On the weekend of January 19th to the 22nd as a tumultuous energy swept across the country followed by an air of solidarity, the 25th Outsider Art Fair took place at the Metropolitan Pavillion on West 18th Street. The core characteristic of an outsider artist according to their website “… is simply their lack of conditioning by art history or art world trends.” In other words, a lack of formal training such as an undergraduate or master’s program in fine arts, residencies, and/or any other means of formal training in art. In an art world where there seems to be an overwhelming number of artists boasting about their MFA degrees and the residencies they have listed on their resume, such a fair is both reassuring and refreshing. Artists included in the fair range from special needs artists who suffer from various conditions, such as Nicole Appel who suffers from autism, to people like Bernard Gillardi who worked as a lithographer his whole life and made 400 paintings that never left the basement of his house. Below are the Eyes Towards The Dove’s top ten picks of the fair.

Nicole Appel/ LAND Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

(Booth # 59)

Nicole Appel, “Miro, Picasso and Dali,” (2016), LAND Gallery, Outsider Art Fair NY, Photo by Jongho Lee, 2017

Oscar Azmitia/ Pure Vision Arts (PVA) New York, NY

(Booth #57)

Oscar Azmitia, Left: “Star Wars Episode VII,” Right: “Retro Star Wars,” enamel on coins, PURE VISION ARTS, Outsider Art Fair NY, Photo by Jongho Lee, 2017

Roger Ballen/ Galerie Bourbon-Lally, Petionville, Haiti

(Booth #50)

Roger Ballen, Left: “Take Off,” (2012) Hahnemuhle photo on rag paper. RIght: “Ritual,” (2011) Hahnemuhle photo on rag paper, Galerie Bourbon-Lally, Outsider Art Fair NY, Photo by Jongho Lee, 2017

Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective/ Gee’s Bend, AL

(Booth #60)

Quilts of Gee’s Bend, Quilts by Gee’s Bend Quilters Collective, fabric, feed sacks, recycles work clothes and dresses, Quilts of Gee’s Bend, Outsider Art Fair NY, Photo by Jongho Lee, 2017

Bernard Gilardi/ Portrait Society Gallery, Milwaukee, WI

(Booth #61)

Bernard Gilardi, “Untitled (Toes Touching),” (1972) Oil on Panel, Portrait Society Gallery, Outsider Art Fair NY, Photo courtesy of gallery, 2017

Greg Haberny/ Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, New York, NY

(Booth #37)

Greg Haberny, Left: Installation View, mixed media installation Right: Detail of installation: “Fuck You From A Dyslexic You Fuck,” (2016) Crayon on Paper plate, Catinca Tabacaru Gallery, Outsider Art Fair NY, Photo by Jongho Lee, 2017

Ruben Natal-San Miguel/ Y Gallery, New York, NY

(Booth #43A)

Ruben Natal-San Miguel, Installation View, Photographs printed on Kodak Metallic Endura Chromogenic Finish, Y Gallery, Outsider Art Fair NY, Photo by Jongho Lee, 2017

Daniel Swanigan Snow/ Cathouse Proper, Brooklyn, NY

(Booth #4)

Daniel Swanigan Snow, Left: Installation View of “Day and Night”, Right: “WTF,” (2014) Cathouse Proper, Outsider Art Fair NY, Photo by Jongho Lee, 2017

Béla Szeift/ FRED. GIAMPIETRO Gallery, New Haven, CT

(Booth #5)

Béla Szeift, Installation view of three collages on paper (2008), FRED. GIAMPIETRO Gallery, Outsider Art Fair NY, Photo by Jongho Lee, 2017

 

TODT/ Hudson Jones Gallery, Cincinnati, OH

(Booth #20)

TODT, Left: “Lethalithic Flat Work,” Xerox (1984) Right: “Untitled,” (2013-2016) One of thirty works on paper, Hudson Jones Gallery, Outsider Art Fair, Photo by Jongho Lee, 2016