Today we’d like to introduce you to Kurosh Yahyai.
Kurosh, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I never considered being an artist as a profession. My initial interest with art came out curiosity and fascination. I would look at realistic paintings and drawings and be amazed that a person could create something so precise. This amazement turned into determination to learn how to draw and paint. Instead of taking classes I decided to buy as many art books as I could afford and teach myself.
As I went through high school and into the beginning of college I was unsure of my direction. It wasn’t until my third year of college I decided to major in art studio with an emphasis on painting and drawing from Sacramento State University. During my last two years of college I became much more serious in pursuing art as a career. I enjoyed every aspect of learning art practice/theory with like-minded individuals. I was fortunate enough to have incredible professors that allowed me to grow into the artist I am today.
After I graduated from Sacramento State I came back home to San Diego where I was unsure of my next steps. I was considering graduate programs but hesitant of continuing school right away. After taking a year off, I focused on making a cohesive group of paintings that allowed me to understand my own work better and apply to MFA programs. I was able to attend San Diego State University’s MFA program with an emphasis in painting/drawing/sculpture.
During my three years in SDSU’s MFA program I was able to grow and explore my concepts thoroughly. It was a great experience for me as an artist to be able to make work and get direct feedback from my peers. I felt I grew tremendously during my three years as an artist and as a person. After SDSU I started to look for art related jobs along with continuing to make art. I was fortunate enough to find my current job at The New Children’s Museum as a Studio Coordinator + Preparator. Being able to make and show art along with being creative every day in my job has been a dream come true for me.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My art is an investigation of the self and the subconscious. I focus on portraying feelings rather than straight forward concepts. My work has many dark undertones through my investigations of the human mind. I enjoy focusing on the dark nature the human mind is capable of, this for me is more interesting and mysterious than happy euphoric thoughts. The figure plays a large part in my paintings and sculptures. My work consists of both abstract and representational painting/sculpture. I enjoy switching back and forth between the abstract and representational along with switching from paintings to sculptures. I see them all as different languages that are able to say similar ideas. Audiences respond to different mediums and I wish for my work to hit a wide variety of people.
I wish for the audience to have a visceral response to my work rather than a logic understanding. I’ve learned with my abstract work the vagueness of the figures allow the audience to place their own experiences and feeling into the image/object. Whereas my representational figures have similar feelings, it less about the viewers own experience and more about the relationship of the viewer and the figure shown. My hope is for people to see my work and are able to relate to it on any level. Allowing them to have a connection with the painting or sculpture in a way that seems familiar yet unknown.
Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
I feel the biggest challenges for artist today is the lack of understanding and importance society has placed on being an artist. The general public might have an appreciation for art but do not necessarily attach a value to it. Especially in today’s world where everything is becoming more immediate and instant, the appreciation for handmade art is lowering. Society has placed value on jobs that make money and less about exploring the creative human mind. I feel this lack of appreciation can have a negative outcome for our society as a whole.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
Currently my most active source of showing my work is through my Instagram: kurosh.yahyai or through my website www.kuroshgallery.com. I continue to try and show my work through galleries and residencies when available. For inquires of my work people can contact me through my website or my Instagram. I plan on making prints available soon for my paintings as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kuroshgallery.com
- Phone: (858) 603-9574
- Email: kuroshyahyai@gmail.com
- Instagram: kurosh.yahyai
Image Credit:
Efrain Ibarra
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
