Anthony Flack wrote:If you aren't drinking cheap lager and eating potatoes, who the hell do you think you are? Get a load of Lord Avocado with his fancy Mexican berry.

Am reminded of those truly horrible individuals in America who get up in others' business about what they buy with food stamps. My idea of hell would be being stuck inside such a person's head all day. Gahh!


Anyway, back on track to "outsider art"...

I suppose in applying the term one should take into account whether the "outsider" in question is so by design or happenstance. At least a few potential scenarios could be at play. The art a person wants to make could simply not fit within the established norms of the time, either deliberately or inadvertently. Or, maybe there's potential for the art to fly somehow, but the artist lacks the will/patience/constitution and/or resources/connections/exposure to effectively "play the game." In the latter case, it stands to reason that a number of people will be more skillfully creative than capable of shepherding their work into the world in an effective manner.

I feel ambivalent toward the term. It's kind of like "underground" in that it could imply something is being done covertly somehow (almost like a secret society or criminal enterprise, or some Dark Web shit maybe), or it could just mean someone has thrown parties that not many attended. Or, maybe the artist was/is well liked but what they were/are doing has escaped the mainstream's prying eyes, good graces, and financial backing. Without enough context, the term feels nebulous.

No vote.