OUTSIDE THE GALLERY SPACE - BY Michaela Hall

The gallery space, the white cube and the ornate frames that come to mind when thinking of artwork being presented to the world in national galleries and prestigious institutuions are important, but not the be-all and end-all. The spaces where we least expect to come across an artwork can often be the most impactful, the spaces where outsider street artists grab our attention and prove that creativity isn’t about being fully taught or fitting inside the box or the gallery space, that art can be powerful in different ways for different artists – white cube or back alley. 

It would seem a crime to explore outsider artists without referencing Banksy, the anonymous street artist and activist who over recent decades has taken the UK by storm, getting himself a global reputation for for changing the art world. His tounge-in-cheek artworks that pop up without any notice across the country have serious socio-political underlying messages and transform our streets to be galleries of simultaneous adventure and deep thought. After becoming well sought after, with lots of fans – it may be surprising that Banksy, who has infiltrated the art world and managed to gain a tag with one of the biggest net worths of our time for an artist, got an E in GCSE art and even though he went to sixth form, didn’t go to art school. Banksy personifies the outsider, who despite putting on many gallery shows alongside his street art – doesn’t stick to convention routes and keeps us on our toes, wondering if the next thing will be an exhibition or a side of a house covered with a political statement. One of his most notorious moments was in 2018, when his ‘Girl with Balloon’ sold at Sotheby’s for over a million and after selling, self-destructed on the spot with everyone watching, due to a shredder pre-installed in the frame by Banksy. This has been interpreted as a clear middle finger to the art world and inner circle that ‘decide’ which art fits and is worthy of attention.

(image courtesy of www.hollywoodreporter.com/ Screengrab/banksyfilm)

It's also important to note that not going to art school or being ‘taught’ doesn’t necessarily equate to being an outsider artist or pushing boundaries. Both are valuable paths, and there are hundreds of examples of ‘taught’ artists who then go on to be outsider artists and rebel against the norms. In terms of street artists, another of these that is a personal favourite is Portuguese street artist Bordalo II, who did indeed study painting. However, like Banksy, Bordalo II chooses to use the streets as a way of promoting his activist agenda while creating striking artworks out of recycled rubbish. He seeks to make us think about our own consumption and all the ‘rubbish’ that goes to waste in the world. He proactively seeks to use an unconventional material in an unconventional way and therefore, be an outsider to the common expectations of ‘taught’ painters in the art world. I was lucky enough to come across his ‘Half Rabbit’ piece in Vila Nova de Gaia on a recent trip to Portugal and the piece manages to be confrontational and charming at the same time, all of this ‘rubbish’ towering above us to create a rabbit character that is loveable. To take discarded materials and create something so appealing is really a statement, gathering influencers and tourists alike to stare at what they might not initially realise is ‘rubbish’.

(Image courtesy of www.atlasobscura.com/ Carolyn Eaton/Alamy)

What these artworks can teach us is that whether ‘professional’ or ‘self-taught’ , true creativity will always shine through either way. Creativity in itself can not be taught, but nurtured and harnessed in the right ways and outsider artists have a way of pushing boundaries and perceptions that serve to keep pushing the boundaries of the art world as a whole. Outsider art is essential in us developing and moving forward as a creative society – there should never be rules in art and creation.