A Closer Nirvana: David Syre, Yari Ostovany | June 10 - September 14, 2019 | The Yard: Columbus Circle, New York, NY

June 10 - September 14, 2019

A Closer Nirvana is a two-person exhibition with works by David Syre and Yari Ostovany. The project is conceived for the public spaces at The Yard: Columbus Circle, New York, as part of the Art In Lobbies Program run by SARAHCROWN. The installation, spanning three floors, will feature a selection of recent paintings by both artists and will run from June 10 until September 14, 2019.

A Closer Nirvana features paintings and drawings that are born out of an attentive spiritual practice, meditation, and the experience of other states of consciousness. The works invite to a deceleration and contemplation of a slow process of fruition where the viewer can encounter form, surface, colors, shapes, and, most of all, the relationship of stillness and motion to each other.

Syre’s work bears witness to his evolving psyche and internal dialogue. It is spontaneous and manifests as an intuitive offering. The search for spirituality marks his artistic research and life’s journey. Syre has studied yoga for twenty years, is an active member of the Burning Man community, and is devoted to forging a path towards a universal union and truth. Syre is a prolific artist, and his working methods are almost ritualistic. An avid observer of his surroundings, Syre depicts nature and people, mixing reality and emotions into an energetic play of simple lines and colors, rendered in a style that is decidedly and uniquely his own.

The paintings Ostovany creates unfold over time, evolving slowly as layers of pigment are added, washed out, covered over, scraped away, and dissolved before more layers are then added. 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.

The work of both artists is process-based and improvisational, both expressing internal impulses rather than figuratively describing situations from reality. Their art practices reside in the nebulous realm between the mystical and the mysterious. Their works invite the viewer to take a moment to rest and reflect, to momentarily let go of all thoughts and expectations and to have a closer look at Nirvana, that concept of happiness and total emotional freedom we all know yet don’t experience often enough.

The Yard
​33 W 60th Street - 2nd, 11th, 12th floor
​New York NY 10019

​Monday - Friday, 9:30 am - 5:30 pm, and by appointment.