“Art is at its best when it has forgotten its own name.”

– Jean Dubuffet, founder of Art Brut 

 

An Outsider moves like a phantom, trailed by their own shadow—a lone gardener in an overgrown wilderness of thought. They are both the storm and the stillness, mad yet methodical, flawed yet pure, driven by an untamed current that twists through them, shaping chaos into form. The concept of Outsider Art has weathered both challenges and transformations, evolving into a broad and complex term. Still, there exist artists whose practice has been developed through ‘anti-social’ means, which has allowed them to garner freedom from rules, bias, and institutional conformity. Even as the lines of the art world continue to blur, establishing representation for those living among the margins remains valiant. 

 

In honor of these artists, Van Der Plas gallery is proud to present 4 Outsiders, a compelling exhibition that will be running alongside the gallery’s participation in this year’s Outsider Art Fair here in New York. The exhibition features 4 artists who have spent decades forging their own artistic paths, creating from a place of intuition, obsession, and relentless inquiry.

 

By exhibiting Anne Marie Grgich, Justin Duerr, Susan Day, and Konstantin Bokov side by side, Van Der Plas Gallery balances distinct mediums and visual narratives. 4 Outsiders immerses the viewer in a world where collage becomes a force of unexpected transformation, drawing transcends into a meditative conversation, ceramics evoke dreamlike landscapes and figures, and hanging sculpture breathes new life into discarded materials. This is an extraordinary chance to experience the inner visions of these self-taught artists, which are vast, explorative, and deeply personal, as communicated through the artwork on view. 

 

In addition to the exhibition, 4 Outsiders, Van Der Plas Gallery will be featuring work from the same four artists at the 2025 Outsider Art Fair.

The fair takes place from February 27-March 2, 2025 at the Metropolitan Pavilion on 125 W 18th Street, New York, NY, 10011.