This months writers corner is a mix of work submitted to our open call for Outsider Art - It describes creations by self-taught artists working outside traditional art institutions. Coined in 1972 by Roger Cardinal as the English equivalent of Jean Dubuffet's Art Brut ("raw art"), the term celebrates work by individuals often isolated from mainstream culture—such as those in asylums or without formal training.
These works arise from deeply personal, unfiltered visions, driven by a need to express rather than conform. Outsider Art challenges the norms of what art should be, showcasing the raw creativity that thrives beyond conventional boundaries.
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Artist Name - FE
Biography
Artistic expression is like breathing for me. It’s second nature and I can’t live without it. We all breath, but we all breath in our own way, hence why ‘Outsider Art’ resonates so much with me. My artistic, creative experiences are in the performing arts, music, writing, poetry, filming, photography. I come to each medium or form of expression according to whichever medium my creative idea manifests best through. It’s completely natural to me. I find and mostly without intention, my creative endeavours have multi layers and purposes. There’s always a story, a journey, a lesson to learn and some teaching. A reaching out, an embracing and a hope for some positive legacies. Outsider Art is the real and original art. It belongs everywhere, not just on the outskirts.
Taken from this article written by FE - https://leedsliving.co.uk/city-living/street-art-the-peoples-gallery/
After having lots of fun taking photos of the graffiti art with my photographer friend Paul, it was time for some refreshments. On the way to the chippy, I spot somebody across the road painting a mural on a wall. This is kismet! I can’t get across the road quick enough. I think the artist sensed my excitement, as before I could even ask anything, he turned his head towards me to smile, as if to say “Ah, there you are!” As if he was awaiting my arrival, because where else would I be, other than next to some street art ?. Me and Paul went up to see the mural. It wasn’t finished, but it was already having a positive effect on the space and people passing it.
The artist’s name is Edwin and he’s originally from Australia, (my spiritual home!) and he lives in London. Turns out his great-grandmother is from Leeds! Which makes the fact he’s doing a mural in Leeds extra special. A full circle experience!
The mural is on the side wall of the Henderson’s Cafe on Burley Road. Gavin is the recent new owner of the cafe. Whilst clearing old bushes, trees and brambles from the side of the building, the wall became exposed and he immediately saw it as a blank canvas. Gavin is a believer in how street art can help with people’s mental health and he wanted to do something for the community and give something back, so he decided on getting a mural done. By the mysterious miracle that is six degrees of separation, he found Edwin. He praises Edwin as a great find and loves what he’s achieved with the mural. We all do!
The beach setting is magical and the colours Edwin has mixed for the mural are incredibly vivid. I feel like I could just dive right into it. I asked Edwin, where is this place and he told me it’s been in his head for years and he’s always wanted to paint it. He wanted to paint something that people can just enjoy and relax next to. He didn’t want to do anything with a message or political. Just a painting to create a happy and calm aura.BURLEY BEACH
He has certainly achieved that! The mural is so potent, I feel like I’m actually on my jollies. It’s a great visual escape. The blue, which Gavin says is nearly exactly the same as the Leeds United football team blue, is my favourite colour in the mural. I know nought about football, much less care, so that little tit-bit fact went over my head, but I find it interesting that Edwin got the blue so close to the Leeds blue, without knowing what the Leeds blue looks like. I think that was him channelling his Leeds great grandmother who was coming through and activating his ancestral Leeds DNA.
We had a really nice chat with Gavin, Edwin and Jay-Jay who also works at the cafe and hails from South Africa. The mural wasn’t even finished and it was already working it’s magic!
This situation proves my point – that street art helps mental health and is a benefit to communities. We met some new people, had a laugh, learned some stuff and the community now has a wonderful piece of art to look at.
Street art is the future and right now it’s doing a pretty good job of being the present. It’s more than time to embrace this type of art and the artists who create it. Having all of this street art has been an absolute Godsend for me and I’m sure it has been for other people. Through these lockdowns, art has been such a major asset to all kinds of people in all kinds of ways. I feel we don’t have to argue the point quite so much any more about the value of art in our lives and how vital it is for our wellbeing on many levels.
Burley Beach.
Looks out of reach.
