ORIGAMI FOLDS An ongoing photo-poetry series that explores curves and folds of the human body (self and others) and uses it as a medium and metaphor for hopeless frailty and hardened impenetrability, from which emerges the themes of identity, dysphoria, the commodification of the body, and denial and loss of autonomy as conditions of globalized society and cultures through the lens of south-Asian, queer and marginalized bodies which are forever under critical scrutiny, objectification and dehumanizing policing from external and internal perspectives. Within this stifling framework, the skin has separated from the body, both physically in the act of medical dissection and alterations in an effort to meet popular standards of beauty, and metaphorically in the separation between skin and psyche. The skin here also represents time and wraps us up like cellophane wraps hard candy. #antibeauty #teaser #origamifolds

Each purchase includes a mysterious keepsake tied to the story—and two exclusive postcards, making this a must-have for collectors and fans alike.
Author and Illustrator: Varsha Panikar
Publisher: Riot Ink Press
ISBN: 978-93-341-4511-3
Format: Zine
Pages: 48

What does it mean to belong? Is hope rebellion or surrender? Where does visibility become vulnerability?
A raw, thought-provoking experience, this zine is a must-have for those who value zines as a bold medium of raw, unapologetic self-expression.
Author and Photographer: Varsha Panikar
Publisher: Riot Ink Press
ISBN: 978-93-341-4511-3
Pages: 48

A timeless ode to existence and the moon as a confidante, it speaks to dreamers, wanderers, and those seeking solace in the celestial.
Varsha Panikar blends cosmic musings with tender introspection, crafting a collection that feels both personal and universal—perfect for lovers of evocative poetry.
Author: Varsha Panikar
Publisher: Riot Ink Press
ISBN: 978-93-6076-041-0
Format: Anthology of Poems
Pages: 60


Author & Illustrator: Varsha Panikar
Publisher: Riot Ink Press
Format: Zine
Pages: 24


Winner of the Chain Unchained: Mintathon grant from Goethe-Institut (Mumbai) and BeFantastic, and showcased at Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2024, Ara Chronicles explores cultural heritage through illustrated narratives, etymology, and research—each collectible card unlocking a deeper journey into South Asian myth and storytelling.
Read more on:
www.arachronicles.com/
Varsha Panikar – Conceptualization, Research & Story Development
Letitia Mendes – Illustration & Animation
Asawari Jagushte – Creative Consultancy & Sound Design


Concept and Illustration: Varsha Panikar
Publisher: Riot Ink Press
Format: Zine

This zine reimagines the protagonist’s path with wit and depth, offering an alternative to the age-old hero’s journey. Perfect for fellow filmmaker and storytellers who crave stories that break conventions and celebrate nuance.
Author and Illustrator: Varsha Panikar
Publisher: Riot Ink Press
Format: Zine
Pages: 20


Creator: Varsha Panikar
Publisher: Riot Ink Press
Format: Zine


Each release offers a piece of Alex's story, unraveling love, oppression, and resistance under Big Brother's gaze. Readers can collect and piece together the entries to uncover the full narrative, a daring act of defiance in itself.
Author & Illustrator: Varsha Panikar
Publisher: Riot Ink Press
Format: Mini Zine


Within this stifling framework, the skin has separated from the body, both physically and metaphorically in the separation between skin and psyche. The skin here also represents time and wraps us up like cellophane wraps hard candy.


Illustrator: Varsha Panikar
Publisher: Riot Ink Press
Format: Zine


Available on Amazon Kindle and has been curated by Zine Club Chicago, New Paltz NYC Sojourner Truth Library and Grrrl Zine Fair.
Excerpts from the same series have also appeared in Marketplace Zine - 'Skin' and 'Lines' by Forbidden Verses; the 6th edition of Zine by The Rights Collective and South Asian Sisters Speak (SASS), titled 'Brown Bodies, the 5th edition of Nerve Zine, titled 'Self', and a queer poetry anthology by One Future Collective, titled 'Raza'.
Mail me to get a copy.

First showcased at the Queer Future Archive Installation (March 2020), an Afterpartycollective exhibition at Riverside Theatres, Western Sydney, supported by Parra Artist Studio.
Sold Out.


Poet: Mx. Varsha Panikar (Alex)
Publisher: Riot Ink Press
Format: Zine
Sharing Rights: Free to photocopy, print, archive, pass on, or read aloud. If sold, proceeds should support a queer person in need or to a cause for queer liberation.


In development.



A collection of emotions, thoughts and memories that needed a place to rest outside the world of grey matter. An attempt to verbalise the shattered mirror through which we occasionally catch glimpses of our world; one that reminds us of the inescapable end and the irrevocable frailty of life. A life that is not just flowery words of love and pain, but a deep cavern that has reached the end of time and continues until there is no more sun in the sky, no more water to crash on the shores, no more air to breathe but only release... from what we know or understand of this world.
A sentiment - all too familiar for those that survived, or are struggling to rise from the depths of the hopeless despair.
Ongoing.

Ongoing.


Published in The Dream Issue, a digital zine curated by The Local Colour Zine.
Ongoing.


Ongoing.


This series explores queer intimacy and desire as powerful tools for self-expression and a deeper understanding of identity, empathy, and queer love and kinship.
Excerpts from the series are featured in "Love Portions," an issue of Rogue by Ratio Auream Publishers, available on Amazon & Kindle. The artwork has been showcased at the "Queer Futures Archive" exhibition at Parramatta's Riverside Theater, Sydney, as part of the "Burn All The Books That Call You The Unknown" exhibit in 2020.
An audio-story from the series is published on Lonely Heart Club, created by Anuja Ghosalkar, for gender-positive & queer audio-erotica. "Bodies Of Desire" has also been adapted into an award-winning Poetryfilm, currently streaming on Nowness Asia, Nowness, and GirlsInFilms.
Ongoing.