Nic Joly
"I see my sculptures as pieces of theatre to get lost in, framed feelings, thoughts, imaginings, and observations."
Nic Joly began his creative endeavours working in a stained glass and metalwork workshop and then studied at The Winchester School of Art. He was already receiving private commissions for works in glass and bonze but moved on to take a course in furniture making and design at Parnham College which was founded by renowned British furniture designer John Makepeace. Despite Joly's undoubted talents in sculpting and contemporary furniture design, his career was to really take off when a fascinating hobby began garnering attention.
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A World of Miniature People
Joly was making tiny figures from wire, paper and clay for his children. As a youngster he had been transfixed by tales of little people in works like Gulliver's Travels and found that his own children shared his fascination. World of the intricate miniatures, often just 1cm high, soon spread and commissions began rolling in. His compositions are quirky and ironic snapshots of life. The miniature narratives draw the eye and are often amusing takes on popular phrases and sayings. The ironic depictions form a series which Jolly has dubbed "Under Foot" and they are fabulous and focussed pieces of theatre where the drama is in the detail.
Incredible Detail
The works feature an astonishing level of intricacy and incredibly Joly crafts his pieces without the use of a magnifying glass. At the Enid Hutt Gallery we are delighted to showcase the work of Nic Joly and are pleased to offer you a series of signed limited edition giclee prints and wall sculptures which are challenging, thought provoking and really pack a punch.
Paradoxical Wall Sculptures
The fabulous "Recreational Drugs" features a miniature downhill skier with his scarf flaying in the wind. He is tackling a piste which could be snow at first glance but the neat lines at the foot of the hill, the cutting blade, the roll of cash and the mirror tell a different story. This is snow of a different kind! The piece certainly raises a smile and brilliantly explores the language of narcotics. It is the juxtaposition of the joyful and the sinister which opens our eyes.
"Heavy Addiction" shows us a man weighed down by a huge cigarette across his shoulders. The miniature figure is buckling under his burden in a transfixing creation which, typically of Joly, perfectly encapsulates a massive issue in the tiniest form. "Good Idea?" and "Bad Idea?" should perhaps be seen together to fully shed light on their message. Here the Devil and Jesus on the cross are encased in light bulbs in two astonishingly simple images which nonetheless inspire complex emotions.
Fantastic Talking Point
Nic Joly's work has a striking immediacy but the complexity of the issues tackled ensures that its impact is not diminished over time. Each piece is a window on our modern world and explores both our understanding of that world and the language we use to describe it.