LONDON, ENGLAND.-Raw Arts Festival - London 2005 opened. The 2005 festival will exhibit at least 85 artists works. The artists live in at least 12 different countries and virtually all of them (at least 60) will be physically present at the festival for at least the private view. This years festival is proud to have so many well known/established Raw (Self-taught / Outsider / Visionary etc) artists works. There will be at least 4 representatives from organisations too. The majority of artists exhibiting at the festival have not received any kind of art education and are thus totally self-taught. Whilst a couple have, the feature that all artists have in common is that they have found their own style and are interested in persuing their own artistic vision regardless of fashion trends.

The festival has succeeded in bringing together many different people from vastly different backgrounds and cultures e.g. adults with autism, artists with epilepsy, artists from different ethnograthic groups, homeless artists, artists with mental health issues and professional types etc. The festival thus proves that people from all kinds of backgrounds (class, status, wealth, religion and race etc) are capable of producing truly great art and can come together under one roof to celebrate our common humanity.