Ulises Carrión, an emblematic figure of 20th-century artistic and literary experimentation, is known as a pioneer in redefining the concept of the book and narrative. In this article, Francesco Ciaponi, renowned for his commitment to promoting independent and countercultural artists and movements, portrays Carrión as a multifaceted intellectual capable of overturning the boundaries between art and literature.
Ulises Carrión was born in 1941 in Veracruz, Mexico, and lived through the period of profound transformation during the 1960s and 1970s, when art was moving away from traditional mediums and increasingly turning toward conceptual practices.
In 1975, after recently moving to Amsterdam, Carrión opened his conceptual art bookstore/archive called Other Books and So, dedicated exclusively to artist books and mail art works.
One evening, a group of young Dutch artists asked him, “Why do you spend your time collecting books that no one wants to read?” Carrión replied without hesitation, “Because the book is just an excuse. What matters is not reading it, but understanding it as an object in itself, with its own rules and its own language.”
This response embodied his revolutionary vision of the book as a form of art, a conception that would define his entire career.
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Interrogating the Book Format
Carrión studied literature at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and at the Sorbonne in Paris, later continuing his studies in Leeds, England. He was initially a promising writer of fiction and essays, but soon abandoned traditional literature to immerse himself in the world of conceptual art.
After moving to Amsterdam in 1972, he became one of the pioneers of the artist’s book and Mail Art. In Amsterdam, he founded Other Books and So, a unique center dedicated to the collection and distribution of artist’s books, artistic correspondence, and experimental works.
This project became a reference point for many international conceptual artists. Carrión did not see books as simple containers of text, but as structures in which design, page sequence, and even blank spaces could carry aesthetic and conceptual meanings.
At that time, artists were exploring new forms of expression that challenged the very concept of “artworks.” Movements like Fluxus, Conceptual Art, and Mail Art were thriving, and art was no longer limited to painting or sculpture.
Carrión found in these movements the ideal ground to develop his practice, which focused on questioning language, communication, and the book format itself.
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The Book as a Work of Art
Ulises Carrión’s revolutionary approach to the book redefined it as a work of art in itself, not merely a vessel for conveying information or stories. He viewed the book as a multi-dimensional object, one whose form, structure, and materiality were integral to its meaning. Rather than being just a collection of words and images bound together, Carrión emphasized the potential of the book to function as a conceptual and aesthetic entity.
For Carrión, the artist’s book was an artwork where text and visual design were intertwined, each influencing the interpretation of the other. The sequence of pages, the choice of materials, the physical interaction between the reader and the book—each element had significance. He believed that a book’s value did not lie in its readability or its narrative, but in its ability to provoke thought, challenge conventions, and engage with the viewer or reader in unexpected ways.
This philosophy marked a departure from traditional literary forms, as Carrión sought to dissolve the boundaries between literature, visual art, and design. He was a pioneer in the belief that the book itself could be a medium of artistic expression, capable of conveying concepts and ideas that went beyond the written word. This vision led him to promote and curate books that were experimental, challenging the conventional formats of storytelling and inviting the audience to rethink the very nature of the book as an art object.
Through his work and the establishment of Other Books and So, Carrión created a space for the exploration of the book as an artwork. He established it as an important medium within the broader context of contemporary art. His contributions remain central to the ongoing evolution of the artist’s book as a significant form of artistic expression.
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The Book as a Work of Art
Ulises Carrión’s revolutionary approach to the book redefined it as an artwork in its own right, not merely a medium for conveying information or stories. He saw the book as a multi-dimensional object, where its form, structure, and materiality were intrinsic to its meaning. Rather than just a collection of words and images bound together, Carrión emphasized the book’s potential to function as both a conceptual and aesthetic entity.
For Carrión, the artist’s book was an artwork in which text and visual design were inseparable, with each influencing the interpretation of the other. The sequence of pages, the choice of materials, and the physical interaction between the reader and the book all held significance. Carrión believed that a book’s value did not lie in its readability or narrative alone but in its capacity to provoke thought, challenge conventions, and engage the viewer or reader in unexpected ways.
This philosophy marked a departure from traditional literary forms, as Carrión sought to break down the boundaries between literature, visual art, and design. He was a pioneer in the belief that the book itself could be a medium for artistic expression, capable of conveying ideas and concepts beyond the written word. His vision led him to promote and curate experimental books that challenged conventional storytelling formats, urging audiences to rethink the very nature of the book as an art object.
Through his work and the establishment of Other Books and So, Carrión created a space for the exploration of the book as an artwork. He secured its place as a significant medium within the broader context of contemporary art. His contributions continue to play a central role in the ongoing evolution of the artist’s book as a major form of artistic expression.
Francesco Ciaponi is a professor of the History of Printing and Publishing and the founder of the EdF Study Center. Here is his biography.