Self-taught, London-based artist Josh Papa discovered a passion for art via IKEA. Starting with an old, black, heavily marked coffee table in his Amsterdam university apartment.
As the table was getting thrown out, Josh, improvised, sketching one of his now easily recognisable Deluded Animal pieces on it. It came as a surprise that after completion, the soon-to-be-thrown-out table became a focal point of the apartment.
This paved the way for Josh to explore his creativity further and develop his signature Deluded Animal series. Josh, describes these pieces as a “storyline to create stories”.
Josh takes his inspiration from various outlets such as; culture, arts, history, and anything relevant to the current day and his interests. He distils this inspiration, transforming it into a unique and often colourful visual experience.
The colours chosen carry relevance, capturing and enhancing the story within. Whilst the common background colour of black pays homage to where it all began, the old, black, heavily marked coffee table.
Josh’s signature style has now developed across multiple series and has allowed him to push his artistic career to new heights. Working with international brands, restaurants and embarking on his first solo show in the autumn of 2022.