Em—Dash is a South East London based studio + press. We experiment with the book-form, playfully work that spans across art-practice, , research, and visual culture. Beyond books, we have worked across mediums of curation, film and radio. We also run to share ideas, skills and facilitate collective making.

Em—Dash is operated by artists and designers Aarushi Matiyani and Saundra Liemantoro.

Workshops

The workshops are a great way for us to quickly engage with a topic and connect with others deeply. We always try to put context at the forefront of these making workshops in order to facilitate the important conversations and exchanges that happen as people gather and make with their hands.

We strive to have workshops where access is free and share making processes that can be done with everyday resources and materials—so that people can (hopefully) go home and continue to make. Please reach out if you would like to collaborate on a workshop with us!

Drop-in workshops for 4-11 year old children at Deptford Lounge, Downham Library and Catford Library, as part of the Reading Challenge 2024

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Zine & Collaging Workshop for the Youth Cancer Trust at Royal Marsden Hospital

May 2024

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Sticker Printing Workshop for the Barbican Family Film Club

March 2024

As part of their Summer Programme: Views on the Atlantic

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RISO Workshop for Cultural Institute at King’s College

April 2023

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Collaging Workshop at the BFI for Woman with a Movie Camera Summit

January 2023

In response to the transphobic ruling from the UK Supreme Court, Montez Press are hosted a day fundraiser in collaboration with Next Door Records Two, to raise money for the Good Law Project. We invite others to celebrated trans identity through a cut and paste zine-making workshop featuring our Trans Solidarity Sticker Pack and offprints from Memepage #2.

Curation

Celebrating 3 years of Em—Dash with a feast of party foods from home, followed by a screening of D.E.B.S (2004) at Atlas Cinema, London.

We served up Indonesian and Indian birthday classics such as Nasi Tumpeng and Pav Bhaji, followed with a birthday cake by Nighttime Baker and tea from Sam Saruhan.

Featuring a series of 4 films: 'خليجنا واحد //Our Gulf One', followed by a discussion with the artist, Munirah Al-Mehri. Watch and listen here.

A screening of I'm a Cyborg but That's OK (2006). One of three screenings part of Brixton Community Cinema's Spring Season, Spanners, London.

Atlas Cinema is a space to convene and share, using moving image as a vehicle for collectively processing and discussing the world around us. Repurposing a disused railway arch in which individuals and collectives experiment with monthly film nights.

Em—Dash + Friends happened in the afternoon of every 3rd Saturday of the month.

May 18th: Ruby Lau presents Twilight’s Kiss (2019)
June 15th: Em—Dash presents Recipes from Home: On Food & Diaspora, screening Dal Puri Diaspora (2012)
July 20th: Cinema Palestine presents Love, Theft and other Entanglements (2015)

Bringing the work of zine-makers and small-presses from up and down to the UK to showcase its D.I.Y and print cultures at Cahyati Press, Bali. 6-10 September 2023.

Exhibitions

Our 2-Colour RISO Poster, 'Attempt at Inventory of the Liquid and Solid Foodstuffs Ingurgitated by Em- Dash in the Course of the Month June Twenty Twenty-Two', was shown at the Food Not Cuts exhibition through 27 June – 9 November 2025.

Curated by Anahita Harding, Curating Visibility Fellow at the Food Museum, Food not Cuts explores how food and care are connected. It highlights how cuts to care and a lack of support can make accessing food difficult for deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people.

Curated by bafalw, as part of London Design Festival, 13-22 September 2024

Group show curated by Soul Miles, held at Ladywell Mortuary, 28-30 July 2023

Group show curated by Saskia Portman, at Amersham Arms, 5-6 April 2023

Panel Talks

Facilitated by Sticky Fingers Publishing, featuring Em—Dash & Sold Out Publishing

As part of Éditions Atlas, with Brixton Community Cinema.

Radio

Broadcasted on Montez Press Radio for South Bermondsey Festival at Ormside Projects

Press

'Zines at the Movies: Brixton Community Cinema: How a South London community cinema and an indie zine publisher are making the arts more accessible' by Jordinna Joaquin on Artefact Magazine