The art of Jimmy James Kouratoras
Ko Puke O Tahinga te Maunga
Ko Waikato te Awa
Ko Tainui te Iwi
Ko Ngāti Tiipa te Hapu
Ko Te Kotahitanga te Marae
Ko Jimmy James Kouratoras ahau
Jimmy James Kouratoras (Crete, Ngati Tiipa,Tainui) never went to art school but as one of Aotearoa’s leading contemporary visual artists, he is a pioneer of passion, not parameters.
The son of a Greek father and a Māori mother, Kouratoras’ artworks offer cosmic explorations of life, family, land and wairua. Celebrated for his bold use of colour, deep connection to culture and vibrant pop art aesthetic, his art forms include paintings, sculpture, prints and digital artworks
Kouratoras’ trajectory includes two decades in the film industry as a scenic artist and twelve years as a solo artist featured in national and international exhibitions. During this time he has developed a distinctive body of work that is committed to exploring Indigenous storytelling practices through colour, texture and whakapapa.
His portfolio includes international exhibitions in Melbourne, Los Angeles, New York, Beijing and Chengdu and his works can be found in private collections across Europe, the United States and Asia. Kouratoras was also part of the landmark Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art Exhibition at Auckland Art Gallery
Currently, Kouratoras is developing intimate exhibition experiences for his clients in his exclusive virtual art gallery. These bespoke events are by invitation only. These can be booked here
Find Jimmy’s art here: Park Hyatt Hotel, Auckland Artbay Gallery, Queenstown Boyd Dunlop Gallery, Napier
Gold Clouds Gold Rain
Ethereal Night
Acrylic paint and Metal Flake and resin on canvas
168cm x 198cm
Gold clouds and a pathway to a heavenly realm, where the stems of liquid paint rise to support small islands of a rich flowering honey on a warm dark night. Inspired by cathedrals and chandeliers the impression of angels gathering to form a collective wave of hope emerge partially. This act to move closer and observe detail is only a motion to draw in the viewer and to make a connection with this present moment.
Ngahere Gold Rain
Acrylic paint and Metal Flake and resin on canvas
168cm x 198cm
We are part of nature and nature is a part of us. Oneness with divine light and all matter have come into being, with the creation of this painting. The Native forest is the garden and the sun that shines through the dense backdrop illuminates the rain. The projection of gold materialises into divine glow and the reflection of light from within exposes shapes, shadows and energetic forms. A sense of somewhere magical appears.
The Unveiling
Acrylic paint and Metal Flake and resin on canvas
180 X 240 cm
For the love of creating and exploring landscapes that sit waiting in the unconscious corners of our minds brings the artist to this new point in his career. This painting explores the vulnerability and delicate textures of opening a plethora of images to arrest our minds and open our hearts.
There are waterfalls and forests within
Acrylic paint metal flake shellac on canvas
180 X 240 cm
This a reflective painting that absorbs the senses and reveals itself like an epic opening to an enchanting story. Images are layered and hidden with the textures and appear very subtly. Inspired by the bush and distant shapes created through leaves and trees this painting reminds the artist of a sacred place visited many times with his kaumatua (Elder and spiritual teacher).
A tropical cold spring with blue turquoise and crystal-clear waters wait peacefully on the other side of the silhouettes and a pool bathed in the midday winter sun. A beautiful place to rest and rejuvenate the soul and connect with Papatuanuku (mother Earth )
Ngahere Graffiti Forest
Acrylic paint and resin on canvas
180cm x 300cm
Abstract shapes and form come together to create the Graffiti forest. A place where urban youth street culture meets nature.
Te Winika Waka Taua
Acrylic paint and metal flake and resin on canvas
90cm x 120cm
Throughout the history of civilisation rivers and seas have often helped shape the identity of its people and those that occupy its banks and shores. In this painting the war canoe Te Winika is seen in its essence a war machine that now sits proudly in the Waikato museum. Its life on the Waikato River retired, however its reputation and wairua live on amongst the people of Tainui.
The distance between us.
and resin on Canvas
200cm x 200cm
This painting was underway at the height of the COVID19 pandemic when Aotearoa was under a Level 4 Lockdown. Developed during this period of isolation, the characters in this painting were originally part of a distinct cluster, but over time have morphed and changed until they became fragments of their former selves. Ironically, this time of physical separation brought deep connection (especially through virtual communities); however, behaviours on the street still reinforced a sense of fear and hostility towards other human beings. To explore this primal and protective human response is the underlining motivation of the artist.
Acrylic
Hei tiki
For the love of our Ancestors
This painting brings the heavens, the earth, nature, and the human realm in close quarters with each other. The Sun and the Moon are right next to us, and our ancestors appear as elements of nature. Above this scene there is a stairway with angels that carry light all the way to the heavens, into another realm of ancestors and another layer of stars. This Hei Tiki contains elevation and expansion. One can see a man playing with the poi, as if spinning a planet in his hand, and controlling the elements around him and the myriad of celestial bodies that continue to guide our journey.
Acrylic Paint, Metal Flake and Resin on Canvas
91cm x 120cm
Hei Tiki - Chakra
This painting focuses on the power of chakras and the need for alignment and space. There is a fluidity and movement in this painting that connects to the constant vibration of energy and the importance of keeping centres open.
