Environments exhibition, Piano Nobile Gallery, Kings Place

Outsider art is made by individuals without any formal training and is often considered naive by those in the art world. Sadly, many such artists are not appreciated in their lifetimes or are ‘discovered’ late in life, but one charity, set up to provide support for those who have no other way to exhibit their work, hopes to change that. Every year Outside In holds an exhibition showcasing the work of selected artists, and its fifth annual show will be held at Piano Nobile Gallery, Kings Place.

Entitled Environments, this exhibition will showcase the art of up to 80 individuals and invites exhibitors to consider place, climate change and location in their work. The show will be judged by Grayson Perry, Cathy Pilkington RA and Robert Travers, director and founder of Piano Nobile Gallery and three winners will be chosen. The exhibitor who receives first prize will be given a solo show at Phoenix Gallery in Brighton.

Grayson Perry says of the exhibition: ‘My hopes for the Outside In exhibition are that I'll find an undiscovered genius who has a sophisticated aesthetic teamed with a raw vision of the world!’

Outsider art or naive art (the two overlap) can sound like a pejorative term, but artists identified in this category can go on to be celebrated for their sincerity and idiosyncratic styles. The Cornish fisherman Alfred Wallis, who died in 1942, is a case in point. He was discovered in St Ives by abstract artist Ben Nicholson and his works now fetch tens of thousands of pounds at auction. So who knows, you might find a future star at Piano Nobile Gallery this October.