It’s almost there.
As I hold my stare.
I’m almost in it.
So, I’m going to pin it.
In a special space,
in my brain.
So it cheers me up when it rains.
My portable, cerebrum paradise.
With its pull and power to entice…
Me!
Into an imagined reality.
That looks kind of familiar.
It feels so real.
Like something very similar.
To what, exactly?
I don’t really know.
But I sense a connection
Like I absolutely must go!
But there’s nothing like this place
In the “real” world, any case.
From the soul of the artist.
Through his heart,
to the wall.
From his long time imaginations,
to be enjoyed,
by us all!
Take a stroll on Burley Beach.
Dip your toes in the sea.
Take a seat by the waterfall.
Memories are for keeps.
Imagined or real.
As your brain feels the sensations,
from your attentive contemplations.
It accepts everything you feel.
It’s YOU that makes it real.
Burley Beach.
Not so out of reach, after all.
A beautiful people’s paradise
Gifted on a local, community wall.
THANK YOU Edwin. For your ART from the HEART! 💚
photo by Fe - the writer of the piece.
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Artist name - Len Cuthbert
Biography
Len Cuthbert is the founding director of a theatre company in Ontario, Canada. His plays have been staged in Canada, US and Europe. His collection of plays about reunions, Reunited Shorts, was published by Dramatic Publishing in 2020 and his meta comedy, 107, was published by Original Works Publishing in 2023.
Social media https://www.facebook.com/len.cuthbert/
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Artist name - Explornj
Biography
Explor Nj's work is multidimensional.
She uses her emotions and sensations to write poems, songs or stories, as well as books about anecdotes of mobility or her journey through art. She embraces her hypersensibility and uses it as a tool to explore.
Explor NJ's work is as personal as political: after twenty years of exploration of the art of others, she decided to create in her own way.
She uses meditation or other modified conscious states to explore spaces and topics, liberate her imagination, and then share her inner journey through performances or writings.
It is really intimate as she shares emotions and sensations she experimented with, but also adds a political note, as she proposes a different way to create, more authentic and intuitive.
She enjoys being in natural spaces and creating in unexpected places. She also sees art as a possibility to transmit important messages to build a better world: art as an activist gesture.
Social media.
https://www.facebook.com/explornj ; https://www.instagram.com/explornj54/?hl=fr
Website
Ghosts of denial
Ghosts of denial/Shadows from the past
Sicknesses untold/Rituals for survival.
Building a fortress,
Giving birth but not being pregnant.
Taking care as a mother,
receiving pain in return.
Proposing my body as a castle of support,
Being in the frontline for an undeclared battle.
Broken weapons/Whispering hopes
Crossing path of sorrow/ Anger as a second skin.
Refusing this constellation of blood, tears and bones.
Mud as the last companion
Stones the symbol of a terrible accumulation.
Too much pain for one person,
Too much commitment/Too young
Too much lives for one entity,
My envelop like a potion.
Ghosts are fluid /They can always surround you
How you overcome their presence?
I have not yet an answer to this question.
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Artist name - Eva Marschan-Hayes
Biography
Eva Marschan-Hayes
Eva was born in 1966 in Berlin. Since 1993 she has settled in the south of England. She is an Outsider artist and poet, exploring spirituality, memory, identity and self-care.
Eva is a passionate ambassador for the artist charity Outside In who have been supporting her creative journey with ongoing training and networking opportunities. Since 2018, she has been part of a wide range of collaborative projects, including exhibitions and book publications.
From a young age Eva had a strong connection with her inner world, which she expressed through art and writing. During early adulthood her creativity helped Eva to work though childhood traumas and to visualise a world she dreamt to live in. After a long period of introspection, she became passionate about criminal justice. This led to a PhD and a short-term academic position. Eva reconnected with her artistic side again, when she became a carer for her adult daughter. To her surprise, she noticed a significant shift in her creative practice, from introspection into playful spontaneity, inspired by nature and the beauty of light. More recently she has been diagnosed with being on the autism spectrum and with ADHD, prompting her to create a series of works about her lived experiences.
Social media @evas.poetic.imagery
Website - https://outsidein.org.uk/galleries/eva-marschan-hayes/
