Artist Spotlight on Jeremy Kost

Whatever You Call Them, They're Still Tears, 2012

Jeremy Kost is a tireless chronicler of gender, sexuality, and nightlife. Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, he now lives and works in New York City, though he regularly travels the world to capture images, whether they’re of male models in the Californian desert or drag queens strutting through Pittsburgh. Strongly influenced by Warhol, both in his choice of subjects and technique, Kost extends the creative potential of one of Warhol’s favorite tools – the Polaroid camera. In Kost’s work, which depicts an intimate family of renowned Pittsburgh-based drag performers, Polaroid images are massed together in elaborate, multilayered photo-collages.

Kost states, "As an artist in today's world, it is impossible to escape the reach of Andy Warhol's immense influence. For me personally, it lies more in his thinking, appreciation for things of beauty, and the way that we collectively perceive the world. We clearly share common subjects, both literally and generationally. Also sharing similar mediums and processes, it has always been important for me to add to the discourse of his legacy without being derivative, and I aspire to do that always."

Jeremy Kost: Friends with Benefits opens during The Andy Warhol Museum’s Naughty-or-Nice Holiday Bash featuring Sharon Needles on Saturday, December 1, 2012 at 7 p.m.