After years of crafting campaigns in the high-pressure world of advertising, Kostas Papakostas made a radical pivot. His latest exhibition, In Flux, at Hang-Up Gallery in Hoxton, channels that leap into the unknown through his now-signature one-stroke paintings. Created using custom-built brushes and full-body gestures, the work captures transformation not as a moment, but as a state of being.
You left behind a successful career in advertising to focus fully on art. What was the moment that made you decide it was time to walk away?
In my case, it wasn’t a single moment but a combination of events that made me stop and reflect. I burned out at work, which forced me to question my priorities. Around the same time, I lost my father, which brought up deeper thoughts about time, purpose, how I really wanted to live and what was truly important to me. Taking a short break and moving to a new environment gave me the distance I needed to gain perspective. That’s when it became clear that I had to make a change and fully commit to art.
Your ‘one-stroke’ painting technique is bold and instinctive. How did you develop the idea of creating an entire work in a single, unbroken gesture?
It was more of an impulse than a planned idea. I felt a need to express something raw and essential using the most direct, instinctive gesture possible. I’ve always been drawn to asemic writing and calligraphy and experimenting with those forms naturally led me down this path. It became a journey of reducing things to their purest, most immediate expression.
How does the physical intensity of your process — using oversized brushes and painting with your whole body — influence the final emotional impact of the work?
Our bodies carry not only our personal history, memories and traumas but also those of our ancestors. So for me, it’s essential to involve the body fully in the process while trying to quiet the mind and any conscious decision making and allow the body to lead. The larger the work the more physical it becomes, often requiring my entire body to shape the brushstroke. That physicality is what gives the work its emotional weight and presence.
“In Flux” feels very timely, given the constant state of change in today’s world. How much does the idea of instability or transformation shape what you create?
It’s true that “In Flux” feels timely but change is a fundamental part of nature and I strive to embrace it in my work. Transformation and instability are constant forces that shape everything around us, and I try to reflect that in my art. By accepting these shifts – whether in materials, forms, or ideas – I seek to capture the energy of change, not as something to fear, but as a source of renewal.
Having exhibited in New York and Seoul before, how does it feel to now have your first solo show in London, the city where you built both your advertising and artistic careers?
Although I wasn’t born in London, I consider it my home. East London, in particular, has played a huge role in shaping both my personal and creative journey and I have a deep bond with the city.
To have the opportunity to present my work here for the first time feels like a milestone – it feels complete. On top of that, many of my friends are based here, so it’s especially meaningful to share such a large body of work with them in person. It’s truly a special moment.
Coming from a world of control and strategy, was it difficult at first to embrace the spontaneity and risk that your method demands?
Shifting from advertising to art involved a fundamental change in how I approach creativity. In advertising everything is driven by control, strategy and clear goals. Every decision is calculated and the process is designed to reduce uncertainty. In contrast, my art demands a mindset rooted in spontaneity, risk, and uncertainty, which allow me to tap into a more authentic, visceral side of myself and my creativity. This dynamic between control and freedom is something I’ve come to embrace although it is not always easy.
You custom-build your own brushes to suit your technique. Can you tell us a bit more about the creative and practical process behind designing your tools?
For me, the tools I use are fundamental to the work itself. I work with the basics: the surface, the paint and the brush. Each one of these elements have to be designed with intention to achieve the kind of result I’m aiming for. When it comes to the brushes, it’s not just about function – it’s about how the tool interacts with the paint and the surface, how it shapes the marks and how it feels in my hand.
What do you hope visitors to In Flux feel when they experience your paintings up close, knowing they were created in a single, irreversible moment?
I want visitors to feel the raw energy of each piece – the urgency and intensity of the brushstroke and the tension between losing and regaining control. The work embodies an ever-evolving movement, where transformation is not a single moment but an ongoing state of being.
I hope viewers sense the power of that transformation and the dynamic energy of something in constant flux and that they bring their own experiences to it, finding their own meaning in the movement and change.
xxx
KOSTAS PAPAKOSTAS – IN FLUX
Exhibition Dates: Tuesday 6 May – Thursday 3 July 2025
Location: Hang-Up Gallery, 10D Branch Place, Hoxton, London N1 5PH
