Elder Kinder
Resurrected dreams in emerging artist Jason Bard Yarmosky’s portraits
Rife with the painful vulnerability of reclaimed innocence, Jason Bard Yarmosky‘s painting series “Elder Kinder” reflects the parallel behaviors of growing up and growing old. Exhibiting at his first solo show (which opens this Friday at Brooklyn’s Like The Spice gallery), the works depict a cast of characters portrayed both in bold paintings and equally intriguing but more softhearted drawings. No matter the medium, meeting the direct stare of “Ballerina” or “Cowboy” is looking face to face with the raw sincerity of the subjects.
Yarmosky explains in detail, “Elder Kinder juxtaposes the young and old to push the limits of social norms and freedom of expression. As a child you learn to walk, but later in life you learn to un-walk—the raw freedom that is so much a part of youth gives way to borders and boundaries placed on adult behavior. But the dreams of the young, often sublimated by the years, never really disappear.”
Echoing the heroic themes of his earlier work, the models—Yarmosky’s Brooklyn grandparents—wrest their purest form of self from a lifetime of adult demands and responsibilities. His deft rendering of their worn faces is outdone only by their poignantly complex expressions.
Yarmosky’s work was shown this year at Aqua Art Fair in Miami, as well as Scope Art Fair—both concurrent with Art Basel. “Elder Kinder” opens at Like The Spice Gallery in 11 February 2011 and runs through 7 March 2011.
