Brooklyn-based figurative painter Jason Bard Yarmosky presents a profound solo show at the historic Double Diamond House in Westhampton.
“Batmen” by Jason Bard Yarmosky (2019, oil on canvas, 64 by 96 inches).
"These paintings and drawings are a self-portrait series for me,” explains Jason Bard Yarmosky from his oceanfront perch at the Double Diamond House. For several years, the young contemporary artist has been exploring ideas of aging and mortality. Through unconventional portraits with themes like his grandparents garbed in children’s Halloween costumes and his grandmother playfully vogueing in a swimsuit, he has questioned society’s glorification of youth. In Lovers and Friends, which opens at the Double Diamond August 29, Yarmosky expands upon his ongoing concern with human impermanence. This go-around includes excruciatingly detailed paintings and intimate drawings including inspiring figures of diverse ages, races and ethnicities. “I’m reevaluating relationships and connections with people in my life,” says Yarmosky. Double Diamond’s architecture and its geographic proximity to the ocean play a pivotal role in Lovers and Friends. In 1959, Yarmosky’s great-aunt commissioned architect Andrew Geller to design the unique, modernist geometric structure. The house is rarely accessible to the public and received a face-lift that includes a contemporary beach house. Serving as a nucleus for summer gatherings, the space represents “mind, body and soul” for Yarmosky. Viewers enter his exhibit through the double diamonds and experience the metaphoric “mind” as they are immersed in the artist’s “Crash 2020s” thoughts—a sound installation reflecting his own concepts of relationships and connectivity. The beach house addition connecting the diamonds serves as “the body” and main backdrop for Yarmosky’s works. The adjacent ocean plays “the soul,” bringing it all full circle. “Summer, and this house in particular, represents a time and place for bringing people together,” he says. Yarmosky hopes Lovers and Friends will encourage viewers to think about breaking molds by connecting despite differences in age, race or culture.
Photography by:
