Ulysses #024 ‘The Dad, Dad, Dad One’

Ulysses Art Page #024 ‘Dad, Dad, Dad’

Some pages of Ulysses evoke deeply personal responses, and page 24 was one of them. The moment I read it, I thought of my father. Without hesitation, I layered the colours that represent him—Belfast-born, Dublin-rooted—onto the canvas in raw, graffiti-like repetitions of the word Dad.

His story is woven with unexpected ties to Joyce’s own world. Born in Belfast to an Italian mother named Lucia—the same name as Joyce’s daughter—he also shares a birthday with Joyce’s son. These connections, both coincidental and profound, shaped the palette of this piece, blending the greens of Ireland, the reds and whites of England, and the rich hues of Italy.

One might think this artwork belongs with my dad, but he already has his lucky-number piece, Colours of Ulysses #037, which is much more his style. This piece, however, belongs with a dad who appreciates graffiti-inspired artwork while still valuing a sense of convention—a father who would proudly display a sophisticated yet cool expression of his children’s love in his office or personal space.