Jimmy James Kouratoras has made a return to New York, with his painting “Hei Tiki – For the Love of Our Ancestors” which is displayed on a towering 10-metre digital billboard in the heart of Manhattan’s Theatre District.
The image of the huge Tiki is on Kouratoras’s Facebook page.
The artwork, replete with cultural symbolism, is part of the “Sacred Origins” exhibition at Jutta Gallery and draws from Kouratoras’ blended Māori and Cretan Greek heritage.
“Displaying it in New York felt like a message from our ancestors beaming into the centre of the world,” he told Radio New Zealand (RNZ).
Kouratoras, who is self-taught and of Waikato-Tainui and Cretan lineage, has also been named a finalist in this year’s National Contemporary Art Award in New Zealand.
His solo exhibition Matariki Sacred Waters – Where Land Meets the Sky is currently showing at the Franklin Arts Centre in Pukekohe and runs until August 2.
