Andrew Barns-Graham is an established Auckland-based artist known for his hard-edged contemporary portraits with a pop realist style. 

He renders smooth, gradient-infused figures set against minimal, atmospheric landscapes.

In this episode we talk about the pivotal moment that led to Andrew devoting himself to his art practice after a career in advertising. Andrew tells us about a traumatic near death experience and how that has influenced his art practice, his outlook and the way he lives his life.

We discuss the different phases of portraiture Andrew has explored throughout his practice, and the ideas behind these series of works - from themes communicating nostalgia, identity, social issues, scientific ideas and the past/present/future to climate change and outer space. He talks about the women in his paintings, his titles, the symbols in his work, the eyes and gazes of his subjects and the significance of his landscapes.

Andrew explains how Arthaus Contemporary, a community based contemporary artist run space, came about and how it works, which BTW is a wonderful space for artists to rent for their own exhibitions and a very good rate. 

Andrew's solo exhibition at Arthaus Contemporary opens on November 19th and closes Nov 30th 2025, with an opening event on Thursday 20th Nov. I'll to see you there!

This is a gorgeous chat - thank you to Andrew for letting me take up his precious time while he was preparing for his show and thank you lovely listener for joining us.

See Andrew's work on our blog

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