First of all – Happy New Year everyone! As we welcome in 2015, here’s a brief list of a few of the must-see outsider art exhibitions taking place this year.
Judith Scott: Bound and Unbound
Brooklyn Museum, New York, US Until 29 March 2015
Judith Scott, Untitled
This exhibition is the first comprehensive US survey of the work of Judith Scott and includes Judith’s three dimensional works as well as a selection of works on paper.
This show will feature paintings and drawings by prolific outsider artist Mary Barnes. The works are predominantly from the collection of Dr Joseph Berke, her therapist and friend, and the exhibition will bring together works spanning her artistic career.
There will be more must-see outsider art exhibitions popping up throughout the year, so please do follow me on twitter: @kd_outsiderart for all the latest news, or check out the ‘Links’ page (by clicking here) to see what the organisations dedicated to showcasing outsider art are up to in 2015.
I was recently having a think of ways to revamp the blog, especially after my currently-very-spaced-out posts (due to house move, no internet, etc.). I decided to start a ’round-up’ series that would include a mixture of Outsider Art news, recent articles on the subject (from newspapers, magazines, online, blogs), and relevant current or upcoming exhibitions. As this is the first installment of this new idea, please let me know what you think and what could be improved.
If you have any news, articles, exhibitions, or opportunities for artists that you would like to be considered for the round-up, please email them to kdoutsiderart@yahoo.com
News
Impact Art Fair at Block 336, Brixton
The Impact Art Fair – the UK’s first to display on works by those experiencing mental ill health, disability, or other socially exclusive circumstances – took place in the spacious (but sweaty) basement of Block 336 last weekend. The Fair itself was a tremendous success, with artists from all over the country represented on various stalls. The artwork was so diverse, ranging from intricate ink drawings, such as those by Colin Hambrook, to wildly bright ‘astral goats’ and ‘witches’ by the very talented Steve Murison.
Various organisations also held stalls displaying work by multiple artists. These included Bethlem Gallery, Outside In, and Action Space to name a few.
After assisting with the final stages of setting up on Thursday 25 July (as a member of staff at Creative Future – the organising organisation!), I stuck around for the private view, which was a resounding success. Artists, buyers, journalists, organisation staff, and the general public all came together to celebrate this fantastic display of truly tremendous and inspirational talent.
Between 18 September 2013 and 22 August 2014, the Halle Saint Pierre will be hosting a celebration of 25 years of Raw Vision Magazine. The exhibition will feature classical works of Art Brut, new discoveries, photos of extraordinary visionary environments and will include over 60 artists. Click here for more information on the upcoming anniversary exhibition.
This exhibition will coincide with the Outsider Art Fair in Paris for one weekend in October. The Outsider Art Fair will be taking place from 24 – 27 October 2013 at Hotel Le A, a 26-room boutique hotel 1 kilometer away from the Grand Palais, which will be concurrently hosting FIAC, France’s premier contemporary art fair.
Articles
Jillian Steinhauer – ‘Do We Still Need to Defend Outsider Art?
This article is Steinhauer’s response to Christian Viveros-Faune’s scathing attack on Outsider Art (read full attack here). In her article for Hyperallergic, Steinhauer picks apart Viveros-Faune’s arguments against the growth in popularity of Outsider Art and therefore it’s value as part of the art market.
Click here to read Steinhauer’s full article on Hyperalleric
Ralph Fasanella, ‘American Tragedy’, Courtesy of hyperallergic.com
A Perspective on the Heidelberg Conference on Outsider Art
In this blog post, a delegate from the Heidelberg Conference talks about their experience of the event, in particular the conversation around ethical issues. The conference took place in May 2013 at the University of Heidelberg, where the Prinzhorn Collection is housed. The article proves very interesting if you were unable to attend the conference. It also raises awareness of the ethical issues that do surround Outsider Art.
‘Art in the Asylum’ at the Djanogly Art Gallery, University Park Nottingham 7 September – 3 November 2013
This exhibition will present the first look at the evolution of artistic activity in British asylums from the early 1800s to the 1970s. Over nearly two centuries, the visual arts have played a significant part in the development of Psychiatric treatment methods; a period coinciding with a time of great chance in our understanding and treatment of mental disorder.
With over 150 selected works from National and International collections, this exhibition will trace the historical shift from invasive treatments which included psychosurgery, insulin coma therapy and restraint to a more humane regime in which creativity played a key part.
Flash of Splendour Artists @ Threadneedle Street, London
Ongoing
Flash of Splendour Artists is a “groundbreaking and highly acclaimed not-for-profit creative arts organisation working with music, poetry and the visual arts to effect societal change.”
The exhibition itself will focus on the work of 5 young British artists who are mentored by Flash of Splendour Arts.
The organisation itself specialises in “fostering creativity and self-determination in children and young adults, with a passionate interest in empowering those disempowered, for whatever reason, by their societal positioning.”
50 works will be selected from submissions by marginalised or disabled artists to go on a touring exhibition across Sussex and London. The gallery is a minute replica of the Tate Modern, will dimensions of 8 ft x 5 ft with a 12 ft high chimney.
Images that are submitted should be original, photographs, collages or computer generated, measuring 18 x 13 cm or 13 x 13 cm. Each artwork entered will cost £5.
There are prizes of £250, £175 and £75.
DEADLINE: 4TH JUNE 2012
Once selections are made, the exhibition will take place at the following venues, on the following dates:
London: 13th – 17th June @ Royal Brompton Hospital
Brighton: 9th – 12th August @ East Street Bastion
London: 10th October @ Gillet Square, Hackney
Chichester: 9th – 11th November @ Pallant House Gallery
The artworks on display in this exhibition mirror the struggle of the Tridacna; a creature which when put in peril will vanish, leaving behind just a skeleton.
The exhibition includes pieces that represented “suspended dreams” and a “romantic merging of humanity, nature and animal.”
(Image: Robin Ironside at Pallant House, Chichester)
Bethlem Heritage, South London UK (www.bethlemheritage.org.uk)
8th – 30th March 2012
‘There is Good in Us’
An exhibition of Geroge Harding’s work – “The work encourages people to look at ‘us’ in a way that is celebratory, unconventional and can teach us something about different ways of being.”
Pallant House, Chichester UK (www.pallant.org.uk)
28th Feb – 22nd April 2012 ‘Robin Ironside: Neo-Romantic Visionary’
Galerie Gugging, Austria (www.gugging.org)
Until 22nd April 2012 ‘Inschriftierungen’
Galerie Miyawaki, Kyoto Japan (www.galerie-miyawaki.com)
March 2012 Exhibition on the work of Outsider Artist Hans Krusi
Art et Marges Musee, Belgium (www.artetmarges.be)
10th Feb – 20th May 2012 ‘La Fabuloserie: le fabuleux destin des Bourbonnais’
Museum Im Lagerhaus, Switzerland (www.museumimlagerhaus.ch)
Until 11th March 2012 ‘Hidden Treasures from Swiss Psychiatry II: Encounters’
Frist Center for Visual Arts, Tennessee (www.fristcenter.org)
24th Feb – 29th May 2012 ‘Fairy Tales, Monsters and the Genetic Imagination’
KDOA 