Hasta La Ideas

Frank Yamrus’s self portraits take inspiration from a midlife crisis

Debuting a series of self portraits at NYC’s Clamp Gallery today, Frank Yamrus returns from a photographic hiatus after several years of soul searching from out behind the camera. “I Feel Lucky” marks the photographer’s response to his mid-life crisis, reproducing significant moments from his life in an exploration of faith, relationships, mortality, photography and health. Reveling in the changing lines of his face and facing demons of his past, Yamrus creates a thoroughly personal examination of his life to date.

Many of the themes from the series are explained in a brutally honest essay that accompanies the exhibition book. Yamrus admits hitting a creative wall in the years leading up to this show, feeling consumed by his photographic work. Accompanying this shift was the marked change in his appearance, from his jowls—which he associates with his father—to his expanding midsection. Rather than shirking these shortcomings, Yamrus prints them in high definition for the world to see.

Sexuality is a recurring theme in the photographs, building off the success of his “Rapture” series. Critical moments like Yamrus’s last female relationship; moments with Frank, his partner of 30 years; and his thoughts on parenthood are among the featured moments. While he isn’t a parent, Yamrus recalls a pregnancy scare with an old girlfriend and his role as an uncle as influential factors on his personal development and his transition to maturity.

The images play between reality and fiction, at once playfully spontaneous and highly staged. True to the experience of memory, his constructions are partly informed by past events, filled in by his own imagination. Spurred by the difficulty of aging, the collection becomes a celebration of his life to date, full of instances that reaffirm and validate his many stages.

Clamp Gallery

16 February – 24 March, 2012

521-531 West 25th Street

New York, NY 10001

All images courtesy of Frank Yamrus and the Clamp Art Gallery