Outsider Art Fair Quick Reflection

Last weekend at the Outsider Art Fair in New York, I got to see some spectacular work. It was nice to see artists I already knew, like  Charles Dellschau and Abraham Lincoln Walker, and get to know some intriguing works new to me. As much as I enjoyed the show and the art, I think we should also talk about the controversy of the term and category “Outsider”. Although I think it’s good that artists who have been marginalised from the art world get the opportunity for their work to be sold and exposed, studies have shown that this categorization can be counterproductive. If you’d like to learn more about varying facets of “outsider art,” check out the articles below. And most importantly, have a look at some of the artists at the fair.

“On the Very Idea of ‘Outsider Art’” by David Davies

“Insiders Curating Outsider Art” by Rita Elizabeth Risser

“In the Realm of the ‘Real’: Outsider Art and Its Paradoxes for Art Educators” by Jan Jagodzinski

“Contestation in Aesthetic Fields: Legitimation and Legitimacy Struggles in Outsider Art” by Victoria D. Alexander and Anne E. Bowler

“‘Loser Wins’: Outsider Art and the Salvaging of Disinterestedness” by Julia S. Ar