PAINTING 
ROBERT RICOV
(AUSTRALIA)
 
DETAILS
Oil on canvas
76 x 100 cm
2022
 
DESCRIPTION
I painted this artwork during the pandemic and it is heavy with emotions for me regarding that time. The two sisters represent the elites, the medical establishment, and the virus all at the same time. Their malicious gaze never meets the viewer’s eyes, not in an attempt to avoid blame, nor because of guilt, but because of indifference—nothing matters but their own agenda. The syringe twists itself out of all integrity but still manages to inject the golden heart of humanity—so many hearts with as many innocent intentions. The heart’s arteries connect to another more toxic syringe that does battle with a unicorn, a creature that represents healing, positivity and transcendence. And a cherub is choked by the golden arteries as it pulls on a shroud, scattering hibiscus flowers across the scene. Pink hibiscus flowers represent differing kinds of love.
BIOGRAPHY
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 Guillermo Lorca and Martin Wittfooth mentored him.
 
It wasn’t until a few months after that he realized how profoundly this experience affected the direction of his work.
 
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