» John Papas (By Man's Hand, 2008)

John Papas (By Man's Hand, 2008)

One of John Papas’ primary concerns, which comes through strongly in his work as well as personal discussions, is the balance and perhaps more poignantly the misbalance between humankind and nature. This interaction between human and natural forces is often generally portrayed in a negative way, either nature tormenting man or man brutalising nature. This is also true of Papas’ work. His vision doesn’t however fixate on this morbidity, as he is able to depict the beauty and harmony that can also be found in the world around us.

 

The paintings in this collection convey the above mentioned concepts in unambiguous visual forms. An example of this is a well placed cycad in the midst of a rather inhospitable landscape that tells the story of the role Man has had in altering once lush rainforest into sites where only the most robust species of vegetation survive.

 

I believe one of the roles of an artist, visual or otherwise, is to invoke societal/political reform through thought provoking dialogue. Papas is true to this honourable tradition saying, “I want this series to encourage action to preserve and protect New Zealand's forgotten areas. Ecosystems such as estuaries are often overlooked, but they are so important as habitat for native birds as well as acting as the lungs and kidneys of the coast, filtering and cleansing. I want to first recognise the beauty and fragility of these precious environments.”

 

John Papas was born in Auckland in 1942. He travelled to Europe in 1963 and after visiting his father’s homeland of Greece, he settled in London where, in 1965, he had his first overseas exhibition. Returning to New Zealand in 1970 Papas continued on his artist journey, exhibiting in both group and solo shows throughout the country. Papas has a well deserved place as one of New Zealand’s leading contemporary artists with work in most major public and private collections.

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