How does someone who forged a career on control, structure and strategy learn to let go? For Kostas Papakostas, the answer came in a single, unbroken stroke.
After more than a decade running his own advertising agency in London, meticulously orchestrating campaigns for major fashion and entertainment brands, Kostas walked away from campaign strategies and pitch decks to reconnect with something far more intuitive: painting.
“When I left advertising, I didn’t have a plan-I just knew I needed to let go of control. Painting in a single stroke became a way to connect with something instinctive, honest,and alive. Every mark I make is a commitment to that moment.”
Kostas Papakostas
Trained in fine art in his native Greece and the UK before entering the world of advertising, Kostas returned to the studio years later, beginning the long process of unlearning thehabits of control that had shaped his career. What began as a personal act of release evolved into a radical artistic practice-defined by a single, continuous brushstroke.
Each of his artworks is created in one uninterrupted movement, with no sketches orpreparation, and completed in a few seconds. The technique is physically demanding-Kostas lays each canvas on the floor and works quickly, using his whole body to guide thebrush in a single, fluid motion. To support the physical intensity of the process, he constructs his own plus-sized paintbrushes–tools designed as much for movement as formark-making.
No revisions. No corrections. Just a moment of pure expression, captured on canvas. This ‘one-stroke’ process mirrors Kostas’ personal journey-from precision and control tofreedom and flow.
Opening this May at Hang-Up Gallery, In Flux will be Kostas’ first London solo exhibition, following successful solo shows in New York and Seoul. The exhibition presents a powerful new series that reflects a world in motion.
“We’re living in an era of relentless transformation-politically, socially, personally. With In Flux, Kostas isn’t just responding to that instability-he is channelling it. His one-stroke technique is bold, physical, and uncompromising. These works capture the tension of theage we’re living through right now, where control is fleeting and change is constant.”
Ben Cotton, Gallery Director at Hang-Up Gallery
Kostas Papakostas, In Flux, 6th May – 3rd July,
Hang-Up Gallery
About the artist
Kostas Papakostas is a Greek multidisciplinary artist based in London, working primarily in painting and video. His practice is rooted in instinct, movement and release-most notably through hisdistinctive ‘one-stroke’ painting technique, in which each work is completed in a single,uninterrupted gesture.Trained in fine art before founding a successful advertising agency, Papakostas returned to the studio after more than a decade working with major fashion and entertainment brands including Apple, Adidas, LVMH Group, PlayStation, Virgin, and MTV. His work has been exhibited internationally, including solo shows in New York and Seoul, and is held in both private and corporate collections. @this_is_kostas
