Ostovany's show represents struggle

Marta MurvoshOctober 27, 1989

By building up a visual vocabulary of symbols, Yari Ostovany has created images, though abstract, which communicate struggle.
His exhibit in the South by North Gallery (SXN) is set into context by his exhibition statement which is taken from a Persian folk song:

" The bird of Love,
Oh Lord,
how can she build her nest
amidst the tempest..."

Ostovany, by communicating the idea of storm coupled with his images of vortexes and draped almost bound figures, talks about a spiritual struggle. His images cause that struggle to be represented almost physically. His oil paintings give the atmosphere of a stage where his ideas are displayed. In this tempest-like environment, caused by paint laided on the canvas with hands and brush, is inhabited by figures which are not defined in the sense of classical representation. Rather they are ambiguous - with heads, arms, and sometimes hands being obvious. For the most part the figures appear as draped figures, bound in paint and light.Aware of the mysterious atmosphere in his work, Ostovany feels it accomplishes what he set forth to do. "I am transferring a mood to the viewer rather than a definition - an atmosphere." None of the pieces in the work are given titles. Ostovany says although some of the works may have titles he felt there was an underlying common theme to all the pieces. "There is no sequence, but they are related," he says.

Ostovany finds this subtle relationship preferable to a more conspicuous one.
For many student artists an exhibit in SXN Gallery is the culmination of their study at the Art Department. This is the case with Ostovany as well. It will be his last show at the university as an undergraduate student. Those who have seen Ostovany's two previous exhibits in Getchell Library
and Manville Gallery will see a growth and a change in his work. He has moved from a very realistic way of capturing surreal imagery to a more abstract method of conveying his ideas. His current paintings, though ambiguous, reflect a focus of imagery. By repeating the images he uses he causes the viewers to be aware of the language that he defines. Often some viewers feel abstract work does not have a human quality. This is not the case with Ostovany's pieces. The sense of ritual, involvement with groups of people (represented by figures), the act of painting so that is seems the paint flows from his hands and the overall sense of symbol - personal and obvious - all combine to bring the viewer closer to his work.