Phantasmagoricals Exhibit
The Irma Freeman Center for Imagination (IFCI) presents the work of Pittsburgh-native, Kevin Osterhout in Phantasmagoricals. Please join us on a vivid and surreal journey into the life and mind of local artist, Kevin Osterhout. This prolific collection of incredibly vivid and intricate hand-drawn illustrations spanning almost a decade provides a glimpse into the subconscious of a brilliant artist who suffered from mental illness and substance use. Although this exhibition is not just a posthumous celebration of his work; It is an intimate portrait of a beautiful life cut short by the common perils of contemporary American society.
Reminiscent of the respective works of surrealists Dalí and Miró, Kevin’s work depicts an intertwining and curious relationship between colorful figures flowing into and out of one another, transforming each other in the process. The unexpected interrupts and upends expectations in renderings of difference and, sometimes, of disorder. The playful and the disruptive, the odd and the disturbing, unite in fluid design without defined starting or ending points. Yet perhaps the most intriguing thing about this body of work is the evolution of his style and use of motifs over the years that tell the story of someone battling their inner demons through creative means.
Curated by his family, and friend, photojournalist and filmmaker Nick Childers, this exhibit is a tribute to Kevin’s beautiful spirit and remarkable achievement in creating hundreds of incredibly intricate and fascinating illustrations throughout the many years of his painful struggles with mental health issues and substance use.
After many months of sobriety, Kevin died at age 30 in August 2020 of accidental heroin/fentanyl poisoning. At the time, he was living in the Garfield community just down the street from where this work is being exhibited.
Although Kevin titled some drawings, most pieces are untitled. According to the standard definition, the adjective phantasmagorical “describes something with a dreamlike, fantastical, unreal, deceptive, or shifting appearance, like an optical illusion.” Kevin’s family has turned this unusual adjective into a noun, selecting the exhibit title Phantasmagorical as a collective name for this body of work.
Kevin had long hoped to exhibit his work and sell a variety of products featuring his designs. To fulfill Kevin’s desire, to honor his legacy, to celebrate his achievement, and to share his story, his family is selling merchandise, including T-shirts he had designed, to help launch a non-profit that will bring awareness and assistance to people living with mental health and substance use issues.