High Society a solo exhibition by Jeff Ostergren opens Thursday at Real Art Ways
High Society Solo Exhibition
Real Art Ways • 56 Arbor St, Hartford, CT 06106
June 20 – August 19, 2024
The opening reception is June 20, 2024 • 6-8 pm
High Society Solo Exhibition
Pharmaceuticals and acrylic on polyester canvas.
Jeff Ostergren, an artist who comments on and has incorporated pharmaceuticals in his work, is presenting High Society, a solo exhibition, at Real Art Ways. This exhibition is up in the Real Room Gallery through Monday, August 19. Join us for an opening reception on Thursday, June 20, from 6-8 pm, as part of CCH (Creative Cocktail Hour) – taking place every third Thursday from 6-10 pm. Gallery hours are every day from 2-9 pm, and admission is free. Real Art Ways is at 56 Arbor Street in Hartford.
High Society showcases paintings depicting the parallel histories of modern art and medicine. Blending impressionist imagery with pharmaceutical advertising, Ostergren illustrates the parallel evolution of both fields.
This exhibition explores the intertwined narratives of pharmaceuticals and color, employing pointillist techniques across paintings infused with pharmaceuticals and chemicals. Rooted in the concept of “pharmakon,” a Greek term that simultaneously means cure, poison, and paint – Ostergren’s work explores the dual nature of these substances as both cure and poison.
Pharmaceuticals and acrylic on polyester canvas.
Jeff Ostergren
Jeff Ostergren makes paintings, sculptures, videos, drawings, and installations about the intertwined histories of pharmaceuticals and color. His pointillist, color-saturated works, infused with actual pharmaceuticals and chemicals, utilize imagery from art history and advertising to explore the ecstasy and toxicity of our present moment.
Originally trained as an anthropologist, Jeff has been a practicing artist for two decades. Upcoming shows include a solo exhibition at Real Art Ways in Hartford, CT, and a two part project called “A Suitcase” at Picture Theory in New York City and Kunstraum Super in Vienna, Austria.
Recent exhibitions include “Double Take: Familiar Objects in Unexpected Materials” at the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, CT, “The Past Pushes Forward” at Omola Studios in New Haven, CT, and “Circadian Rhythms,” curated by URSA Gallery in Bridgeport, CT. In 2018, he completed a 2,400-square-foot solo site-specific installation “Science For a Better Life,” in which he explored the chemical and visual history of Bayer Pharmaceuticals at Yale University’s West Campus in New Haven, a former Bayer facility.
Ostergren is a recipient of a 2024 Lillian Orlowsky and William Freed Grant from the Provincetown Art Association and Museum. He also received an Artist Grant from the Puffin Foundation earlier this year. In 2023, he was awarded an Artist Fellowship Grant from the Connecticut Office of the Arts, and The Bitsie Clark Fund for Artists Grant, an annual project-based grant in New Haven. He was also chosen as a 2021 “Artist-To-Watch” by Ortega y Gasset Projects in Brooklyn, NY.
He also has a curatorial practice, including a well-reviewed exhibition “False Flag: The Space Between Reason and Paranoia” at Franklin Street Works in Stamford, CT in 2018. In addition, from 2018-2019, Ostergren ran Tilia Projects, a community exhibition space, out of his studio in New Haven.
Ostergren received his MFA from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA in 2006, following upon receiving a BA in a double major of anthropology and gender studies at Rice University in Houston, TX in 1998. He lives and works in New Haven, CT.
Share your Real Art Ways experiences with us by using #findingconnecticut on Instagram
Click here to learn more about Real Art Ways
Click here for the latest news at Real Art Ways
Click here for the upcoming events at Real Art Ways
Click here for the latest news in Hartford
Click here for the upcoming events in Hartford
Click here for the latest news in Hartford County
Click here for the upcoming events in Hartford County
••••• Message center •••••••
Connecticut business owners:
Connecticut with us! Are you a local business owner in Connecticut looking to boost your visibility and reach more customers? Look no further! Our platform provides a unique opportunity to showcase your business to an engaged audience of people who love and live in Connecticut. By partnering with us, you can reach potential customers who are actively seeking things to do, places to dine, and local merchants and service providers to support. Don’t miss out on this chance to grow your business and connect with the local community!
Connecticut with us!
Get our news straight into your inbox daily for free!
Stay connected with us on social media
Facebook • Instagram • Threads • Tiktok • X
Join our Reddit community
Share your Connecticut experiences with us by using #findingconnecticut on Instagram
Click here to return to Finding Connecticut’s home page
Looking for the latest news by region, topic and events
Latest news by region
Fairfield County • Hartford County • Litchfield County • Middlesex County • New Haven County • New London County• Tolland County • Windham County
Latest sports news by team
Hartford Wolf Pack • Hartford Yard Goats • Connecticut Sun • Norwich Sea Unicorns •
2024 schedules
Hartford Wolf Pack • Hartford Yard Goats • Connecticut Sun • Norwich Sea Unicorns
Events my region
Fairfield County • Hartford County • Litchfield County • New Haven County • New London County • Middlesex County • Tolland County • Windham County
Events by interest
Art • Sports • Family Friendly • History • Concerts • Farmers’ Markets
Events by the month
May 2024 • June 2024 • July 2024 • August 2024 • September 2024 • October 2024 • November 2024 • December 2024
Events by venue
College Street Music Hall • Space Ballroom • Westville Music Bowl • District Music Hall • Hartford Stage • The Bushnell • Goodspeed Opera House • Mohegan Sun