We are thrilled to announce the first show of 2023! Patrick Hickey presents ‘A World in a Sea of Darkness’ which features a selection of new works alongside already exhibited works, all made as a part of Patrick’s practice-based PhD research project at Ulster University, Belfast. This exhibition, and Patrick’s research, explores homoeroticism in 20th century painting, with a focus on Irish and Northern Irish art, alongside contemporary painting practices. Northern Irish cultural assumptions consistently weave throughout his art practice, often in subtle and obscure ways, with the male nude figure in a strange, fantastical landscape featuring heavily throughout. The strange, fantastical island found within Patrick’s work is inspired by mythological islands found within Irish mythology, Hy-Brasil and Tír na nÓg, both said to be off the west coast of Ireland. Within this fictionalised reality lies the possibility to give his characters a freedom that cannot be experienced within everyday life.