History of Tears 4 - one of a series undertaken by Ostovany - is an original oil painting on wood panel. One of his smaller works in the series, this 16 x 20 is a study in contrasts, both textural and visual. The image appears inverted, as if the more grounded elements of terra firma are anchored to the top of the painting while the visual cues of illumination appear in the bottom of the painting. He likes it that way, throwing the viewer off and demanding more attention to unpack the work and intention. The paint, glazes, layers and chemical combination creates a fluid textural element and striated dark purple lines, possibly tears? You decide.

Ostovany categorizes his work as Atmospheric Abstraction, navigating the terrain between Abstract Expressionism and Eastern Mystical traditions. The works featured in this show are original oil paintings influenced by Ostovany’s lifelong fascination with Sufi fables and Persian myths.

Born in Iran, Yari Ostovany moved to the United States at the age of 16 and pursued his studies in Art first at the University of Nevada - Reno and then at the San Francisco Art institute where he received his MFA in 1995. His work is in the permanent collections of many institutions including the New Britain Museum of American Art (New Britain, Connecticut), Pasargad Bank Museum (Tehran, Iran), Chateau d'Orquevaux (Champagne-Ardenne, France), Permanent Collection of the University of Nevada - Reno Art Department. Ostovany now lives and creates in the East Bay