Jeffrey Sarmiento (Newcastle upon Tyne, UK)
Triple Self Portrait II, 2007
Enameled and cast glass
16”h x 12”w x 1”d

Aside from the subtle usage of metaphors, symbols, and references to popular culture, Sarmiento borrows Jasper John’s concept of using the artist himself as the target for the subject matter. In Triple Self Portrait I and II (both 2007), the artist combines three generations of Sarmientos (all in their early 30s and all wearing thick black-rimed glasses), his grandfather, father, and himself together to form one distinctly familiar, yet eerie face. In Triple Self Portrait I, all three portraits are layered one on top another, to reveal the apparent genetic trait of the family. In Triple Self Portrait II, each image is sliced into thin silvers, stacked strategically in a vertical patterning between sheets of clear glass. Viewers are able to see each individual face and each generation separately, as they move across the visual plane.
With their stark white background and clean back lines, these two images have the same feeling as ancestral portraits placed on family altars commonly found in Asian households.

More information on Jeffrey Sarmiento

Jeffrey Sarmiento’s Resume

Jeffrey Sarmiento’s Statement

Available Work