PsychiARTry | RT Documentary

Outsider Art Documentary | “A tube of paint can save someone’s life”, says Olga Fominykh, a founder of Outsiderville, a Russian nonprofit helping people with mental health issues through creativity and get them recognised for their raw and unconventional art. The artistic expression of mentally unstable individuals has fascinated both psychiatrists and art connoisseurs since Vincent Van Gogh and Edvard Munch – famous artists who also happened to be deeply disturbed individuals. While it’s been observed that artistic genius often goes hand in hand with a troubled spirit, the healing potential of art for those suffering from mental health issues hasn’t been acknowledged until recently. Vladimir Gavrilov is, perhaps, one of the first psychiatrists in Russia who began to encourage his patients to express themselves creatively. Over the years, he has studied the confluence of outsider art, naïve art and the art of the mentally ill and has put a spotlight on this previously stigmatised group of crea