When one mentions the Hickey family name - great art literally springs to mind. Joby is the son of renowned painter, etcher, lithographic artist, architect and designer, Patrick Hickey. Joby's father had founded the Graphic Studio Dublin in 1961, and his characteristic painting technique developed out of his printmaking methods. Stylistically he couldn't be more far removed from his father’s work. Joby's work is thoroughly unique and his subject matter has captured the zeitgeist of a generation. His artwork is the painterly equivalent of the major cultural changes, which this country has experienced over the last ten years. His cityscapes and car paintings are evocations of life and at times the isolation of big city dwellers. His paintings are distilled into memorable pictorial symbols, at times iconic, at time bordering on the legendary. His mastery of craft is the way in which Hickey is able to simplify his compositions and waive all merely anecdotal detail. What speaks to us is his empathy for the fate of the normal, common person with life in a mass society. This exhibition, Magic Realism, is to be opened by RTEs Dave Fanning on 23rd October at 7pm.
