Campbell La Pun was born in New Zealand, grew up in Australia and now lives and works in the fast paced and vibrant city of Tokyo, where eastern and western cultures collide in an explosion of energy, colour and light. The excitement and vitality of ‘the original megacity’ with its dizzying array of sights, sounds and sensations fuels his desire to reflect the modern world through the aesthetics of urban pop art.
His high-imact, large scale artworks are inspired, quite simply, by the world around him – colour combinations, conversations with friends, even drinking a bottle of champagne can provide the impetus for a new piece. The constant bombardment of global advertising from high end brands – Chanel, Supreme, Dom Perignon – pop culture iconography, a vast population and a hi tech economy all feed into his bank of ideas, which he then transforms into paintings with his own hand made stencils and spray paints on wood and canvas.
After graduating with a BA in Media Arts from RMIT University Melbourne, he moved into the world of pop art and set up his studio in Japan. The originality of his ideas and his distinctive style struck a chord almost immediately and he has since exhibited and sold his work on four continents.
Campbell has been influenced over the years by other artists and is particularly interested in the work that emerged from the complex collaborative relationship of Warhol and Basquiat. He also admires Australian street art pioneer Anthony Lister and satirical Japanese artist Madsaki. Appealing to a wide range of collectors, he has sold pieces to pop stars and influencers from Mel B to Kylie Jenner, as well as to many corporations, most recently, Moet Hennessy (Suisse).
“ I’ve always felt people work really hard and life is difficult. I want to make work that people can just see and smile.”
