Embedded in this exhibition is a distinct allusion to conflict and warfare, referencing Ireland’s war-torn history, the architecture of wartime structures and fortified domestic spaces, and measures of safety and caution, through a palette borrowed from high visibility safety wear such as reflective tape.
Hobbs’ reality in Ireland in 2019 soon became a period of confinement in his family’s new home – a housing typology developed during a major housing revolution in rural Ireland in the 1970’s that was inspired by Jack Fitzsimons’ publication Bungalow Bliss. This ‘how to,’ step-by-step guide changed the face of Irish building and living. Before this, options for housing in rural Ireland were limited to inheritance, getting on the housing list, or emigrating. This question of access in terms of the built environment has long interested Hobbs, often with regard to South African history and the city of Johannesburg.
Visit his Maboneng studio at 254 Albertina Sisulu Rd and meet the artist on Sun, Sept 4 at 10:00-13:00, or by appointment on sh@onair.co.za.
