Conference of the Birds No 40, Abstract Painting, 2002, Orma

Oil on paper. Unframed. Natural and mystical processes inspire Ostovany. Informed by a variety of different cultures, Ostovany feels a connection to multiple separate and yet complementary mystical traditions. He looks toward elements of Western and Eastern art, literature, spirituality, poetry and music to create an environment and a mindset conducive to his process, which is connected to Abstract Expressionism and Color Field painting. Conference of the Birds series is a deeply personal response to the Sufi fable by the same name by Farideddin Attar, 12th century Persian mystic. Attar's verse focuses on a flock of birds who, In time of chaos and darkness, decide they are In need of a King - Thus begins their quest for the Phoenix (Simorgh) - an allegorical visit to seven valleys. After enduring Increasing hardships, doubt and exhaustion set It and more and more birds give up the quest. In a play on the Persian word Simorgh (Phoenix) they end up with Si-Morgh (thirty birds) realizing that the Phoenix Is nothing more than those birds themselves who persevered and endured the path through Self-sacrifice and steadfastness. Yari Ostovany is an Iranian-born American abstract artist. He creates richly textured, layered color field paintings that explore processes of metamorphosis. He has lived in Tehran, Cologne, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Reno. He is currently based in the New York City. Work by Ostovany are included in many private collections around the world, as well as the collections of the New Britain Museum of American Art in Connecticut, the Pasargad Bank Museum in Tehran, and the Collection of the Art Department of the University of Nevada, Reno. The paintings Ostovany creates unfold over time, evolving as layers of pigment are added, washed out, covered over, scraped away, dissolved and then more layers added. With each new phase in the process the composition becomes deeper and more luminous. A new painting often begins as a series of calligraphic gestural marks, what Ostovany calls a gestural outburst, inspired by a cognitive/emotional spark. Ostovany then rubs and dilutes the marks, allowing them to meld together with previous marks and layers, coaxing new dimensions of color and texture. The transient nature of the layers becomes embedded into the visual language of the work, evoking a sense of movement and transcendence. Natural and mystical processes inspire Ostovany. He is attracted to the alchemystical transformation of formal elements like light, color, texture and space into compositions that are more than the sum of their disparate parts. Informed by a variety of different cultures, Ostovany feels a connection to multiple separate and yet complementary mystical traditions. He looks toward elements of Western and Eastern art, literature, spirituality, poetry and music to create an environment and a mindset conducive to his process, which is connected to Abstract Expressionism and Color Field painting.