Kilkenny-born Patrick O’Reilly is one of Ireland’s most celebrated contemporary sculptors. His work draws from both classical and Mannerist influences as well as from the imagery of contemporary comic and pop art.
The universe he constructs evokes reverie, poetry, history and especially childhood themes through its iconic animal, the teddy bear, which O’Reilly brings back to life with his own humour and playfulness.
O’Reilly believes that art is “storytelling through images. All of the pieces tell a story, generally of the human condition: loneliness, hopelessness, isolation and desperation. But there are many stories too reflecting on redemption and recovery. Sometimes I disguise these melancholic subjects with humour.”
He often references the animal kingdom to express his fears and sentiments about life, and uses the much-loved light-hearted figure of the bronze teddy bear to explore these darker issues.
“A teddy bear is a very non-threatening animal, but a bear is very vicious, so it’s that combination. He’s got enormous power. He could eat you, but he is very gentle. Teddy bears are very universal,” he said.
He has created monumental large-scale public commissions all over the world including a Strolling Bear in Paris and a bear wearing a tutu in Cape Town and closer to home works can be seen in Dublin City and Adare Manor.
O’Reilly’s work can be seen in Gormley’s Art + Soul International Art & Sculpture Exhibition at the Castlemartyr Resort, Cork, which runs until June 23. See: gormleys.ie
How my artistic journey began
From a very young age I had a passion for drawing and making simple sculptural things. This deep interest continued and remained in my heart throughout my days in art college and beyond. It was my constant dream to be an artist.
Where did the title for my current show came from
The title Art and Soul is really a manifestation of the vibrations that should emanate from a piece of art to a viewer. A piece of art should first appeal to the soul and then to the head.
Artists who have influenced me
Barry Flanagan and Egon Schiele.
My favourite piece of music when I need inspiration
Richard Wagner. I also enjoy contemporary music. I tend to listen to the same song repeatedly.
Rather than constantly hearing different songs, which encourages you to listen to the words, by listening to the same one, you melt into the song, stop focusing on the words, and just feed off the energy. It's actually far less distracting.
I have a collection of
Murano glass.
An artist whose work I would collect if I could
Anthony Canova.
A place that means a lot to me
Venice.
A place I’d like to visit
African desert.
In another life I would have been
Marco Polo.
The best piece of advice I ever received
“To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart, is true for all men,—that is genius. Speak your latent conviction, and it shall be the universal sense; for the inmost in due time becomes the outmost.”
(Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self-Reliance: An excerpt from Collected Essays, First Series).
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