Gallery at Circus Presents ‘Jeremy Kost : Seismic Dreams’

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.—Circus and The Gallery at Circus announced the inaugural exhibit, Jeremy Kost: Seismic Dreams. This marks Jeremy Kost’s first exhibition in Los Angeles, and features more than 30 works from his newly released book of the same name.   Jeremy Kost: Seismic Dreams opens on Feb. 15 and will remain on view through April 18. The gallery inside the adult boutique will host an opening reception 7-10 p.m. Feb. 15. Jeremy Kost has been a tireless chronicler of gender, sexuality, and nightlife for more than 15 years. Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, he now lives and works between Los Angeles and New York City. Traveling the world to make images, whether they’re of male models in the Californian desert or drag queens strutting through Pittsburgh, is a nonstop pursuit. New gestures recall dreamlike hazes, swirling brushstrokes, and seismic heartbeats while packing a poetic punch of intense color, all over Jeremy's signature, male-nude polaroids. These new marks are more painterly, more intentional, more whimsical, and more romantic. The Polaroids are sharper, with stronger definition and deeper range. The resulting works stand in contrast to the overly-saturated, high-contrast photography we see in today’s Instagram world. Two-dimensional snapshots become textured and alive. Contrast is distilled. The paint acts as an energetic punch against the muted, dreamlike tones of the Polaroid. Rather than disguise or obscure, the paint brings both the figure and landscape of the original image into sharper relief, while repeating the conversation of figure and ground again with paint to Polaroid. Whether staring back at the camera or captured at a distance, the men in Kost’s work exude a true sense of intimacy. They offer a canvas for our own projections and fantasies. The paint fractures the image, almost puncturing a reverie, reminding us of the vulnerability of that moment and inviting us in while also keeping us at a distance. Limited to 750 signed and numbered copies, Seismic Dreams continues the investigation of painting and Polaroid that Jeremy began with his last book, Isolated But Not Alone. It is a substantial 194 pages and features 162 new oil painted Polaroid works, all made between October 2018 and October 2019. For more, visit CircusOfBooks.com.