From Aotearoa To New York: Maori-Greek Artist Triumphs

Becoming a national contemporary art award finalist, seeing his work projected on a massive New York City billboard, and launching a new solo exhibition, acclaimed Aotearoa artist Jimmy James Kouratoras has plenty to celebrate this month.

His painting, Hei Tiki – For the Love of Our Ancestors, is being displayed in New York City as part of the Sacred Origins exhibition at Jutta Gallery, marking the Māori-Greek artist’s first showing in the art capital since 2015. In a career milestone, recently, Hei Tiki was displayed on a towering 10-metre digital billboard in Manhattan’s Theatre District.

“It was like sending a message from the ancestors straight into the heart of one of the world’s busiest cities,” says Kouratoras.

Known for merging Māori and Greek histories, Kouratoras continues to explore ancestral heritage through his contemporary paintings.

“As an artist, most of my work happens in solitude, in deep connection with ancestry, whenua, and wairua. So to have that work seen and recognised on an international stage is a privilege.”

His return to New York isn’t the only highlight this year. Kouratoras (Tainui Waikato, Ngāti Tīpā Waikato, Crete, Greece) has also been named a finalist in the 2025 National Contemporary Art Award, shortlisted among 53 artists from 480 entries. Presented by Waikato Museum to showcase the cutting edge of New Zealand contemporary art, the venue will present the work from all finalists for four months from August.

“This acknowledgement isn’t just about me - it’s about the kaupapa: the stories of our tīpuna, the layers of whakapapa, and the ongoing journey of transformation through art.”

Auckland art lovers can experience Kouratoras’ latest work at his solo exhibition Matariki Sacred Waters – Where Land Meets the Sky, now showing at Franklin Arts Centre in Pukekohe.

Alongside the 14 paintings are seven Pou sculptures - with this new body of work inspired by the sacred rhythms of the Maramataka - the Māori lunar calendar - and the annual rising of Matariki.

“I work through karakia, through intuition. The studio becomes a sacred space where the invisible mechanics of the universe begin to take shape.”

Matariki Sacred Waters is at the Steel Gallery, Franklin Arts Centre, Pukekohe, until August 2nd.

Jimmy James Kouratoras’ website: www.artbykouratoras.com

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