ULISES CARRIÓN, Self-portrait. 1979

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Earlier this year, I fell in love with this picture of ULISES CARRIÓN (1941-1989) used for “Gossip, Scandal and Good Manners“, the first solo presentation in the UK of the work of Mexican artist, writer and publisher.

Incorporating concrete and visual poetry, mail art, videos, sound works and “bookworks”, CARRIÓN’s diverse practice focused on language as a raw material and the exploration of alternative forms of distribution and communication.

For him it was not the content that mattered, but the method. Mail art and the exchange of ideas with other artists and writers was a creative exercise in that it nurtured a collection of connections and relationships. This network formed a living and metaphysical art work that for ULISES CARRIÓN had a deeply social and communitarian purpose.

He was also the founder of Other Books and So in Amsterdam, a gallery and bookstore that during its short life (1975 to 1979) became the first major centre for the flourishing international artist-led publishing scene.

Can’t get enough? Watch the exhibition views via this it tomorrow