Other Books and So
In April 1975, Ulises Carrión, with Aart van Barneveld, opened the bookstore-gallery Other Books and So (OBAS) in a basement space in Amsterdam. Though it operated less than four years, closing in December 1978 due to lack of funding, Carrión’s shop became a significant hub in the alternative art space movement. One of the first bookshops dedicated specifically to artists’ books, magazines, and multiples, Other Books and So wittily advertised its wares as “other books, non books, anti books, pseudo books, quasi books, concrete books, conceptual books, structural books, project books, plain books.” The shop brought its visitors - many of whom were artists themselves - into contact with a broadly international and interdisciplinary array of artists, through artists’ publications and exhibitions. More than just a store, Carrión viewed his bookshop-gallery as a creative endeavor, part of a broader set of “cultural strategies” that extended beyond individual artmaking.
Other Books and So Catalogs, No. 1-No. 4, 1975-1977
Ulises Carrión, Michael Gibbs (1949-2009), Aart van Barneveld (d. 1990)
4 booksellers’ catalogs
Carrión, with assistance from Aart van Barneveld and Michael Gibbs, distributed hundreds of artist-made books, magazines, audio recordings, multiples and ephemera via Other Books and So, as documented in these catalogs. His deep engagement with international mail art network during this period was instrumental in his ability to both source these publications and connect them with potential readers.
Stamped flyer announcing the opening of Other Books and So, with an invitation card laid-in, 1975
Ulises Carrión and Aart van Barneveld (d. 1990)
Postcard with accompanying invitation
Aan Onze Vrienden/Dear Friends.... : [Other Books and So letter], 1977
Ulises Carrión and Aart van Barneveld (d. 1990)
Mimeographed letter
This letter, sent by Carrión and Van Barneveld to friends and supporters on the occasion of Other Books and So’s relocation to a larger storefront at 259 Herengracht in Amsterdam, underlines the financial challenges they faced in operating an artist-run bookshop. Carrión and Van Barneveld relied on small donations from their community to cover moving costs and increased rent and electricity charges. Unfortunately, Carrión made the decision to close Other Books and So at the end of 1978, having failed to receive government grants that would allow the shop to remain open.
Other Books and So Exhibition Flyers and Ephemera, 1975-1978
Over 50 exhibitions, readings, and performances took place at Other Books and So, featuring influential artists such as Allan Kaprow, Dick Higgins, and Dorothy Iannone, Latin American experimentalists such as Mirtha Dermisache and Horacio Zabala, mail art group exhibitions, and works by lesser-known local artists. These exhibition flyers and ephemera embraced media and techniques typical of the “alternative” arts scene, such as mimeograph printing, rubber stamps, artists’ postcards, collage, and handwriting.
![Wie zich aan een ander spiegelt, spiegelt zich zacht [postcard], Ad Gerritsen (1940-2015)](/uploads/spotlight/attachment/file/3598/99120509383506421_31.jpg)
Ulises Carrión Exhibition Flyers and Ephemera, 1976-1988
Over the course of his lifetime, Carrión worked with numerous artist-run centers, art institutions, and universities, organizing exhibitions of his own and of other artists’ works, presenting readings, performances and lectures, and exhibiting video and film works. This grouping of flyers reflects the breadth and depth of his activities.
