Works in Student Art Show unite artists with viewers

Heidi Walters April 26, 1988

......... Yari Ostovany, who has two untitled paintings in the show (one of w which earned him S100), prefers a more elusive approach to his art. But he too emphasizes Language without words.

I rely on my subconscious," Ostovany says. "It's more an emotion that moves me toward a painting rather than a specific idea. What I like to do is focus on what is nonverbal - a higher. nonverbal emotion."
The omission of titles to Ostovany's paintings serves a purpose. he says.
If I attach a definition to it. it automatically eliminates other definitions from it." he says. "And if the viewers ask What it is, I say "I'm not telling". That makes them look harder and think harder and that's what I want a piece to achieve, my aim to activate the viewer."

Ostovany's paintings in the show -a huge mural of dark red and black tones
of textile paints on paper and a smaller work of watercolor. ink and graphite - are mood pieces. in a sense. The mural elicits a feeling of nightmare and menace (perhaps?) and the smaller one is more contemplative.
" I feel the influence of surrealism is very strong in my work." Ostovany says. "Also. I think what I'd like to do is. in a way. to work toward making a synthesis of Western art and Persian art . Ostovany is from Iran) -and not doing that at all stylistically but breaking it down to the most abstract cultural elements and attempting to synthesize from there.

" A lot of people have told me some works of mine have an Eastern feeling. Stylistically, my work is following European and American traditions but content-wise, I'm trying to address issues that have to do with my own cultural perception background...........

(Excerpt from article)