You may have seen a blog I posted back in March about an upcoming exhibition kdoutsiderart.com is organising in collaboration with Now and Again Gallery in Brighton, UK. I’d just like to extend a huge thank you to all of the artists who submitted work – the standard was incredibly high, and myself and Daniella Norton, the co-curator, thoroughly enjoyed browsing through the fantastic work. We have now narrowed down the exhibiting artists to 24, and are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their work at the Gallery.
Lucy Richards, Between Two Worlds
The exhibiting artists include: Jonathan Alibone, Michael Bartlett, Polly Blake, Sean Burn, Nick Carrick, Lou Clement, Ellen Cross, Nikki Davidson-Bowman, Hannah Dennison, Jayne Eagle, Libby Goddard, Sharon Jaque, Lydia Meehan, Jenny Milarski, Steve Murison, Susan Plover, Lucy Richards, Ginette Rimmington-Jones, Luciana Rosado, Katie Sollohub, Anthony Stevens, Chris Stevens, Mike Stoakes and Joshua Uvieghara.
Katie Sollohub, A Handful of Memories
The exhibition will include works created in a whole host of ways, in a wide range of media, including, but not limited to: paintings, drawings, sketchbooks, film, sound pieces and sculpture, and it will focus on the link between art and catharsis. We are currently in the process of putting together a booklet with written pieces by various artists and writers outlining their thoughts on the links and the importance of art in providing a cathartic release. With the show, ‘Miraculous Urgency,’ we hope to highlight introspective moments within artistic practice where, for whatever reason, a cathartic act has taken place during the making of the work. It will shine a light on the importance of creativity, and how, in many cases, process is equally as important as product.
Ellen Cross, Father
We will be holding a preview event on Saturday 4th July, 6 – 9pm at the Gallery space: Now and Again Gallery, 17B Beaconsfield Villas, Brighton, BN1 6HA, and would love you to come along if you are in Brighton. The exhibition will continue on the 10th, 11th, 17th and 18th July, 1 – 5pm (or by appointment at other times).
You can find out more about the Gallery by clicking here.
If you would like more information on the exhibition, please get in touch by emailing: kdoutsiderart@yahoo.com.
This post focuses on the relationship between art and catharsis and is a precursor to an exhibition I will be co-curating with Daniella Norton in June/July this year at Now and Again Gallery in Brighton, UK (see below for information on how to submit). The exhibition is currently open for submissions, and we are looking for artists who consider their work to be the result of catharsis or a cathartic act to submit. Catharsis is a term widely recognised to have originated in Aristotle’s work; most notably, his text Poetics. It is, in short, a process that provides relief (often psychological) through the expression of emotions or repressed experiences.
Most writings on catharsis – historical and philosophical – speak of catharsis as a process that affects those experiencing or viewing a work of art or a play (see Aristotle’s writings on catharsis which focus mainly on the act of catharsis taking place for observers of tragedies). For the exhibition, we are taking this one step further (or perhaps one step sideways), and looking predominantly at the aesthetic result of a cathartic act in visual art.
Louise Bourgeois
There is a long history and much research into the cathartic effect of art-making and art as a therapeutic act has long been taken seriously by arts and health professionals. There are many curatorial angles, but with this show our main hope is to highlight how making work that has a cathartic impact is something many artists do regardless of what their ‘commercial’ practice is about, as well as reiterating its equal visual importance. We hope it will also raise other questions – for example, whether a cathartic moment for the artist during the process of making directly translates into an ‘Aristotlean’ response for the viewer – a ‘chain of catharsis.’
This idea of catharsis is something that links both the ‘mainstream’ art world and the ‘outsider’ art world; in fact, it links all artists, or, to go even further, every human. It is a universal process – and is something that reiterates the widely held belief that every human has the potential to be creative. Many well-known outsider artists did not create with an audience in mind. Henry Darger is a case in point – he never thought his work would be seen by anyone. So why create the vivid world of the Vivien Girls in the Realms of the Unreal for such a long time? Similarly, there are many ‘mainstream’ artists whose work is the result of a cathartic act. Louise Bourgeois’ work was “heavily influenced by traumatic, psychological events from her childhood,” [1] and the artist herself considered her practice to be highly therapeutic or cathartic.
Henry Darger [courtesy of http://www.carlhammergallery.com]Sometimes, it is not the end result that is most important to the artist, but the intangible ‘middle-part’ in which that very end result is created. In this instance, the end result might be discarded, or not looked upon as ‘proper art’ (whatever that is) – or even art. With this exhibition, we want to shine a light on this very important – and interesting – work, because after all, why shouldn’t it have as much precedence as its ‘commercial’ counterpart?
Submissions: an opportunity for artists
The dictionary definition of cathartic is: “providing psychological relief through the open expression of strong emotions.” It is the purging, or evacuation, of feelings and emotions.
Work created as catharsis by artists might differ from their general artistic practice. It might be the work that is created for more personal reasons, the sort of work that is created regardless of whether anyone was ever going to see it or not. Or perhaps the term catharsis covers an artist’s whole practice. Maybe it is a piece that was the result of a powerful reaction to something whether made at the time or a later date.
Perhaps many artists operate in a more ‘Brechtian’ state of unresolved or subverted catharsis, whereby there is no relief or rebalancing through the work at least; they carry on making and making and thinking and thinking. The viewer might leave the piece with unresolved thoughts akin to Brecht’s ‘activated’ audiences. However, this exhibition seeks introspective moments within artistic practice, where for whatever reason, a cathartic practice has taken place.
We are keen to find artists willing to share work that they consider to have been made with some cathartic intent or result. To submit work, please send a jpeg image no larger than 1MB to: daniellacnorton@gmail.com.
Please include: title, materials, dimensions, and state whether the work is framed or unframed. The deadline for submissions is Sunday 26 April 2015. Selected works will need to be delivered to the Gallery in Brighton by Sunday 24 May 2015.
The exhibition will be held in mid-June through to July in Brighton and if your piece is selected you will need to pay the postage/courier costs and insurance to and from the venue. Please get in touch for further details.
![Henry Darger [courtesy of www.carlhammergallery.com]](https://kdoutsiderart.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/henry-darger1.jpg)
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