Au Vieux Panier hotel, Marseille - Tilt, from Wild Art

Wild Art explained in the LA Times

David Carrier and Joachim Pissarro talk through their new book with the Times' Liesl Bradner

There's a great piece in the LA Times wherein Phaidon authors David Carrier and Joachim Pissarro discuss the definitions, limits and merits of their new book on artistic creations outside the art world, Wild Art. "We wanted wild art to be looked at the same way as wild animals versus domestic or wild plants versus domesticated," David Carrier explains in the article

 

Joachim Pissarro (left) and David Carrier (right), authors of Wild Art
Joachim Pissarro (left) and David Carrier (right), authors of Wild Art

"We started to realise that when we opened our eyes we'd find this art everywhere, but we're trained not to look at it as art in the typical sense," Carrier explained to the Times's Liesl Bradner.

Together, the pair assembled a visual exploration of everything and anything from outside the exclusive and rarefied spectrum of the 'Art World'. As Pissarro was at pains to explain both to the LA Times and elsewhere, "we are not talking about outsider art." Outsider art, the pair maintain, is a form of art made by eccentrics that is part of the art world. "We are talking about people that are not part of the mainstream art world but have reached a certain degree of fame inside their own worlds and make a living out of it" Carrier continues, citing the instance of the retired New Jersey fireman, John Gowdy, who is renowned for his intricate sand castles.

 

Hot With The Chance Of Late Storm - The Glue Society, from Wild Art
Hot With The Chance Of Late Storm - The Glue Society, from Wild Art

However towards the end of the article, Carrier admits, "We discovered early on that there's no difference in kind and principal between wild art and the art world. The barriers between the two worlds are at times thin and porous but still remain."

Nevertheless, while Wild Art might occasionally enter rarefied gallery spaces, it remains oblivious to the tamer, art world hierarchies. "Wild art has no class distinction," insists Pissarro. "When you attend a performance by skateboarder Christian Hosoi, you don't feel like part of a selected public. It's just as fascinating, spectacular and heart-wrenching. It grabs you by the guts. It's out there in the open, and you don't have to pay for it. It's not intimidating."

Kevin Bacon - Jason Mecier, from Wild Art
Kevin Bacon - Jason Mecier, from Wild Art

It's a great examination of our new book, and we're really happy that the LA Times ran the piece. Read it in full here, and if you like the sound of it, order a copy of the book here.