University of Palermo Launches Observatory and Journal Dedicated to Outsider Art

The University of Palermo hosts the Osservatorio Outsider Art, a research center founded in 2008 and led by Eva Di Stefano, professor of Contemporary Art History. The observatory studies and promotes irregular art, including Art Brut (term coined by Jean Dubuffet) and Outsider Art (term coined by Roger Cardinal in 1972). It focuses on creators such as psychotics, sociopaths, autistics, children, visionaries, and untrained individuals who produce art for themselves. The observatory also publishes a semiannual journal, O.O.A., featuring studies and analyses of national and international outsider artists with a focus on Sicily. Initially published by the university, the journal is now handled by Palermo-based publisher Glifo Edizioni, founded in 2013 by Luca Lo Coco (artist and graphic designer) and Sarah Di Bendetto (art historian). Content is shared online with English translations but is designed for print. A subscription campaign for the upcoming issue has launched at €30 per year. The 2013 Venice Biennale, curated by Massimiliano Gioni, is cited as a key moment when the art system embraced outsider art.