aaron horkey art -- so best.

with a lot of outsider art, i sometimes feel that the work, although expressing a lot, didn't seem too complicated to make (admittedly, i am no artist, i only live with one). aaron horkey is a brilliant painter. a skateboarder surrealist, it takes a super OCD madman to do what he does. and he does it so well! aaron's work is meant to be seen and appreciated in person. if ever he should exhibit in your neck of the woods, do yourself a favor and show up. aaron doesn't seem to want to sell his work so if you're looking to own anything of his, these skatedecks are for sale. my lame photographs don't do his work justice but i think you'll enjoy looking at them anyway.

MORE:
aaron horkey interview
aaron horkey "nfs"

Comments

[dan]

Yes - it was amazing work in deed! Very inspiring.

I heard he had had a show at Gallery 1988 earlier this year where the works WERE for sale. DOH!!!!

[Brian]

Incredible!

[anonymous bastard]

hi. i went to art high school with aaron horkey. how come he's "outsider art"? because he lives in minnesota? he's not some mental patient or retarded janitor drawing 14 year old boys with fairy wings on newspapers he piles up in his closet. he's a professional artist.

[hustler of culture]

mr. bastard,

here is one definition of outsider art so that you have a better understanding of what i wrote:

The term Outsider Art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for Art Brut (which literally translates as "Raw Art" or "Rough Art"), a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture; Dubuffet focused particularly on art by insane asylum inmates.

While Dubuffet's term is quite specific, the English term "Outsider Art" is often applied more broadly, to include certain self-taught or naive art makers who were never institutionalized. Typically, those labeled as Outsider Artists have little or no contact with the institutions of the mainstream art world, they often employ unique materials or fabrication techniques; much Outsider Art illustrates extreme mental states, unconventional ideas, or elaborate fantasy worlds.

And as I stated in my entry, Aaron is a brilliant painter. Nothing was insinuated otherwise. Also, many outsider artists *are* professional artists -- they generally just learned their craft outside of the "system". I hope this makes more sense to you now!

[anonymous bastard]

hi again. I see your perspective. So being an outsider artist just means you didn't go to art school? Horkey both went to the same _art school_, maybe since it was a high school it doesn't count.

To me people use "outsider art" to mean mean some kook like Porous Walker doing pencil drawings with his own boogers on them to pretend he's really fucked up. Horkey's stuff is more straight up Dali-esque surrealism combined with fantasy science fiction book cover technique. Are the dudes who paint the Lord of the Rings merchandise calendars also outsiders? I suppose if the definition of "insider" is being on trendspotter blogs and having a gallery show in LA or Brooklyn or SF every other weekend. Or wait, I thought those dudes were outsiders? Maybe being an outsider just means you are in Juxtapoz instead of Art Forum?

Never mind me, just being a pedantic asshole. :)

[hustler of culture]

Hello Mr. Bastard,

I think maybe you're reading into the outsider art definition a little too stringently. I mean, for me, "outsider artists" just didn't get a lot of formal training and don't necessarily follow the rules for getting up or getting representation/shows -- I don't think it's meant to mean that they've never taken a real drawing class ever.

The great thing about art is that it's subjective -- everyone's allowed their OWN opinion. I believe Mr. Walker does mighty fine work. Boogers and all. What I enjoy about his work is that he is making fun of the outsider art movement when he says things inside his books like, "Save this shit because it's going to be worth a bagillion trillion dollars." And honestly, nobody's work has made me laugh aloud so much recently. His work sells for $5 in galleries. How seriously could he be taking himself?

The LOTR artists are commercial artists in the example you give. My friends, who are art directors/illustrators/artists on such ventures (Star Wars, LOTR, Pixar, etc.)-- they all seemed to have graduated from CAL ARTS and don't give a damn about having their own art in shows, just having their art shown on film.

I have a small collection of H.R. Giger artwork. I appreciate the time it takes to create such bodies of work. In the black and white illustrations that Mr. Horkey showed, I saw a lot of French comic book influence. I wonder if he's ever picked one up? I should've just asked him at the opening.

And actually, a lot of outsider artists are published in both Art Forum and Juxtapoz (Os Gemeos, Barry McGee, etc). And those are two fine titles.

I enjoy a good conversation...even with pedantic assholes. Thanks!

[porous scared too death walker]

Whoah...hold on...I never used no boogers to draw nothing.

Pretending I am fucked up? I only pretend to be really smart.

call me, (707)315-1447

Love
Porous

[Riggy]

Hi,

The debate about "outsider art" is so tiring I'm gonna cry....but I did think it was important to say that as an illustrator, people ALWAYS refer to my art that way. I have a masters Degree in Art so education has nothing to do with it. Its a term coined by "high artists" to draw a line in the sand and seperate themselves from people that actually know how to paint and draw instead writing an essay explaining work that doesn't stand on its own merits.

There is also a tendency in art, like in music, to categorize the look of the work and lump it in with other people so that we can feel like we're smart and we "get it"...what you don't?...psh Aaron falls victim to that like everyone else. If it said,"These paintings are good, by a good painter" would that make you look into the work? Doubt it.

[luke]

"Typically, those labeled as Outsider Artists have little or no contact with the institutions of the mainstream art world, they often employ unique materials or fabrication techniques; much Outsider Art illustrates extreme mental states, unconventional ideas, or elaborate fantasy worlds."
I'm with anon. bastard. none of that is Aaron (who I will refer to from hence forth as Spaar, short for Jack Spaar). Spaar has connections to the mainstream artworld through his affiliations with Burlesque of N.A. who makes very equisite and very trendy boutique gig posters using age old screen printing techniques. Not to mention his stint as a resident artist for the arsty street fashion company RVCA. So like what unique materials and fabrication techniques does Spaar employ? He is a painter, like brushes and paint, just like Norman Rockwell. And other than the Jack Spaar album cover, what has Aaron made that was fantasy, usually he paints pre-historic mammals which at some point in the history of this planet did actually exist. he also does not have an extreme mental state nor are his ideas so unconventional he started out really digging old school sign painters, that's about as functional in everyday society as art gets, huh? Aaron's probably eating mac and cheese right now and he'll probably never read any of this shit, but vulture of culture I think you got it wrong here. This is not Henry Darger this is Aaron Horkey, a rad motherfuckin detailist! C'mon own up to it! because, to quote Jack Spaar, I think yer just, "Actin like you never put gas in a glass jar." Grady Fuller of Pizza Boyz is the illest rhymer ever! and I'm out...

[smoothtriumph]

Here's areview of Horkey's work written by a childhood friend (I don't think Timmy would get it wrong). Notice how there is no mention of fantasy or science fiction here, but Timmy does mention paleontologists and forensic scientists, two professions that deal absolutely in evidence, research, and hardcore examination of detail just like Horkey's work:

Aaron Horkey's artwork brings back those haunting images of the past with crazy transformations of decayed matter along with magnified views of insects, bone assemblies and megafauna that will make any paleontologist and the most seasoned forensic scientist wet themselves. Horkey's drawings make you want to seek out the dirt-entrusted carcass of some long dead mammal or pull a dead plant from the ground to examine its corroded root system. Although I can barely stand the sight of an insect on my dinner table, I'm proud to hang Horkey's drawing of one just above it.--Timmy