Acrylic and Resin on Canvas
91cm x 120cm
Hei tiki- Tangi Aroha
This painting was completed in March 2019 following the mass shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand. It meant a lot to me to mark that time with tears but also to show strength and resilience of the community who came together. The Hei Tiki is an iconic symbol used in Māori culture and continues to be an inspiration to me.
Acrylic Paint, Metal Flake and Resin on Canvas.
Framed with negative detail and a dark waxed finished wood.
120cm x 150cm
Hei Tiki Urban Atua
In this painting, I explore how location can be an illusion: no matter where we stand, upon the grassland floors or the grit of inner city concrete, we can always create a sacred space for ourselves and in doing so we can always be in conversation with our ancestors.
Acrylic and metal flake with matt finish on canvas
76cm x 110cm
Starry Night
Pou manawa carved and painted . These Pou Pou are banded with the healing messages of bright chakra colours. A layered landscape rises skyward through night skies toward the stars. A memory and a past of stories to stand upon and echos of bird songs that once filled our day time and night skies. dedicated to my favourite New Zealand bird (extinct) the Huia.
paint and resin on canvas.
Acrylic
120cm x 150cm.
Powhiri amongst the stars
Acrylic paint and resin on canvas.
91cm x 150cm
Our place amongst the stars within the wider universe is exceptionally precious. We are descendants of ancient peoples, tribes and cultures. We travel on our mother's back, Papatuanuku, cradled by our Father Sky Ranginui and as the sun turns away and the moon rises, we are gathered into a covenant that precedes the art of navigation. The stars, our ancestors, lean into our present to remind us of their presence and to guide us in the unfolding of a celestial plan.
The Life Tree in Me
Acrylic paint and metal flake and resin and canvas
120cm x 150cm
The life tree in me is a personal painting exploring transformation and spiritual growth. Angels and birds dance in the light amongst the leaves and branches of an ancient tree. There is movement and frequency that exhilarates the higher the birds climb. It is as if all creatures become one with the tree,. The colours and shapes merge to create a new vibrant reality and a place to heal.
This painting is with Boyd Dunlop Gallery (Napier)
Urn Towards Heaven
Healing bands reach out and also climb through the strata of this urn, inspired by Cretan Pottery from the ancient Minoan period in the Mediterranean. Beginning from the root chakra we are birthed and ascending our lives towards a higher and United consciousness .
120cm
Acrylic paint and resin on canvas
x 150cm
Uku Papatuanuku-Mother Earth
Healing bands reach out and also climb through the strata of this urn.Inspired by cretan Pottery from the ancient Minoan period in the Mediterranean.
Beginning from the root chakra we are birthed and ascending our lives towards a higher and United consciousness
Acrylic paint and resin on canvas
120cm x 150cm
Urn to ways of being
Inspired by the book Te Wheke, written by Te Rangimarie Pere. This artwork offers an insight into the Maori philosophy of learning through family and how we connect to each other. Ultimately how our present selves connect to our past and future and the greater universe that surrounds our planet.
This painting is with Boyd Dunlop Gallery (Napier)
Acrylic paint and metal flake and resin on canvas
90cm x 120cm
Atua give them love
Acrylic Paint and Gold Leaf and Metal Flake and Resin On Canvas 120cm x 120cm
This painting is inspired by the tūpuna and the various faces of our ancestors. Specifically angels and colours and ta moko (facial tattoos). This painting vibrates with the highest intention of intense healing for all humanity.
Where angels and ancestors collide Putahi Wairua
Acrylic paint and Metal Flake and resin on canvas
180cm x 235cm
This painting is part of the Angels and Ancestors collection and brings a range of different and intense energies into conversation with each other. The invocation of traditional archetypes, especially those from the Orthodox Church. Intersecting pathways with Indigenous signs and symbols. Ontologies are given the space to create breath and balance inside an ocean of movement. Far from being a religious painting, this surrealistic landscape brims with emotion, trust and an invitation to venture into the unknown.
Wairua o te whanau
Acrylic paint, Metal flake, Resin on Canvas 180cm x 230cm
Angels and ancestors collide to create an intermediary space where humans are both fascinated and attracted to different worlds and their cosmologies - one Orthodox Christian, the other deeply Indigenous. This work embraces the notion of using 'whakapapa' (genealogy) as a technique to layer various images, icons and symbols to create a cohesive narrative. Specifically, the large hei tiki which dominates the left hand-side of the painting is studded with intimate family portraits in its belly, and then as your gaze moves upwards you can see constellations and ancestral pathways that take you right up the very open, conscious, and bright red eyes. These windows to the soul symbolize a universe inside a universe. On the right hand-side, the archangel I've created is inspired by the 13th century frescoes in churches in Crete (which is where I'm from) and laced with gold, magenta and blue. These colours share the opulence of the vestries. The angel also has many swallows that we often see around these old monasteries which are now revered as cultural sites of historical significance.
Language of
Offerings of aroha (love) are brought from the spiritual plane to the earthly one by brown-skinned angels. These beings of light bring compassion to a world that constantly needs to be reminded to be kind. Beneath the angels a taniwha is formed coiled, carrying the wairua (spirit) of all living things and offering a way forward through a different world view.
Acrylic paint, Metal flake, Resin on Canvas
90cm x 180cm
