This weekend's Detroit Art Book Fair will offer bound(less) creations

Sexually suggestive collages of women without flesh. An audiovisual exploration of the abstract qualities of rocks.

A wide range of art will be on display and available for sale this weekend at Trinosophes in Eastern Market — but the works won't be on a wall, they'll be bound in book form.

The Detroit Art Book Fair will feature 40 independent publishers from North America. Now in its fifth year, the event put on by Maia Asshaq, of the recently closed store Ditto Ditto Books, is intended to showcase the work of mostly local artists and small press publishers — and give the public the opportunity to actually take some of that work home.

"It's a way to collect art work without having to spend a ton of money on it," says Asshaq. "For me, it's like, I can’t afford to buy a print of someone’s work, but I can afford to buy a zine."

While the massive crowds drawn to famed art book fairs in cities like L.A. and New York can make for an intimidating experience, Detroit's art book fair is low key and accessible, offering attendees the chance to talk with the artists and publishers behind the creations for sale.

The event is free and open to the public. It takes place from noon to 6 p.m. on Oct. 14 and from noon to 4 p.m. on Oct. 15.

In conjunction with the event, on Saturday, the Detroit Institute of Arts will host a tour of its Arts Research Library, which houses over 100,000 arts-related publications.