An artist whose individual psychodynamic connects with the stylistic tradition of the culture he is in creates an oeuvre in which his subjectivity reaches out to an inter-individual level and transcends towards meaningfulness for society. In this way art brut was not accepted within the frame of the concepts of art until Dubuffet and others integrated its stylistic particularities into the field of the fine arts resulting in a reciprocal acceptance of previously rejected artworks. They were not created within the tradition of the academic art, but the tradition changed and incorporated what had been brought to life outside of its former boundaries. Nowadays they have entered museums and the art market on an equal level as others. Artists have the potential to overcome the isolation and stigma related to
mental illness by using their artistic productivity and aiming atrepresenting fundamental questions of our existence.
The exhibitions focus on psychiatric art brut in a wide range of artworks from various countries, including artists represented in the official art world as well as those still working in psychiatric hospitals or even in hidden isolation.
Curated Exhibitions
- ”Art in Psychiatry“, Copenhagen 2015
- ”New Perspectives on Life“, Ghent 2013
- ”The Art of Heinz Müllerh“, Wien 2011
- ”Temptation of Evil”, Stockholm 2009
- ”The Person in Art“, Prag, 2008, Maribor 2008, Guayaquil 2009
- ”Art against Stigma“, St. Petersburg 2007, Granada 2008
- ”Art against Stigma“, Isla Margarita 2008
- ”Breaking the Silence“, Seoul 2007
- ”Liberating the Person“, Lima 2006, Nairobi 2007
- ”Uniqueness and Universality“, Istanbul 2006
- ”From Deconstruction to Neoconstruction“, Wien 2005
- ”Extremes of the Soul – Trauma and Madness“, Wien 2003
- ”Human Art Project“, Yokohama 2002
- ”Peoples´ Dignity through the Cultures“, Madrid 2001
- „Psyche und Kunst“, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Wien 1999-2000
Die in dem vorliegenden Bildband abgebildeten Kunstwerke entstammen der Ausstellung “Psyche und Kunst” anläßlich des “Millennium”-Weltkongresses für Psychiatrie in Hamburg im August 1999. Nach der legendären Prinzhorn-Sammlung, der Art Brut und der berühmten Ausstellung von Delay und Volmat 1950 in Paris ist es nun erstmals gelungen, in einer repräsentativen Ausstellung Bilder aus mehreren Kontinenten zusammenzutragen. Weiterlesen…
This exemplary book on the fight against the stigma of psychiatric illness reveals in two ways how art is involved. More than 20 psychiatrists, art historians, art therapists as well as artists describe the historic path of destigmatization, which is accompanied by a representative selection of about 100 pictures crossing all borders. Read more…