When the Curtain Never Comes Down

At first, the premise is intriguing: what can the current boom in performance teach us about so-called outsider art? This exhibition, organized by Valérie Rousseau, presents paintings, drawings, and articles of clothing as traces of performative habits, rituals, and obsessions: the Art Brut icon Adolf Wölfli wrote scores alongside his drawings, and Brazil’s Arthur Bispo do Rosário used to wave his hand-sewn flags on the street. In Montreal, Palmerino Sorgente imagined himself a pope and fashioned red-beaded hats; the Great Antonio, a strongman-turned-eccentric from the same city, made collages and used a local Dunkin’ Donuts as his headquarters. While it is certainly important to consider that performance is not only for trained practitioners, blurring distinctions between fine art and troubled lives poses risks. Through July 5. (American Folk Art Museum; March 26-July 5.)