Outsider Art, since its origins, has generated great curiosity and interest. The term was initially established as Art Brut; an expression formulated by French painter Jean Dubuffet in the 1940s. Art Brut transitioned into what became recognised as Outsider Art, a name created by British art historian Roger Cardinal in 1972.
Traditionally, Outsider Art was considered to involve work that consisted of raw ideas untainted by social or cultural influences. It was lucid, driven without specific or forceful reasoning, representing those who were self-taught, disabled, or remained on the outskirts of society. It is important to consider the effect and influence of Art Brut as its investigators during that time paved the way for all that followed.
Outsider Art continues to hold a strong place in the contemporary art world and whilst respected by many, it does carry misconceptions and is regularly misunderstood. A common interpretation, carried down from the terms beginnings remains to assume that Outsider Art encompasses artists who are unaware or unaffected by the issues of the art world, this is arguably not always the case.
An exhibition on display at The Ian Potter Museum of Art, ‘Everyday imagining: new perspectives on Outsider art’ has been designed to offer a new possibility to the many common biases associated with Outsider Art. Curator of ‘Everyday imagining’ Joanna Bosse, suggests that; “The decision to focus on artists’ engagement with the exterior, everyday world was to counter one of the common assumptions about artists in this category – that they are disconnected from society and that their work is solely expressionistic, in that it relates almost exclusively to the self and the expression of the artist’s emotional inner life. To the contrary much work by outsider artists reflects their acute participation in social and cultural experiences.”
Exhibiting artists include; Andrew Blythe, Kellie Greaves, Julian Martin, Jack Napthine, Lisa Reid, Martin Thompson and Terry Williams all of which demonstrate a valid understanding of the everyday with work infused by their endeavours, motivations and interests. Bosse remarks, “The work of these artists – who are largely outside the established practices of the mainstream art world – has the potential to cause not only the art world itself to reflect on its own ideologies in a critical way, but also the prejudices of society-at-large.” ‘Everyday imagining’ offers a new way of interpreting the work of Outsider artists. The exhibition raises questions and formulates ideas that have perhaps never been previously considered by viewers.
‘Everyday imagining’ invites the observer to deeply reflect on the different works displayed and are encouraged to surrender any misconceptions that they may have when it comes to Outsider Art. Bosse hopes that people will “…engage more deeply with the work, to look beyond the label of ‘outsider’ to see each work of art as a unique manifestation of an artist’s point of view. I think there is a tendency to assume shared motivations, which is not necessarily the case. I’d like viewers to be aware of the existing assumptions or prejudices that may inform their interpretations of the work.” ‘Everyday imagining: new perspectives on Outsider art’ is held in conjunction with the international conference ‘Contemporary Outsider art: the global context’.
The Ian Potter Museum of Art
1 October, 2014 to 18 January, 2015
Melbourne
Andrew Blyth, Untitled, 2012, synthetic polymer paint on paper, 88 x 116cm
Jack Napthine, Untitled, 2013, fibre-tipped pen on paper, 42 x 59.4cm
Terry Williams, Telephone, 2011, fabric, cotton, stuffing and fibre-tipped pen, 18 x 13 x 20cm
Courtesy the artists, Tim Melville Gallery, Auckland, and Art Unlimited, Geelong
