Nicky Hoberman's expansive paintings of disengaged figures floating against flat colored backgrounds explore the themes of isolation, identity, and individuality for which she is well known. Her photo-realist detail and limited depth-of-field allude to the Polaroids from which she works. However, her composite images intentionally shift perspectives and postures to create idiosyncratic, almost dreamlike allegories. Prepubescent girls and adolescents knowingly look at the viewer so that one can not avoid their stare. At the same time, the subjects show a stronger inward than outward gaze, asking for attention while avoiding interaction. Exhibiting a range of attitudes from playful to serious, manifest to mysterious, and engaged to detached, these hauntingly poignant portraits serve as reflections of our own psyche and emotional dislocation.
Born in South Africa, Nicky Hoberman graduated from the Chelsea College of Art and Design in London to become recognized as one of Britain's foremost figurative artists. Since 1996 she has exhibited in numerous galleries and museums worldwide and was featured in "The New Neurotic Realism," published by the Saatchi Gallery. A monograph on her work was recently published by Gabrius.
Nicky Hoberman at Feigen Contemporary, Feb. 19 - Mar. 27, 2004