Akaa’s practice as an artist and independent publisher explores the fluidity of language and material, and how they shape form—how words dissolve, shift, and reassemble to create meaning beyond direct translation.
For Akaa, publishing is more than a personal practice; it is a communal format that fosters connection, dialogue, and inspiration. They engage in writing, art, and hybrid formats to facilitate workshops that empower creative expression and self-discovery.
By bridging languages, mediums, and shared creative spaces, Akaa seeks to cultivate publishing as an ever-evolving site of experimentation, collaboration, and cultural reflection.
Blue is the language I cannot translate
藍色是我無法翻譯的語言
Blue Is the Language We Cannot Translate is an illustration book and poetic essay by Akaa Ling that maps the collapse and persistence of human connection through language.
Written across Chinese and English, the book is both a personal archive and a lyrical dissection—on being misread, mislabeled, and mistranslated.
Structured as a long-form letter to the part of the self that resists definition, it blends memory, philosophy, and poems: bruises mistaken for fruit, fashion as camouflage, speech as failure, and blue as the residue of closeness.
Hand-bound zine, 32 pages, 5 x 8 inch
April 2025
$28
Something Spring 春的
Spring has always symbolized renewal and hope, yet its arrival is often imperceptible. Through poetry and imagery, the artist Akaa Ling explores the ambiguous nature of spring—its quiet emergence, its fleeting presence, and its symbolic weight in a world fraught with conflict. The zine weaves together familiar characters from childhood imagination—Pikachu, Moomin, Garfield, Psyduck, and Winnie the Pooh—as witnesses to the cyclical yet uncertain return of spring.
Comes in two size: 2x5'' and 2.5x7’
Mar 2025
$14/$20
She exists among a thansands pain
她存在于万千痛苦中
She exists amidst thousands of pain is a illustration/poem zine, part of the serie Three things about love 爱三则.
This zine is a self, intimate reflection of resilience, emotions, and the quiet strength within moments of struggles. Akaa Ling wrote and illustrated 7 poems to explore a fragmented story of love, marriage, and being women.
Hand-bound zine, 28 pages, 5 x 8 inch, Risograph printed, Jan 2025
(currently out of order)
Qingming Tavern 清明酒馆
The zine Qingming Tavern '清明酒馆' is a collective of stories, writings and drinks inspired by our culture, where participants contribute their memories, reflections, and imaginings. As part of a ritual inspired by Qingming (清明节) cultural traditions, these writings are burned at the end—releasing them as smoke and flame, a gesture of letting go and honoring the transient nature of memory.
We document the night of memory in this zine.
Hand-bound zine, 16 pages, 8 x 2.5 inch,
April 2025
$18
No Duck Can Escape Nanjing
没有一只鸭鸭能 走出南京
<No Duck Can Escape Nanjing> is a darkly humorous, poem zine blending absurdity, folklore, and longing. In a city where ducks are destiny, one duck tries to escape the fate carved into the rhythm of street markets and simmering broth. Through surreal poetry and delicate illustration, the zine explores identity, inheritance, and the quiet violence of tradition—where even dreams are shaved into slivers and deep-fried.
Set against the backdrop of Nanjing’s markets, rivers, and kitchens, this illustrated tale is at once humorous and heartbreaking—a elegy to all who have tried to flee what they were born into.
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Hand-bound
May 2025
$12
Chinese counting gesture
手势
<Chinese counting gesture> is a zine that begins with a simple, familiar act—hand gestures for numbers. Often taken for granted, these gestures reveal deep cultural differences once we pause to compare. Rooted in Chinese counting signs, the zine becomes a playful yet meaningful way to reconnect with Asian heritage, spark cross-cultural dialogue, and rediscover the unspoken language we carry in our hands.
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Hand-bound
Nov 2024
$10
Three things of Love 愛三則
Love is fluid, similarly with how Akaa experience languages—unbound by form, or definition.
In this series of three zines, Akaa explore love’s shifting nature through text, material, and composition. Each zine approaches love differently: as a whispered intimacy, a question without an answer, a fleeting emotion that lingers beyond words.
Blurring the lines between English and Chinese, text and image, material and meaning, these works embody love’s contradictions—its clarity and ambiguity, its tenderness and uncertainty. Through layered paper, dissolving words, and the interplay of space and touch, these zines invite the reader to not just read, but to feel love in its many forms.
She exists admits a thousand pain 她存在於萬千痛苦之中
She exists amidst a thousand pain is a illustration, poem and story zine, created by Akaa.
