In Search of Lost Time : Gallery Vallois, New York

The exhibition by Patrick O’Reilly titled ‘In Search of Lost Time’ was held in the Gallery Valois of New York City, showcasing an amalgamation of sculptures created in both bronze and mixed medias. The title refers to the illustrious novel written by French author, Marcel Proust, 

The central theme and connection between O’Reilly’s collection of works and Proust’s seven-volume novel is “Involuntary Memory”. In order to explore this idea further, O’Reilly returned to his sculptures of the animal kingdom. O’Reilly believes that from childhood, our first memory is that of a bear, who personifies innocence, companionship and trust. The experience of childhood is a transient one, as life takes its course and is never stationary. The bear marches on with a look of resigned acceptance, he keeps going despite life’s turbulence and uncertainty. 

In this exhibition, the bronze sculptures of bears are symbolic of human fragility as below the surface we are all vulnerable but strive to march forward in life everyday with an air of optimism and hope for the future. This imagery of the bear may trigger involuntary memory for viewers as it allowed us to revisit the essence of our pasts with happy and joyous nostalgia but also with an awareness that we must proceed on… bravely, optimistically and without fear.

https://www.artforum.com/uploads/guide.004/id24173/press_release.pdf