Pap Art^® is the collaborative expression of ex-paparazzi photographer David Koppel and figurative painter John Kiki.

In the tradition of its predecessor pop art, and under the direct influence of pop art's acknowledged master Andy Warhol, Kiki and Koppel have brought pop art into the digital age.

Koppel's background in photography is eclectic, producing cinematic landscapes of celebrities for newspapers and magazines around the world, nudes, landscapes and still lifes for commercial clients, all of which form the foundation on which Pap Art^® is based.

The works include Koppel's original photographs and digitally remastered images. The majority of the images focus on celebrities, drawn from Koppel's ten year odyssey on Fleet Street, producing iconic masterpieces of Marlon Brando, the Rolling Stones, David Bowie and many more.

Experimenting with digital technology, Koppel began manipulating his photographs to produce distortive effects, which are then printed on large canvasses. The canvasses are then overpainted by Kiki in acrylic in his hallmark simple, spontaneous, idiosyncratic, imaginative and vibrant style.

But with Kiki nothing is as simple as overpainting. Kiki often tears the printed and painted canvas to create layers of form and texture, cutting and pasting to assemble his distinct vision.

Rarely satisfied, Kiki makes changes upon changes, adding layer after layer of paint, and can take up to twelve months to create the finished work. He works with the canvas flat on the floor to prevent the paint dripping, working from a specially prepared bottle of paint, using brush and cardboard to smear and fill where needed. Never setting out to create a finished image, Kiki explores, builds and destroys, taking a picture to a logical conclusion.

Pap Art^® is the fusion of two distinct visions, bringing together established and contemporary techniques to create a unique portrait of a culture obsessed by celebrity, toying with reality and perception, and representing the very essence of our digital age.

The most recent exhibition of Pap Art was at The Last Gallery in Zurich from 26th January 2006.