Outsider Art Fair: Welcoming all outsiders

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This year’s Outsider Art Fair, its 23rd edition in New York, opened this past Thursday on West 22nd Street in Chelsea. Described by its director Andrew Eldin as representing the “largest and most internationally diverse array of galleries and dealers” in the event’s history, this iteration is perhaps its most ambitious to date. Outsider Art Fair aims at presenting a broad spectrum of work by self-taught artists, both known and new to public exhibition. Fifty exhibitors from across the globe brought work by artists whose backgrounds render them outside the ‘mainstream’ that informs the work of the classically trained and well-represented.

A fair unlike the others

For the uninitiated, this is not your typical art fair. The high-gloss finish of the Friezes, Art Basels and Armory Shows of the world - often seeming to showcase the work of the same artists, by the same galleries - is forsaken for a humbler, warmer atmosphere. This event has almost a small-town market feeling to it. And the prices are reflective of this too. From handmade bracelets priced at $50, to paintings worth thousands, offerings here definitely appeal to a collector base broader than those of the galleries you’ll find on the same street in Chelsea. It’s actually an ideal place for a person to buy a first piece and start a collection. And, judging by the copious amount of red dots on the walls, this may just have happened for some.

From Art Brut through Folk…

Outsider Art, a term coined by British author and critic Roger Cardinal, has roots that can be traced back through the ages. In 1945 the French artist Jean Dubuffet began collecting art he called art brut, attracted to the authenticity and artistic purity of the work created outside the constraints of the demands of galleries or cultural approval. His specific focus was on art made by patients of psychiatric hospitals which would become an inspiration for him as he created his own work. Whilst the definition of Art Brut is strict, there are many authors, for whom their creative or artistic mission can resemble Art Brut creation, yet who are not in reality isolated or alienated, yet identify with this form of expression. These artists might be aware of the artistic nature of their creation, yet they produce in a spontaneous way, liberated of all constraints, and therefore fall into the vast category of Outsider Art.

The focus on Dubuffet’s legacy remains a fixture of Outsider Art today and was evident at this year’s fair. One booth, that of the Gallery of the Healing Arts Initiative, presented works by self-taught artists with mental disabilities. The Initiative’s Art Studio provides materials and assistance by professional teaching artists, giving access to a means of personal expression - and income - that would generally be unavailable to such budding artists in most communities.

 

HAPPENING
Outsider Art Fair 2015 | Via Flickr


Folk art and its traditions have also made an indelible mark on the landscape of Outsider Art over the years. (The fair’s lead sponsor is the American Folk Art Museum). Paintings by Anna Mary Robertson (Grandma) Moses - whose work figures in prominent American collections, including those of the Metropolitan and Brooklyn Museums - took the spotlight at Galerie St. Etienne’s booth this year. While Shrine, managed by dealer and collector Scott Ogden out of his Brooklyn apartment, presented pieces by Reverend George Kornegay, who’s built an outdoor ‘art environment’ into the hillside of his Alabama property. Any and all materials are used - from old sheet metal, to mattress springs and car fittings.

Inclusion and, even, altruism?

With such a wide range of skill levels, mediums, perspectives and contexts on display, one ends up with the impression that everyone is (or could be) welcome here. And, after all, who gets to decide what art constitutes ‘sellable’ art? Or art worthy of a stranger’s attention? In taking the work of artists who weren’t necessarily ‘meant’ to become famous, hanging it on the walls of an art fair, and asking passersby to give it a look, are these artistic voices not legitimized in a way? It’s a much-needed forum in an art world that can seem prickly to even the most jaded of veterans. And, once you find out that the fair donates the proceeds from its opening to God’s Love We Deliver - an organization that delivers hot meals to the injured - you’ll really leave feeling like you’ve experienced something special.



HAPPENING
Outsider Art Fair 2015 | Via Flickr
Thumbnails: Outsider Art Fair 2015 | Via Flickr