PAINTING
ROBERT RICOV
 
DETAILS
Oil on round wood panel
30 cm 
2021
 
DESCRIPTION
In The Show Must Go On, Robert Ricov captures the bustling, chaotic energy of a circus under the big top. Night after night, clowns perform for roaring audiences, their laughter masking the hidden life that thrives beneath the spectacle.
 
At the heart of the painting is Bobby, a circus rat who has become a familiar, almost heroic figure. On this night, a box falls from the seats, spilling green donuts that Bobby eagerly drags backstage. He stacks them carefully, pauses for a well-earned rest, and begins his feast. Ricov highlights Bobby’s small triumphs and quiet persistence, turning a humble scavenger into a character of charm and resilience amidst the circus’s frenzied world.
 
BIO
Robert Ricov b. 1973 Sydney, Australia BA 1994, College of Visual Arts, Sydney Robert Ricov has been living, working, and exhibiting in Croatia since he moved there in 2022. His oil paintings, in a style he refers to as “surreal maximalist realism,” use symbolism to represent themes such as the loss of innocence, betrayal, and hope. In October of 2023, Robert traveled to the island of Menorca, Spain, where he was mentored by Guillermo Lorca and Martin Wittfooth. It wasn’t until a few months after that he realized how profoundly this experience affected the direction of his work. After Robert became finalist in the Toolip Art Contest in Budapest in 2024, he is represented exclusively by the Toolip Art Gallery.