Colin Rhodes

An updated and substantially revised edition of this comprehensive introduction to outsider art, distinguished by its wider international scope and inclusion of global developments since 2000. Outsider Art is the work produced outside the mainstream of modern art by self-taught, untrained visionaries, spiritualists, recluses, folk artists, psychiatric patients, prisoners and others beyond the imposed margins of society and the art market. Coined by Roger Cardinal in 1972, the term in English derived from Jean Dubuffet’s ‘Art Brut’ – literally ‘raw art’, ‘uncooked’ by culture, unaffected by fashion, unmoved by artistic standards. In this comprehensive and indispensable guide, Colin Rhodes surveys the history and reception of Outsider Art – first championed by Dubuffet and the Surrealists, now appreciated by a wider public – while providing fresh insights into the achievements of both major figures and newly discovered artists as well as the emergence of specialized studios, as the relationship between outsider art and the contemporary mainstream art world has developed and become more intertwined. From spirit-guided Madge Gill to schizophrenic Adolf Wolfli, Rosemarie Koczÿ’s expressions of trauma to Nek Chand’s outdoor creations, these individuals passionately and obsessively pursue the pictorial expression of their vision. Now illustrated in full colour, with the exception of some archival photographs, this new edition has been substantially revised with a greater focus on global Outsider art as well as including more recent talents to the field.

A comprehensive new overview of expressionism, tracing its evolution from the nineteenth century to the present day. Expressionist artists believed in the art object’s ability to communicate emotion, irrespective of any representational or narrative content. In this comprehensive introduction to one of the most radical artistic movements of our time, writer, artist, curator and educator Colin Rhodes traces the thread of expressionist thought from the nineteenth century to the present day, mapping its various manifestations across Europe and the USA, as well as parts of Africa, Asia and South America. By paying particular attention to nuanced issues of gender, sexuality, and cultural appropriation Rhodes challenges the received art-historical narrative and reassesses it in the context of broader twentieth and twenty-first century artistic practice. Generously illustrated, the diverse selection of artists featured in this book range from Wassily Kandinsky, Erma Bossi, Francis Bacon, and Mark Rothko to Ursula Schultze-Bluhm, Gillian Ayres, Purvis Young and Jadé Fadojutimi.

Taiteen marginaalisuuntauksiin pureutuva runsaasti kuvitettu julkaisu koostuu marginaalitaidetta taidehistorian, taloustieteen ja luovuuden kautta käsittelevistä artikkeleista, ja on suunnattu laajalle lukijakunnalle.Kirja jakaantuu neljään teemaan, jota kutakin avaa asiantuntija-artikkeli. Kaikki lähtee luovuudesta -teeman alla kasvatustieteen tohtori Jussi T. Koski pureutuu luovuuden käsitteeseen. Koski avaa lukijalle luovuuden muodostumisen rakennetta ja sen analysoinnin problematiikkaa. Marginaalien laaja maailma -osiossa museotoimenjohtaja emerita Kristina Ahmas ja taideamanuenssi Katriina Meller paneutuvat marginaalitaiteen käsitteistöön ja luovat yleiskatsauksen alalla vallitseviin suuntauksiin, sekä esittelevät marginaalitaidetta K.H.Renlundin museon kokoelmista. Ulkopuolisten vallankumous -luvussa outsider-taiteen asiantuntija, Hunan Normal Universityn professori Colin Rhodes vertailee marginaalitaidetta nykytaiteen instituutioihin. Kirjan päättää Uutta luovat rajanylittäjät -osio, jossa innovaation, designin ja johtamisen professorina Syddansk Universitetissa toimiva Alf Rehn osoittaa taiteessa ja taloustieteessä esiintyvän samankaltaista rajankäyntiä."Marginaalista lähtee..." on eri tieteenaloja ja näkökulmia yhteen kokoava teos, joka tuo laajan yleisön saataville lisätietoa Suomessa vähän huomiota saaneesta taiteen osa-alueesta. Taiteen sisäpiirin ja ulkopuolisiksi määriteltävien tekijöiden välinen rajankäynti ja sen ympärille rakentuva diskurssi nousevat oleellisiksi. Julkaisun yhtenä tavoitteena onkin avata ovea taiteen valtavirran ulkopuolelta nousevan potentiaalin tunnistamiselle ja tunnustamiselle.Runsaasti kuvitetun kirjan teoskuvat esittelevät pääosin Elke ja Werner Zimmerin lahjoituskokoelmaa. Kuvatoimituksesta vastannut Liisa Heikkilä-Palo on kulttuurituottajana ja kuraattorina tunnetuksi tullut taidekustannusalan ammattilainen, joka omaa pitkän historian ITE-taiteen parissa. Kirja antaa lukijansa nähtäville laajan kattauksen naiivin ja outsider-taiteen helmiä. Värikylläisissä kuvissa voi tutustua muun muassa Franjo Klopotanin, Minna Ennulatin, Josef Wittlichin ja Silvino Hector da Rosa Pratasin teoksiin.

The World According to Roger Ballen, co-authored with Colin Rhodes, looks at Ballen’s career in the wider cultural context beyond photography, including his connections with and collections of Art Brut. It features photographs selected from across Ballen’s career, along with installations created exclusively for the exhibition at Halle Saint Pierre and photographs of objects and works from Ballen’s own collection of Art Brut. Organized thematically, with texts by Colin Rhodes and an introduction and interview with Ballen by Martine Lusardy (the Director of the Halle Saint Pierre), The World According to Roger Ballen is both a catalogue of the first, major exhibition of Ballen’s work in France and an exploration of Ballen’s positioning within and connections to the wider context of modern and contemporary art.

A fascination with the 'primitive' lies at the heart of some of the most influential developments in Western art between 1890 and 1950 - a time that witnessed both the 'heroic' period of modern art and the apogee and decline of the West's colonial power. Many groups have at times been labelled as 'primitive', including the so-called tribal peoples from Africa, Oceania and North America, but also prehistoric cultures, European peasants, the insane and children. Through the lens of their own society, many modern artists looked both to the art and to the world-view of the 'primitive' as means of challenging established beliefs, but the 'primitive' to which they turned was a varied as the movements in modern art. Here, Colin Rhodes breaks new ground, drawing on a wide and diverse range of material, from high art to popular entertainment and from Darwin to Freud. The critical overview he presents supersedes all previous studies on the subject.