Standing on the margins of the art world, “outsider artists” and their works are not associated with established art developments or art institutions and contrary to official artists, they are not influenced by and do not imitate cultural, artistic and historical achievements. Their approach and attitude involve strong, innovative expressions reflecting extreme moods and states in abstract forms, unconventional ideas, or a fantastic realm that is derived from a spontaneous psychic force. In fact, outsider art is a form of creative artistic expression unaffected by accepted cultural norms, first brought into attention by the early 20th century psychological studies on such artists and their artistic creations. It is a unique kind of art, an undeniable visual culture that is often considered undesirable and amateurish by official and mainstream institutions. The very unwillingness of the most authentic outsider artists to think of themselves as “artists” who make vital contributions to the development of artistic grammar, serves to reinforce such assumptions. As a form of artistic approach relying on instinct and intuition regardless of rules, trends or academic education, it stands in contrast to “insider art” which refers to official and established artistic approaches promoted in academia or other educational institutions by art experts and elites. Its practitioners are often considered the “common” people or masses whose works usually serve as objects of scrutiny in sociological studies. However, the visual manifestations they present reflect such unreserved candidness and sincerity of expression that, according to many experts and critics, their force and authenticity is greater than what mainstream works of art have to offer. Not all such artists are typical outsider artists; some of them create works that can be situated on the boundary between contemporary and outsider art. Yet, almost all of them constitute a sociological concept, which is, in fact, their shaping force.

Address:

Beethoven Music Center and House Museum. 69, 11th St., Mirza Shirazi St., Karim Khan Avenue, Tehran