This is part of a new series I am starting on the blog which will document art from around the world. The first post is a guest post by Kate from KD Outsider Art. Let us know what you think in the comments 🙂 

Outsider Art really experienced its ‘Golden Age’ between the years of 1880 and 1930 and traditionally encompassed works by the clinically insane or the incarcerated. Roger Cardinal coined the term Outsider Art in 1972 after Jean Dubuffet’s labelling of it as Art Brut (which translates as Raw Art). Cardinal himself describes Outsider Art as an umbrella term for works that are alien to established culture, although, he is keen to mention that because a work of art is alien to established culture, it does by no means imply it is inferior to the celebrated art of mainstream society.

Today, the term itself has expanded to include the work of those who are marginalised or excluded from society for numerous reasons.

We can often identify many offshoots of the term Outsider Art in the present day, for example Folk Art, Naïve Art, Visionary Art etc.; the term itself is inexplicably sprawling. For more information on the confusing definition of the term click here.

Outsider Art is something of great interest to me because I think it epitomises what art should really be. It should be accessible to all; it should have the ability to be seen by all and the ability to be created by all. Creativity, I believe, is something that is fundamentally innate to all human beings, and the increasingly exclusive world of contemporary art seems to be creating an elitist society where art is only accessible to those who have an art historical educational background. To me, this is not what art is about. To me, it is an alternative to words, an extension of the soul, it is raw and should be untainted by commerce – and these characteristics can often be seen most clearly in the works of Outsider Artists.

Below are 5 international institutions dedicated to the exhibition of Outsider works:

1) FRANCE: Halle Saint Pierre, Paris – 2 Rue Ronsard, 75018 Paris, France
Current Exhibition: Banditi DELL’ARTE
23rd March 2012 – 6th January 2013

This is the first exhibition devoted to works of Italian Outsider Art. Although the art world is now predominantly familiar with the term Art Brut, this concept is still relatively foreign to the Italian public. Banditi DELL’ARTE is a step towards institutional recognition and critical artistic practices that were before thought of as ‘marginal’. This exhibition enables the public to experience this form of art that has for so many years been side-lined or forgotten.

Click here for more information.

2) AUSTRIA: Museum Gugging – Am Campus 2, 3400 Maria Gugging, Austria
Current Exhibition: August Walla! Weltallende
29th March 2012 – 28th October 2012

The Museum Gugging is located in the Art Brut Centre’s main building. It is divided into a permanent exhibition area – the ‘gugging classics’ and another space for changing exhibitions. Due to the important historic and present role that Gugging has played in the development of Art Brut, the museum focuses primarily on this field. This includes a wider presentation of other Austrian and international Art Brut representatives.

Click here for more information.

3) USA: American Visionary Art Museum – 800 Key Highway, Baltimore, Maryland 21230, US
Current Exhibition: The Art of Storytelling: Lies, Enchantment, Humor and Truth
6th October 2012 – 1st September 2013

This thematic exhibition explores the impact of story via visual narratives created by over thirty visionary artists, each expressive of some personal aspect of tale-telling. From scripture to fairy tale, cartoons to cyber-bullying, the raw power of stories to inspire and enchant, spread lies or to inform, simply has no equal. This exhibition features a range of media, including embroidery, diorama, sculpture, film, graffiti and PostSecret confession.

Click here for more information.

4) UK: Bethlem Hospital Archives and Museum – Monks Orchard Road, Beckenham, Kent, UK.
Current Exhibition: British Outsider Art
7th July 2012 – 3rd November 2012

Image from www.benuri.org.uk 

This exhibition explores a selection of work by British Outsider Artists from the Bethlem collection. The artists showcased include prolific and well-known Outsiders such as Scottie Wilson and Madge Gill. The museum is located on the site of the still functioning Bethlem Royal Hospital, which provides mental health services throughout Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham and Croydon. The exhibition acts a key resource to encourage the idea of creativity as beneficial in a therapeutic capacity.

Click here for more information.

5) USA: Intuit: the Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art – 756 N Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago IL 60642, USA
Current Exhibition: Hawkins/Hawkins: One Saw Everything, One Saw Nothing
14th September 2012 – 5th January 2013

Image from www.memphisflyer.com 

This exhibition brings together the work of two self-taught artists; William Hawkins and Hawkins Bolden, who share a name and a talent for using simple materials to create compelling images. William Hawkins typically painted with a single brush, wiped clean between colours. Unlike most self-taught artists, he often worked from his own photos of buildings and animals rather than from memory. Hawkins Bolden’s sculptures are made of old pots, buckets and oil drum lids, decorated with tubing and rags. The creations of these two artists, one possessing a keen sense of touch and the other a unique vision of the world around him, have a powerful impact when viewed together.

Click here for more information.

About the author: Kate Davey blogs about Outsider Art: exhibitions, reviews, artists, thoughts. She is a strong supporter of creativity and access to art for all.

Visit her website: www.kdoutsiderart.com or find her on twitter: @kd_outsiderart