We would like to invite you to take part in a conversation about issues connected with the practice of “outsider artists.” The starting point for the discussion is the exhibition “Joanna Pawlik feat.: Kamil Kurzawa, Daniel Stachowski. Combat shelter,” which can be seen at Wrocław Contemporary Museum since 19 May. Together we will think about the phenomenon of “outsider art” – what is it based on, by whom and for whom is it made, what is its relation to other trends and tendencies in contemporary art? These questions will be accompanied by a discussion about the place and role of art in struggling with the complexities of today’s life.

When working with artists connected with outsider art, Joanna Pawlik emphasises the importance of reducing the divisions between the officially approved professional art and visionaries’ art, focusing on building relationships and participating in the creative process together.

The space and subjects raised by outsider art are very complex. During the meeting we will try to determine where the boundary between “in” and “out” lies, whether art that ignores art history has a chance of being “seriously” treated and analysed, and whether “outsiders’” biographies matter. We will also talk about the difference between “proper” outsider art and therapeutic art, and the relation between personal and social mythologies.

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Joanna Pawlik
works with painting, drawing, photography and video. Her practice oscillates between issues connected with the mechanisms of social exclusion and personal zones of perception. The artist explores the limits of her body, analyses the notion of the “social norm” and opposes “disability”, often in subversive ways.

Małgorzata Schaefer
has been involved in art brut / outsider art for many years. She co-manages the TAK gallery in Poznań.

Rafał Jęczmyk
is a cultural animator, journalist, curator of music, film and art. He is fascinated by amateurish areas of art and culture, which are often officially ignored. He runs the Outsider Art fanpage on Facebook. Since 2013 he has been cooperating with the TAK gallery in Poznań.

Agnieszka Chodysz-Foryś
is a culture expert, curator and coordinator. Since 2003 she has been associated with the Culture and Art Centre in Wrocław. Before that, she coordinated the WRO Media Art Biennale in Wrocław and worked as an assistant to the programme and promotion director of the Zamek Culture Centre in Wrocław and as a marketing specialist at the Współczesny Theatre in Wrocław.