If we look from viewers perspective, I guess outsider art will remain truly outsider only for some time. When moment comes that "outsider" gets appreciated and praised everywhere, especially after he has already died... Does it change the nature of art itself?
Question would be:
Is outsider art definition from artists point of view or audience point of view? I think it would be foolish in first place to assume outsider art is at all based on "success", perhaps even posthumous success.
When works done by person who created his works, outside typical art scene enviroment /art institutions, for his own obsessive needs, it is outsider in original meaning of term. Does for example nature of noise change when it's known by 6 people who have rough tape and its underground, and suddenly 1000 people know same material and it changes its nature to hip & accessible? Material was still created under same methods and motivations, which should be what defines it material itself.
If we look the history of term:
QuoteThe term outsider art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for art brut (French: [aʁ bʁyt], "raw art" or "rough art"), a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture; Dubuffet focused particularly on art by insane-asylum inmates.[1]
While Dubuffet's term is quite specific, the English term "outsider art" is often applied more broadly, to include certain self-taught or Naïve art makers who were never institutionalized. Typically, those labeled as outsider artists have little or no contact with the mainstream art world or art institutions. In many cases, their work is discovered only after their deaths. Often, outsider art illustrates extreme mental states, unconventional ideas, or elaborate fantasy worlds.
Outsider art has emerged as a successful art marketing category (an annual Outsider Art Fair has taken place in New York since 1992). The term is sometimes misapplied as a catch-all marketing label for art created by people outside the mainstream "art world," regardless of their circumstances or the content of their work.
In 1991, the first and only such organization dedicated to the study, exhibition and promotion of outsider art was formed in Chicago: Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art. Chicago is often recognized for its concentration of self taught and outsider artists, among them -- Henry Darger, Joseph Yoakum, Lee Godie, William Dawson, David Philpot, and Wesley Willis. Intuit maintains a non-profit museum, open to the public, which features exhibitions of art by intuitive, outsider, and self taught artists.
I think in Finland, there is situation similar to "everywhere else". Where there is the real art scene. High profile established galleries, museums and artist. And there is no business with anyone with any offensive, unusual or low level art. But then as alternative, there is obviously alternative option, with low level galleries, alternative spaces.. exhibitions happening in certain bars or venue, and so on. And it's hard to really call member of some scene as "outsider". Or at least not all of them. Being self taught, being outside of mainstream, they still create large relatively homogenous micro society, where people aren't outsiders.
Rather than outsider art, I would find more supportable terms perhaps TRANSGRESSIVE ART, SUBVERSIVE ART, ANTI-SOCIAL ART, etc.. Of course almost equally vague, but...
And slight offtopic:
I have had few exhibitions in my life, mostly about comics/drawings and photographs. First back in.. 1994 or 1995 maybe in Imatra culture central what was together with me getting 1000fim (150€) grant from city for purpose of art. Excuse me for being poor teenageboy with no $$, so I had to hustle little to get money for printing costs of book. Then there was some youth art fest, I don't remember where. Same year. Jyväskylä maybe? One among hundreds. I was very disconnected from whole thing, wanted nothing to do with it. Then it took pretty much 10+ years until I was lured to take part in local comic society exhibition taking place in toilets of bars around the city. I said ok, since I knew the people and knew they need few more guys. I taped some xeroxes on urinals and walls of filthy K-18 sleaze humor. After that there was group exhibition in Lahti modern art museum, where my works were presented in same exhibition as Roy Lichtenstein (whatever) and other cult pop artists and the rising experimental comic artists of local art school. Then followed was publishing small photo catalogue & exhibition in Osaka. Very small thing in culturally oriented bar who held 1 week exhibitions in their walls. It was ok, but in the end, I felt like just doing compromises and speeding up process what should have been very different.
All these happened due request from some organiser who know me due reason or another. I have yet to start promote my "art", but my interest in books and printed matter quarantees that at some point books/zines will again start appearing. Won't care under which label it is filed.
