Isolated But Not Alone

📖 The Scoop

Jeremy Kost is a photographer celebrated for his tireless chronicling of gender and sexuality. Isolated But Not Alone is his first monograph dedicated to images of men since 2014. While Jeremy has attracted an audience of close to half a million followers to his Instagram account in that time, exhibitions and books are the only way to view his uncensored art work in it's full glory. In Isolated But Not Alone, over 200 Polaroids from nearly a decade of Kost's archive are swathed in vivid oil paint. The resulting work stands in contrast to the overly-saturated, high-contrast photography we see in today's digital realm. Two-dimensional snapshots become textured and alive. Contrast is distilled. The paint acts as a high-contrast punch against the muted and dreamlike tone of the original Polaroid. The work is in part a result of a fascination and experiment with color theory, reflected in the tone, light, and contrast of the paint in relation to the images. It also calls to mind the artistic debate of figure and ground-the landscape is almost an equal partner in Kost's work. Rather than disguise or obscure, paint brings both the figure and landscape of the original image into sharper relief, while repeating the conversation of figure/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. In addition, the book contains a new poem by actor/poet Nico Tortorella and a conversation with Drew Sawyer, photo curator at the Brooklyn Museum. Isolated But Not Alone is an essential collectible for fans of Kost's work and an illuminating introduction to his work for new audiences.

Genre: Art / General (fancy, right?)