Almost Art Project today announces its first exhibition in Yangmeizhu Xiejie, Beijing, taking place from June 26 to July 5, 2015. Almost Art Project is China’s first Art festival dedicated to ‘outsider’ Art and comic Art. More than 300 works of Art from 43 ‘outsider’ artists and 16 comic artists will be presented. The festival also includes a public event program and a publication.
‘Outsider’ Art or art brut, as it is often commonly referred,is a key component of Art history. It refers to works of Art made by artists who are not professionally trained but are compelled to make Art for personal reasons. Wassily Kandinsky, Jean Dubuffet and Paul Klee were all influenced by ‘outsider’ Art. Henri Rousseau and Jean-Paul Gauguin were both self-taught and are often considered ‘outsider’ artists. According to Jean Dubuffet, ‘outsider’ Art is the freest and most quintessential Art form, because their creators are unpolluted by social and market forces, and the creative energy is derived from artists’ compulsions alone.
In the West, galleries and fairs specifically serving ‘outsider’ Art have been developing for more than 20 years. In China, the discovery, promotion and collection for ‘outsider’ Art is an unexplored terrain, an unchartered sea. This void has spurred the creation of the Almost Art Project.
“The idea for the project came from James Brett’s world touringMuseum of Everything which encompasses all non-professional art making,” said Sammi Liu(刘亦嫄),founder of Almost Art Project. “We hope that Almost Art Project will be a platform for showcasing outstanding ‘outsider’ and comic artists. Furthermore we will take the festival to Shanghai and Chengdu later this year.”
“After a long process of research and discovery, we have been rewarded by many first class examples of ‘outsider’ Art which has confirmed our confidence in its potential. These works of Art are not only detached from academic and market traditions, but they represent a total refutation of prevalent artistic rules.”
Comic Art is another important strand of the Almost Art Project. This component is curated by Yan Cong (烟囱), comic artist and the publisher of the comic journal Narrative Addiction (叙事癖). He has invited 12 comic artists to make dōjin(どうじん, 同人志)comics.
“The culture of dōjin came to China with pirated Japanese comics in the 1990s, however later on the Internet diluted fans’ passion for it,” said Yan Cong. “For the Almost Art Project, I asked artists to re-imitate and recreate dōjin for the comics which we loved as children. We have had to figure out a way to integrate or subvert styles that influenced us so deeply as we revisit dōjin in this exhibition.”
素艺术 Art Su is the festival’s sister publication. It is the inaugural publication of Art historian Zhang Yuling’s (张宇凌) Festina Lente Publications. Art Su is the world’s first publication on the collective works by Chinese ‘outsider’ artists and it is the first in a series on ‘outsider’ Art. It is an attempt to document and assess ‘outsider’ Art in its own right and contains the vast majority of Art works shown in the Almost Art Project as well as scholarly research papers on the subject.
A panel discussion on ‘outsider’ Art will be held on June 28 by co-organizers Almost Art Project and Festina Lente Publications. Special speakers include James Brett(Museum of Everything. London), Christian Berst (Christian Berst Gallery, Paris),Guo Haiping (郭海平, Tian Cheng Art Center, Nanjing) and Ye Yongqing (叶永青）(Artist).
Participants include outsider artists：A Lan, Ba Zi, Chang Li-Yeh, Jian Jian, Jiang Xiaorong, Li Ben, Li Changsheng, Li Jie, Li Qing, Liu Yonghe, Li Zhongdong, Julia Long, Peng Rachel, Pin Fang, Qi Wen, Qian Chen, Qian Qian, Shidan zhenpengcuo, Shi Zhiwei, Sun Qijiang, Tang Suyun, Tao Zi, Tian Tian, Wan Tiejuan,Wang Baozhu, Liu Xiufen, Wang Hua, Wang Zhen, Wei Wanzhen, Wen Jun, Xiao Zi, Yang Chuanming, Yang Min, Yang Yang, Yao Weili, Yue Yue, Zha Ba, Zhang Yi, Zhang Yubao, Zheng Donghui, Nathan Zhou, Zhou Huiming, Zhu Jianhua
and comic artists: Yan Cong, Dick Ng, Xiang Yata, Zi Jie, Leng Zhiwen, Anusman, Ryan, Chen Xi, Liao Chen, Qian Daojiang, Neng Jianri, Shi Bei, Huo Xiaozhi, Si Wei, Pigao, Shang Ying
Key dates for Media
Public Opening Dates & Hours:
Friday June 26: 4pm-9 pm,
Saturday June 27 to Sunday July 5, 2015: 11am – 8pm
Address: No. 120, 122, 128 Yang Mei Zhu Xie Jie, Dashilar, Qian Men, Beijing
Panel Discussion: Sunday Afternoon, June 28, 2015
address: UCCA，798 Art District, No. 4 Jiuxianqiao Lu, Chaoyang District, Beijing, Chin
Closing Party: Sunday July 5, 9pm-1am
Address: DDC, No.14 Shan Lao Hutong, Dong Cheng District, Beijing
