Outsider Art

Outsider Art

Outsider art is art created by people without formal artistic training, such as children or people with mental illness.

Outsider art includes creations by self-taught or ‘untrained’ artists who generally have limited or no exposure to the established norms of the art realm. In many instances, outsider artists’ work remains undiscovered until after their passing. Frequently, outsider art portrays intense psychological states, unorthodox concepts, or intricate imaginary realms.


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Parra's studio, with Parra at the centre, his back to the camera as he works on the large painting takes centre stage, showing a faceless blue woman in a striped dress, painted in red, purple, blue and teal. The studio is full of brightly coloured paints, with a large window on the right and a patterned rug across the floor under the painting.