Part of Aidan Hickey’s Ulysses series, which was exhibited in Zurich, at the UB Law, as part of the exhibit “James Joyce, Ulysses, and the Law” (April 15 to May 18, 2025).
“Back in the city, Bloom is concerned for Stephen’s wellbeing. He joins him at a drinks party in the staffroom of Holles Street Maternity Hospital.
Tension in this episode comes from the contrast between the revellers, on an upper floor, and the unfortunate Mrs Purefoy, below in the birthing theatre. Only Bloom is aware of her agony.
I borrowed a compositional device from Alexander Gurevich, an Israeli painter of Biblical scenes, who often depicts groups seated at table. I used his compositional model to suggest the two-tier space.
Gurevich is influenced by Picasso … which prompted me to explore Picasso’s imaginative portraits. The resulting scene is a fairly accurate group-portrait of my drinking friends in Dublin.”
Aidan Hickey