The Thousands

Since its inception in 2010 independent art book service World Food Books has grown from a small outpost at the recently concluded Y3K project to a travelling book cart and online mail-order service. After several months emerging at various art pop-up locales via wheels, World Food Books is finally open for regular one-stop book shopping in the Nicholas Building.

Co-helmed by Melbourne artists Josh Petherick and Matt Hinkley, on most days of the week this third floor space is their office, closed for office business. On Fridays and Saturdays they open the doors to the public. The trusty cart joins a moveable timber display stacked neatly with a hand-selection of international contemporary art journals, artist books, monographs, editions, newspapers, catalogues, and rare books. Printed ephemera we have grown used to ogling on the internets can now be touched in real life. Touch it! But only on Fridays and Saturdays.

The chosen collection of reading matter has expanded since early days but it is still highly curated. My favourite Poles Morava Books have their titles here. So do De Appel, Semiotext(e) and The MIT Press, to name only a few. Local contemporary artists are pages away from their international peers. Shelves are shared between critical text and self-published self-stapled art pieces. You will find something thought-provoking and, once you’re done feeling it, it’s only right to take it home.