Below is an interview conducted by The Star newspaper -

 

The Star (TS):  DO YOU THINK "OUTSIDER ART" IS A POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE LABEL?

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Tan Sei Hon (TSH): ‘Outsider art’ used to refer to the works created by misfits, the marginalized, the insane and those who operate ‘outside’ of conventional society.  The term ‘Outsider Art’ was chosen by British curator Roger Cardinal in the 1970s as a loose equivalent to the original French term ‘Art Brut’ coined by artist Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985) who tirelessly championed the works of these outsiders since the 1940s as they were rightly or wrongly perceived to be untouched by the dominant culture of modern (western) society. 

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To its promoters, especially those with strong countercultural leanings, it is a positive label that distinguishes these unconventional works from the clichéd and fashionable outputs by the academically trained or conventionally inclined who while operating within a culturally sanctioned framework, create with the art market or patron in mind. To its promoters, the ‘art’ created by these outsiders were powerful materializations of personal idiosyncrasies or inner necessities which truthfully reflects their private hopes, fears and dreams. For some it is a sort of catharsis and therapy while to its detractors; it is a negative label, implying a lack of academic training, cultural refinement, and artistic sophistication and is seen without commercial merits. 

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Today however, the term is losing its potency as more and more barriers and distinctions between different artistic approaches and worldviews are blurred. In the words of America’s most famous ‘outsider’ artist Howard Finster (1916-2001), “There is no such thing as an outsider or insider artists. Just as there are no such things as an outsider or insider mechanic, an outsider and insider president or an outsider or insider governor”. 

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This exhibition chose the more general term ‘Self Taught’ for its title to cover those without academic training, naive style painters and authentic outsider artists. The history and definitions of these types of art can be found at the Raw Vision magazine’s website which touts itself as the only leading magazine on outsider art.    

 
TS: IN GENERAL, ART MADE UNCONSCIOUSLY BEYOND THE CONFINES OF REGULATED, UNDERSTOOD, TRADITIONAL CONVENTION ISN'T EXACTLY OF ANY INTEREST TO SERIOUS COLLECTORS. IS THAT PERCEPTION CHANGING IN MALAYSIA?

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TSH: The so-called Outsider art is already part of the contemporary art world. The 55th Venice Biennale’s The Encyclopaedic Palace exhibition in 2013 was inspired by the self taught artist Marino Auriti (1891-1980).

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I think what is needed now is for more private and state owned galleries to organize more exhibitions featuring these untrained and non professional artists because their unconventional approaches and private worldviews can contribute to broaden the discourse on contemporary art practices. 

TS:  WHAT WERE THE QUALITIES THAT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR IN THE ARTISTS WHEN YOU CAME UP WITH THIS EXHIBITION?

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TSH: A unique and personal approach that is markedly different from the many in the local art scene is the main criteria while consistency and a head strong commitment to their personal artistic visions must rank as second in importance.

 

The third though not necessarily acceptable to many, is the social background of the artist. This is important because their works in my opinion should reflect authentically their social status, concerns and everyday realities as opposed to those who as aspire to be professional artists, whose considerations may be dictated by their training, current trends or the market. 

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TS: WERE YOU TRYING TO ACHIEVE A CERTAIN OUTCOME OR LOOK, OR WERE YOU JUST EXPERIMENTING WITH THIS EXHIBITION'S NARRATIVE?
 

TSH: This is the third exhibition I’ve curated focusing on self taught artists which includes naive painters and authentic outsider artists. The first was the ‘On the Corner’ in the contemporary art section in the exhibition ‘Susurmasa’ in 2008. 

The second was ‘In Our Own Way’ in 2010. Both exhibitions were held at the National Visual Arts Gallery where I had previously served as its curator.  

This current exhibition is a continuity of those two exhibitions which serves to stress that self taught art is a part of the contemporary art world practices. 

TS: Makeshift methods might seem illogical but they do end up leading to profound works of art. Did you consider that when curating the artists in this show?
 

TSH: In this context, the methods are just means to an end. It is considered makeshift because these artists are not trained nor are they too concerned with the durability of their works because it is not a commercial undertaking for them.  

What is important to them is that they are truthful to their artistic visions while realising it in direct, intuitive and spontaneous ways.    

 

TS: HOW HAS THE PUBLIC RESPONDED TO THIS EXHIBITION?  IS THIS A SELLING SHOW?

 

I think people from abroad are more able to appreciate these kinds of works as they have a long visual arts history. 

That was the main reason why we’ve chosen Kuala Lumpur City Gallery as the venue for this exhibition due to its high tourist traffic. Interested individuals can contact the artists directly as their email/ facebook addresses are printed on the captions. 

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