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Rocky Dobey
God Machine, hand-inscribed copper sheet, black ink

2000

About the Item

GOD MACHINE by Rocky Dobey is a hand-inscribed, engraved copper sheet with black ink. It measures 26x18” and carries many of the familiar marks of the artist. The tower (“all my buildings are prisons”), the words “HAIL GOD MACHINE”, an “M.L.” for martial law – and the Police State symbol with glass-cutting and glazier tools, pincers for ironwork, and the words repeated along the 3 sides of the triangle – Hail God Machine. For over 40 years, outsider artist Rocky Dobey has been producing intaglio prints, etched metal plaques, engraved copper sheets and site-specific public sculptures. Working anonymously for the first two decades, his work has drawn attention to social and political issues like prison and justice reform, neighborhood gentrification, globalization, indigenous sovereignty, drug rehabilitation and homelessness. With striking imagery of demonic towers toppled in flames, horrific machines and cryptic symbols of oppression, Rocky's work soon became a recognized and sought-after stamp of organized resistance. Several of his prints are held in collections, particularly the “Carnival Against Capitalism” poster he produced for the 2001 Quebec City protests against the Free Trade Area of the Americas. Rocky’s poster was one of 50 worldwide included in the educational box set "Like The Waters, We Rise", produced in Brooklyn, NY.
  • Creator:
    Rocky Dobey (Canadian, Ukrainian)
  • Creation Year:
    2000
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 26 in (66.04 cm)Width: 18 in (45.72 cm)Depth: 0.125 in (3.18 mm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Toronto, CA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU1345211765512

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Checkmate, inscribed copper sheet, acrylic paint, asphaltum, ink, metal frame
Located in Toronto, Ontario
CHECKMATE by Rocky Dobey is a hand-inscribed copper sheet with black ink, acrylic paint, and asphaltum. It is framed in aluminum and measures 108 x 48”. It features some of the artist’s notable motifs – the number 13-1/2 (refers to 12 jurors, 1 judge, half a chance), a monstrous tower of brick with crenelated towers, inlaid with eyes, hooked daggers and barred windows, clouds with lightening bolts, tongues of flame drifting down... Though the swirl of black cloud near the top of the tower also rewards our attention – the engraving here suggesting floral as well as cosmic patterns, biological patterns. Checkmate also contains more subtle mark-making and ritualized ornamentation, such as the wheat sheafs across the expanse of copper, names of people are inscribed in the borders of the tower, vertical hash marks counting off months or years in bundles of five. For over 40 years, outsider artist Rocky Dobey has been producing intaglio prints, etched metal plaques, engraved copper sheets and site-specific public sculptures. Working anonymously for the first two decades, his work has drawn attention to social and political issues like prison and justice reform, neighborhood gentrification, globalization, indigenous sovereignty, drug rehabilitation and homelessness. With striking imagery of demonic towers toppled in flames, horrific machines and cryptic symbols of oppression, Rocky's work soon became a recognized and sought-after stamp of organized resistance. Several of his prints are held in collections, particularly the “Carnival Against Capitalism” poster he produced for the 2001 Quebec City protests against the Free Trade Area of the Americas. Rocky’s poster...
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TRAILER PRISON by Rocky Dobey is a hand-inscribed copper sheet with black ink. It measures 60x36” and slightly less than .25" thick. It features some of the artist’s repeating motifs – the number 13-1/2 appears here as 12 + 1 + 1/2 in the trailer windows. The number refers to 12 jurors, 1 judge, half a chance. Rocky says all his structures are prisons, and this trailer with tentacles is no exception. Trailer Prison is a signature example of the artist's work – the inscribed details are both compelling and powerful, while swirls and spikes evoke both prison architecture and monstrous intent. For over 40 years, outsider artist Rocky Dobey has been producing intaglio prints, etched metal plaques, engraved copper sheets and site-specific public sculptures. Working anonymously for the first two decades, his work has drawn attention to social and political issues like prison and justice reform, neighborhood gentrification, globalization, indigenous sovereignty, drug rehabilitation and homelessness. With striking imagery of demonic towers toppled in flames, horrific machines and cryptic symbols of oppression, Rocky's work soon became a recognized and sought-after stamp of organized resistance. Several of his prints are held in collections, particularly the “Carnival Against Capitalism” poster he produced for the 2001 Quebec City protests against the Free Trade Area of the Americas. Rocky’s poster...
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MEDUSA by Rocky Dobey is a hand-inscribed copper sheet with cut diamonds, blue machinist ink and fired porcelain paint. It measures 36 x 48", and framed in aluminum it measures 37 x 49”. It features some of the artist’s notable motifs – a monstrous brick wall with crenelated and flaming towers, inlaid with sparkles of diamond and glass, sword-like flames. New for the artist are the twisting, turning bodies of which there are at least eight. The deep blue background of machinist ink coating the copper provides a momentous, mythological night sky. For over 40 years, outsider artist Rocky Dobey has been producing intaglio prints, etched metal plaques, engraved copper sheets and site-specific public sculptures. Working anonymously for the first two decades, his work has drawn attention to social and political issues like prison and justice reform, neighborhood gentrification, globalization, indigenous sovereignty, drug rehabilitation and homelessness. With striking imagery of demonic towers toppled in flames, horrific machines and cryptic symbols of oppression, Rocky's work soon became a recognized and sought-after stamp of organized resistance. Several of his prints are held in collections, particularly the “Carnival Against Capitalism” poster he produced for the 2001 Quebec City protests against the Free Trade Area of the Americas. Rocky’s poster...
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