Paul Laspagis, a Greek-born Melbourne artist, will open a new exhibition titled 'Transfigurations of Landscape and Figure' on 28 June, running until early August. The show features paintings created over the past eight years, inspired by the natural environment of Ferntree Gully, where he lives and works. Laspagis studied at the former National Gallery Art School under Paul Brack and has taught at Prahran Art School and the Victorian College of the Arts. His work is held in major collections including the National Gallery of Australia and the National Gallery of Victoria.
This exhibition matters because it represents over five decades of artistic inquiry by a painter whose work bridges observation and expression, transforming local landscapes into a personal pictorial language. It highlights the enduring relevance of regional Australian landscapes in contemporary art and underscores the career of an artist whose work is preserved in national and international public collections, affirming the cultural value of place-based artistic practice.