Catalogue > At random

Sounds of slow traffic on a rainy street. A man in a cheap suit lies on the bed in a quiet apartment. Snakes entwine him, crawling slowly in and out of his clothes,

The work of the Irish artist Patrick (or Paddy) Jolley spans photography, video installation and cinema.. Its starting points lie in those moments where time seems to move abnormally or an atmosphere becomes unnaturally dense or thin. These anxious impressions are then interwoven with a range of images of dense metaphoric resonance.. Symbols with many layers of association that can appear deeply significant or equally empty of meaning. The tone is dark and redolent with melancholia but retains a possibility of the absurd or slapstick comedy. His work shows frequently in galleries and cinemas around the world and is in the collections of several major museums.