Demetrios Papakostas
Born 1960, Montreal, Canada

Demetrios Papakostas began painting in 2001, transitioning to a full-time art practice in 2011. Prior to this, he worked as a graphic artist while pursuing part-time studies in the evening arts program at Concordia University. Further studies at Montreal’s Visual Arts Centre and the Saidye Bronfman Centre provided him the opportunity to work with artists such as Nicole Lebel, Heather Yamada, and renowned Canadian painter Harold Klunder.

Papakostas' work focuses on the fundamental visual elements of colour, line, and form, inviting open-ended visual dialogues with both himself and the viewer. While his practice is rooted in hard-edge abstraction, his process remains exploratory and intuitive, allowing for spontaneous responses to themes of perception, nature, place, and time. His recent work seeks to move beyond the binary of geometric versus expressive abstraction, opening new pathways for visual and conceptual interpretation.

In addition to his studio practice, Papakostas is the founder and director of Galerie Erga, a contemporary art gallery where he curates and manages exhibitions and provides a space for artists and collectives to exhibit their work in Montreal. He is also the founder of Art Sur Papier (est. 2021), an annual exhibition dedicated to works on paper. His curatorial collaborations include group exhibitions such as Dégel, Articulations, and Being Constructiv (2025).

Papakostas has exhibited at venues including Galerie McClure, Galerie Espace, Galerie E.K. Voland, Galerie Beaux-Arts des Amériques, Galerie ERGA, Galerie de la Ville, McBride Contemporain, Archive Contemporain (Montreal), Art Zone 42 Gallery (Athens, Greece), and 1515 Lincoln Gallery (Oklahoma City, USA).

His works are held in private and corporate collections across Canada and the United States. He is represented by 1515 Lincoln Gallery (Oklahoma City, USA) and Denison Gallery (Toronto, Canada).