With this exhibition, museum gugging set its eyes toward Japan and Switzerland. With this comprehensive show that was built on contrasts, we launched into the fall season 2015 and exhibited exciting new positions, but also renowned artists from the Art Brut of both countries.

What differences, what commonalities are there in the world of Art Brut? Gods, demons, mangas were to be found in the Japanese works, but familiar themes, such as the meticulous development of (inner) maps, or a universe of dolls, also emerge:  Shinichi Sawada, who caused a sensation when he participated in the Venice Biennale in 2013, presented his spiked ceramics; with Yuichi Saito, whose fine-line drawings are also widely recognized internationally, he is one of the stars of Japanese Art Brut.  Also on display, however, were lesser known artists such as Masao Obata, who fascinates with the simplicity of his works drawn on corrugated cardboard, or Norimitsu Kokubo, who conquers with his “map/aerial shot” pictures a world that puts us in mind of the Gugging artist Leonhard Fink. On the Swiss side, the great Aloïse Corbaz was represented with her colorful lovers,  as were Hans Schärer, with one of his eerie Madonnas, and Alfred Leuzinger, with some of his drawings.

The curator was Monika Jagfeld, who put together the show for the Museum im Lagerhaus in St. Gallen, Switzerland, from which Johann Feilacher was able to make a selection for Gugging.