ANDREW KAYANU

After teaching himself to paint in 2000, Andrew Kayanu spent two decades honing his craft for a singular purpose; to explore social issues that concern him as a father, a son of Papua New Guinea, an indigenous man, and a citizen of the world.

Throughout his career, he has used his voice and his artistic talent to draw attention to injustices in society, including violence against women, inequality, and un-democratic practices. He has resolved to paint about social issues ¨until my fingers can´t lift a paintbrush anymore¨.  

The self-titled ¨experimentalist¨ experiments with a range of artistic styles and enjoys creating styles that are uniquely his own, based on advice given to him by his mentor, the late Phillip Yobale. His works have been displayed locally and in Australia, most recently in Brisbane sponsored by the Royal Queensland Art Society.  

In this series of paintings, Andrew brings Melanesian modernism to The GRAPA using both wax and acrylic paint to explore the exercise and abuse of power in democracies as they occur in everyday society, colorfully commenting on relations between state and society.