Koelsch Gallery, Texas

until September 21, 2018

In "my houston II", Koelsch Gallery presents works by Amy C. Evans which explore the history and life of businesses in Houston through Evans’ surrealist, graphic style of painting.

Koeslch Gallery
801 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77006, USA
koelschgallery.com

Arts of Life, Chicago

Renata Berdes

August 31 – October 12, 2018

"The Beasts" features a diverse array of artists, including studio members of the Arts of Life, educators, elementary school children, tattoo artists, illustrators and other creative individuals. The exhibition celebrates the special bond between animals and humans.

The Arts of Life
2010 W Carroll Ave, Chicago, IL, USA
artsoflife.org

The Gallery of Everything, London

Tomoyuki Shinki

until September 9, 2018

The Gallery of Everything presents "You're Not Only Human": a two-person display juxtaposing the philosophical aphorisms of Chicago text artist, Louis Demarco, with the kinetic combat graphics of wrestling devotee and Osaka native, Tomoyuki Shinki.

The Gallery of Everything
4 Chiltern St, Marylebone, London W1U 7PS
www.gallevery.com

Museum im Lagerhaus, St. Gallen

Emily Salz

August 28, 2018 – January 13, 2019

The exhibition "Backstage" offers the chance to take a look behind the scenes of the Museum im Lagerhaus, featuring familiar and little-known works from 30 years of collecting, including works by Emily Salz, Brida Lazzarino and Philippe Saxer. 

Museum im Lagerhaus
Davidstrasse 44, 9000 St. Gallen, Switzerland
www.museumimlagerhaus.ch

Featured Artist:

William Thomas Thompson (b. 1935)

Revelation Revealed (detail), 1999, courtesy of the artist

William Thomas Thompson grew up on a dairy farm in Greenville County, South Carolina. He was baptised under fundamentalist Christian principles at the age of 13. From the 1960s through to the 1980s, the ambitious Thompson built a million-dollar business, but his venture ultimately went bankrupt. From 1980, he was semi-paralysed by Guillain-Barré syndrome, which left him with little control over his hands.

portrait courtesy of the artist

On a Haitian medical retreat in 1989, a vision appeared to him and the need to create first entered his mind. He later described his terrifying vision as seeing “the coming of the Lord and the world on fire”. Thompson interpreted this as a direct order from God to paint. Completely self-taught, he undertook the task of painting his vision and later began work on a series of enormous 150 ft / 5 m paintings known as the Revelations Murals.

The Pit Beast of Revelation (detail), 1994-97, courtesy City Museum, St Louis

Although his artwork has religion as its primary theme, Thompson also produces pictures detailing his commentaries on politics, war and family morals and the occasional apocalyptic landscape. All of his work is characterised by bold colours and a unique movement in his brushstroke that results from his disability. He experiences a burn inside him to paint, describing his work as “Rage Art”.

Read more about William Thomas Thompson in our Outsider Art Sourcebook, currently half price!