ODDS
Sotheby’s in London is staging an unusual exhibition by artists far outside the mainstream — one of them inspired by chewing gum
Hats for cats
Wouldn’t it be something if the sideof-the-road wire artists could exhibit their fluffy sheep, Technicolor birds and giraffes at a prominent auction
house?
Well, let’s hope local galleries take a leaf out of the book of Sotheby’s London, where the first exhibition of “outsider art” opened on Thursday.
The artists, who use mediums like cardboard, chewing gum, thread and found items, have been given the opportunity of a lifetime.
Supported by the arts charity Outside In, pieces include “a lifesize cardboard sculpture of a runner, minutely detailed drawings by a former punk rocker, and works in embroidery . . . and chewing gum,” reports The Guardian.
There are ceramics and pen and ink drawings, painted works and more.
Unorthodox visions
More importantly though, many of the artists are self-taught and some have social, physical or mental health issues.
The point is to break down barriers to entry, and create something exciting for art’s sake, without being pretentious about it.
The director and founder of Outside In, Marc Steene, said that the art world needed to question its values and judgments, and to create opportunities for artists working outside the mainstream.
For musician and writer Nick Blinko, once lead singer of the 1980s punk band Rudimentary Peni who has been treated for mental illness, it is a chance to balance creativity while on his prescribed medication.
Struggling artists
It creates work for artists like Pakistan-born Rakibul Chowdhury, who has exhibited previously. He says the market is rough. “I want to keep painting my pictures. I want to sell my work. I want to go shopping.”
Founded at the Pallant House gallery in West Sussex in 2006, Outside In provides a platform for more than 2 500 artists who would otherwise have difficulty accessing the conventional art market, said Steene.
“Outside In is unique as an organisation in its ability to reach out to and support the overlooked creators in our communities, wherever they are and whatever their life circumstances,” he said.
“The artists Outside In brings to the fore often produce work of exceptional strength and power due to it being created outside of the mainstream.
“It both enriches and challenges the art world, helping to lead the way to a future where all who create and have something to say are heard and respected.”
A thread runs through it
The embroidery artist Aradne grew up in South Africa. She considers her 3D embroidery creations, “drawings in stitch”.
“I assemble the figures in an intuitive manner. I see the way I work as a language or a tool to communicate how I see the world in my imagination, not as a record of things seen. I don’t know where the images come from, but they do stem from my childhood spent in Africa.”
Other African artists include Andrew Omoding from Uganda who makes art with Action Space, an organisation that assists artists with learning disabilities.
Hundreds of pieces are available for viewing online and for sale.
Outside In: Journeys is showing at Sotheby’s London until Friday.
Visit outsidein.org.uk to shop online.