The Outsider Art Fair is coming to New York on January 29, bringing 50 international galleries of folk, self-taught, and outsider art to Center 548 for four glorious days. The fair offers the rare opportunity for artists operating far outside the regulations of the art world — whether marginalized, isolated, incarcerated, institutionalized or psychologically compromised — a space to show the vibrant and singular artworks that don’t just reflect their worlds, but constitute them. In anticipation of one of our favorite art events of the year, we’re spotlighting a different outsider artist every day.
Paul Laffoley, Pickmans Mephitic, 2004. Courtesy Kent Fine Art
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Laffoley may be an outsider when it comes to the art world. He may be an outsider when compared, even, to other outsider artists. But the facts remain: his obsessive, visionary works attempt to unlock the greatest secrets of universal mankind — from our cosmic origins to our essential philosophies. His work offers insight to us all — all of whom, that is, have 15 hours to spare. Even if you don’t take the time to fully comprehend every detail of Laffoley’s vertiginous portfolio, we have to agree with Allison Meier when she said: “For even the most philosophically lazy among us it is a fascinating study on the use of visual art to express what is often beyond words.”
See Laffoley’s work at the Kent Fine Art gallery at the Outsider Art Fair, from January 29 until February 1 at Center 548 in New York.
