #VisualProtest #RawExpression #MakeWallsTalk #CreativeResistance #ZineCall #OpenCallForArtists #DIYArt #GraffitiZine #SpeakThroughSpray @jennafoxartist @nicholarodgers.artist @michaela_hall_artist

// Issue 63 - The Graffiti Issue // Artist: Jess Wright @small_but_wrighty Description: Rosa Parks said, 'I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear. Buildings hold the secrets of generations who lived in fear, who planned and plotted and faced a multitude of oppression and terror. Each story is built into the fabric of the building, creating layers of narrative that is waiting to be uncovered. Le génie de la Bastille shows a snapshot in time from a room on Rue de Charonne, Paris. #OfOtherSpaces #GraffitiIsArt #UrbanArchaeology #StreetMemory #Heterotopia #CityAsCanvas #CanadaGraffiti #UKGraffiti #RomeGraffiti #StreetLevelStories #SubversiveArt #FoundArt #ConcretePoetry #VisualResistance #AlternativeSpaces #UncuratedBeauty #GraffitiFineArt #PublicExpression #ModernRuin #StreetArtPhotography #OutlawAesthetics #lisbon #lisboart @jennafoxartist @michaela_hall_artist @peterdevonald

// Issue 63 - The Graffiti Issue // Artist: Adrian Riley @electric_angel Description: A tiny text artwork every five days observing and naming a 'micro season' in the life of the seaside town of Scarborough. Inspired by a Japanese tradition. The Japanese tradition of ‘micro seasons’ divides the year into 24 smaller seasons, each containing three micro seasons with descriptive names based on observing natural events that happen in that country. I have been placing tiny text artworks around Scarborough, recording its own unique seaside micro seasons. Observing the changing natural environment, noting residents’ habits, and marking events in the town’s coastal economy, I seek to put a name to these uniquely Scarborough moments, which often arrive without anyone really taking notice... unless you spot one of these. #OfOtherSpaces #GraffitiIsArt #UrbanArchaeology #StreetMemory #Heterotopia #CityAsCanvas #CanadaGraffiti #UKGraffiti #RomeGraffiti #StreetLevelStories #SubversiveArt #FoundArt #ConcretePoetry #VisualResistance #AlternativeSpaces #UncuratedBeauty #GraffitiFineArt #PublicExpression #ModernRuin #StreetArtPhotography #OutlawAesthetics #lisbon #lisboart @jennafoxartist @michaela_hall_artist @peterdevonald

// Issue 63 - The Graffiti Issue // Artist @nicholarodgers.artist Of Other Spaces” where cities speak through layers of paint, erosion, and defiance. is a fine art series made from photographs of unsanctioned expression. These are heterotopias—spaces that exist outside order, outside permission. Where architecture becomes archive. Where paint becomes protest. Where cities speak. This isn’t just documentation. It’s a portrait of the in-between. #OfOtherSpaces #GraffitiIsArt #UrbanArchaeology #StreetMemory #Heterotopia #CityAsCanvas #CanadaGraffiti #UKGraffiti #RomeGraffiti #StreetLevelStories #SubversiveArt #FoundArt #ConcretePoetry #VisualResistance #AlternativeSpaces #UncuratedBeauty #GraffitiFineArt #PublicExpression #ModernRuin #StreetArtPhotography #OutlawAesthetics #lisbon #lisboart @jennafoxartist @michaela_hall_artist @peterdevonald

// Issue 63 - The Graffiti Issue // Our resident poet, @peterdevonald, has written a series of poems inspired by graffiti artists. Here are some of the pieces he chose for his muse. His poems will feature in this issue when we go live. Peter Devonald Ten Haiku for Street Art we find our voice here only through pain and struggle passion our language street art miracles such profound inspiration urban poetry language of the street striking statements of our time speaks to you and me bright colours transform artwork shimmers on bright walls graffiti dreamers eye always watches us such sadness and deep regret to renounce freedom no more mundane walls cities alive with passion urban jungle lives new maps of cities significance of murals art becomes our life on the gable end visions of what life might be being our best self such a joy to see souls soar with vibrant colour all art satisfies fragrant blossom art flowers bloom on once grey walls breathtaking beauty #GraffitiArt #StreetArtCulture #TagYourTruth #ArtAsResistance #StreetVoices #PoliticalArt #ZineCulture #VandalismAsArt #UnsanctionedBeauty #UrbanCanvas #SprayAndSay #VisualProtest #RawExpression #MakeWallsTalk #CreativeResistance #ZineCall #OpenCallForArtists #DIYArt #GraffitiZine #SpeakThroughSpray @jennafoxartist @nicholarodgers.artist @michaela_hall_artist

Issue 62 PUSHING BOUNDARIES