John Papas (Currents, 2006)
One of Papas’ primary concerns, that comes through strongly in his work, 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.
John Papas was born in Auckland in 1942 (presently resides there too). 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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