John Kiki

The fourth of eleven children, John Kiki was born in Eptakomi, Cyprus, in 1943. As Kiki reached the age of three, the family moved to England and settled in London.

In 1960 Kiki went to the Camberwell School of Art in London, working extensively from the life model under the direction of Frank Auerbach, Patrick Prockter and Euan Uglow. In 1964 Kiki entered the Royal Academy School, where his distinctive style first emerged. Abandoning the model, Kiki increasingly came to rely on drawings and magazine illustrations, leading to a more expressive use of the medium.

On leaving the academy in 1967, Kiki established the first of several studios in Great Yarmouth, and found success with shows in Norwich, London, Switzerland and America.

Despite his early success, Kiki then abandoned painting until 1980, when a visit to Munich brought him into contact with the work of contemporary Germain painters such as Baselitz and Penck. Inspired by the fact that his own style of figuration had much in common with the New Wave, Kiki embarked upon an intensive period of painting.

Exhibitions followed at the Hayward Gallery and Serpentine Gallery in London, and several of his works were acquired for the Saatchi Collection. Other exhibitions followed in London (at the Barbican, amongst other venues), Germany, Zurich, New York City, Lichtenstein, Great Yarmouth, Norwich, Gstaad, Zagreb and Colchester.

In 2002 Kiki met photographer David Koppel, who was experimenting with digitally manipulated images reproduced on canvas. Their collaboration has led to the founding of Pap Art^®: digitally remastered images printed on canvas and overpainted by Kiki.