This zine is a self, intimate reflection of resilience, emotions, and the quiet strength within moments of struggles. Akaa wrote and illustrated 7 poems to explore a fragmented story of love, marriage, and being women.
She exists amidst a thousand pain is a bilingual and serial artist's zine inspired by and devoted to women's experience worldly yet personally everyday life of being women.
Artist: Akaa, Self-published, 28 pages, 5 x 8 inch
"Hey, please listen to me" Earring
This Earring Zine was designed and produced by Akaa as an exploration of the fluidity of the book format.
It features a love poem, whispering love alongside your ear, with pages intentionally designed in length to reflect the meaning of the content.
Artist: Akaa, Self-published, 28 pages, 5 x 8 inch
$48
What is love 愛是什麼
This "Love letter" Zine by Akaa explores the fluidity of language—not only in translation and the way words shift between English and Chinese, but also in the materiality of the book itself. Through layered paper, blurred text, and shifting forms, the work dissolves the boundaries between meaning and medium.
Much like love, language is never fixed. It transcends direct translation, existing in the spaces between words, between what is seen and what is felt. This zine reflects that transient nature, allowing words to merge, fade, and transform—echoing how love moves beyond language, beyond definition, and into something fluid and ineffable.
Artist: Akaa, Self-published, 30 pages, 5 x 8 inch
$26
"I AM CAT IN BETWEEN WORLDS" is a collection of stories created by Akaa that bring the world of 小貓文學 (Little Cat Literature) to life. Through the eyes of our curious and endearing feline protagonists, the stories delve into the intricacies of dual identity—navigating the space between being human and cat, being Asian and residing in the Western world.
Artist: Akaa, Published by Now place
"I AM CAT IN BETWEEN WORLDS" is a collection of stories created by Akaa that bring the world of 小貓文學 (Little Cat Literature) to life. Through the eyes of our curious and endearing feline protagonists, the stories delve into the intricacies of dual identity—navigating the space between being human and cat, being Asian and residing in the Western world.
Artist: Akaa, Published by Now place
I AM CAT series
我是貓
I AM CAT Series is a bilingual collection of zines created in collaboration between Now Place and artist Akaa, inspired by solitary walks through neighborhoods in cities like Hong Kong. This series explores themes of identity, tradition, and duality through the lens of feline perspectives through storytelling and visual art, offering a whimsical yet poignant look at the intersection of the modern and traditional.
AT SHOP IN ASIA 铺头猫在香港
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The story invites you into the enchanting world of three cats residing in a traditional Chinese medicine shop in Hong Kong, that is about to close.
One of the central themes of this zine is the exploration of identity in the intersection between the modern world and tradition. While the Chinese medicine store is going away, three cats navigate their roles within the shop and interact with the diverse array of customers.
$16/$26(hard copy)
Cat poem things 小猫一些诗集 $12
Daily cat literature 小猫二三事 $18
"I AM CAT IN BETWEEN WORLDS" is a collection of stories created by Akaa that bring the world of 小貓二三事 (Little Cat Literature) to life. Through the eyes of our curious and endearing feline protagonists, the stories delve into the intricacies of dual identity—navigating the space between being human and cat, being Asian and residing in the Western world.
Self published, 5x8 inches, 28 pages
"I AM CAT IN BETWEEN WORLDS" is a collection of stories created by Akaa that bring the world of 小貓文學 (Little Cat Literature) to life. Through the eyes of our curious and endearing feline protagonists, the stories delve into the intricacies of dual identity—navigating the space between being human and cat, being Asian and residing in the Western world.
Artist: Akaa, Published by Now place
Art pints, stickers, magnets
Bilingual Delights
Rooted in the artist's identity as Chinese and inspired by the cultural melting pot of San Francisco, each illustration in the series depicts a charming scene where cute animals take on the forms of beloved foods, accompanied by bilingual puns that cleverly connect Mandarin and English words. From a bagel-shaped dog (贝狗) to a mochi-inspired cat (猫气), the artworks invite viewers to delight in the playful interplay between language and imagery.
Artist: Akaa, Self published
双语趣伙伴 $20
Zine
茶酒三篇
Three Tea Cocktail Zines
$12 for 1, $28 for 3
This zine brings together tea, flowers, and spirits, mixing Asian flavors with classic cocktails. Each recipe is original created and is a blend of tradition and experimentation, reflecting a cross-cultural identity. The bilingual format (English and Chinese) mirrors the in-between space of growing up with multiple influences—where drinks, like language, can carry history and personal meaning.
More than just recipes, Drink Up 茶酒三篇 is a small tribute to the way cultures mix, adapt, and create something new.
Artist: Akaa, Self published
