This Week in Outsider Art

This Week in Outsider Art

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This Week in Outsider Art
This Week in Outsider Art
my obsessions

my obsessions

the may twenty-second b-b-bonus this week in outsider art *paid* newsletter

May 22, 2024
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This Week in Outsider Art
This Week in Outsider Art
my obsessions
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FIND OF THE WEEK

ARTIST UNKONWN Diablo Mask (Mexico, Region unknown; third quarter 20th century) // Wool, leather, polychrome wood, horns 19 x 16 x 7 in. (48.3 x 40.6 x 17.8 cm) via Cavin-Morris Gallery

A lot of people have asked me (no one has ever asked me) what does it take to make something “The Find of The Week”? I’m not entirely sure, thanks for asking though! (no one was asking).

One thing I do know, if a piece of art makes you stop in your tracks, mumble to yourself “holy shit” and then you shove your phone into the nearest high school student in your classroom to show them, I think that qualifies!

This mask is from Mexico, the third quarter of the 20th century and is made of wool, leather, and horns. It comes from the great folks at Cavin-Morris Gallery, Randall Morris and Shari Cavin. I do not believe this work is for sale, and it is one of the many great masks they share directly on the Instagram channel @tribalartforanewgeneration.

What I love about Cavin-Morris is that they have an incredible eye for the most interesting and mesmerizing art from around the world. Whether these masks, ceramics from Japan or rugs from Iran (viva CC!), they have been collecting for over 40 years and they never disapoint. They’re always also super nice and kind to me every time I see them!

At the time of this writing, this mask is not for sale.


✌️ every wednesday, this bonus newsletter with bonus outsider art content, including exhibit listings, personal collection highlights, and news of the week, will be sent to paid subscribers. The weekly ‘This Week in Outsider Art’ newsletter that goes out every Sunday morning continues to and will always be free of charge — enjoy ✌️


B-B-BONUS
This Week in Outsider Art

» Asafo Flags «

This iconology imagery used on flag designs was to express supremacy, alluding to rivals being weak opponents and easy to catch (c. late 1950s) via AsafoFlags.com

Last week’s b-b-bonus newsletter featured Puritan funerary art, or in layman’s terms — extremely rad gravestones from 18th century New England. I never knew I needed winged death heads on gravestones in my life, but here we are! That led me to think about a handful of things, that if you would have told 15-year-old me twenty years ago that one day you’d be obsessed with the following, I would have thought you were nuts.

  1. Turkish Prison Purses

  2. Jolly Roger Flags

  3. The skull sculptures of James ‘Son Ford’ Thomas

  4. Gees Bend Quilts

  5. Mexican Muerte Masks

  6. Marvin Bailey’s Eyeball Jugs

  7. The Rugs of Iranian self-taught artist ‘CC’

  8. The aforementioned Puritan Funerary Art

And Asafo Flags. Look, the list could go on forever. But as of late, any time I see any and all of that list above. I continue to be blown away.

This flag represents a checkers game board, which is a reference to the ability to outwit rivals (c. 1970s) via AsafoFlags.com

Especially when I see a stellar Asafo Flags. I can’t remember the first time I stumbled upon Asafo flags, but I remember I immediately wanted to know everything about them. I bought a great book and immediately hijacked my graphic design class so I could share with them my excitement as we created flags in Illustrator for the next two weeks.

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