From medicine to pop art - Brad Novak '89
Thursday, 27 June 2019
Pop art and medicine are two professions that seem in stark contrast to each other, but for Brad Novak '89, the two go hand in hand.

Being in the A stream throughout his time at Auckland Grammar, Brad credits the School's focus on working hard and the importance placed on academia in helping him with his chosen career path into medicine.

After graduating from university, Brad went on to become a public health physician and still works part-time. Brad says that starting out in Public Health was a great choice for him, as it is the most creative medical speciality. "You are able to look at things such as how society can fight obesity or combat the anti-vaccination movement. It is as much an art as a science."

Brad remembers the moment he decided to change career paths into the art world was after a visit to the Tate Modern Art Gallery in London with his wife. "Katrina wanted to educate me about modern art as she was surprised - and probably insulted - by my rigid thinking. I thought art had to be based on realism to be any good, but how wrong I was! I walked around the gallery looking at the pop art masters repeatedly saying, "It doesn't look that hard, I could do that!"

"Something in me eventually clicked and I realised art could be an idea and not just a beautiful picture. I walked out of that building a changed person with a desire to create."

Self-taught with no formal art training, Brad is now an internationally renowned pop culture artist. Using the moniker New Blood Pop, Brad explores the relationship between colour, shape and contrast through a fresh and distinctive style. His works involve the layering of popular imagery and include the depiction of celebrities from the days of old, including Marilyn Monroe, Carrie Fisher and Christopher Reeve.

Pop artist Brad Novak '89 in his studio

His mediums include hand paper-collage and stencil spray painting - and hints of his medical career are still present: "I hand cut most of my stencils with my medical school scalpel!"

While having only been on the pop art scene since 2011, Brad has this constant yearning to strive for better and to never give up. In 2016, Brad was the first artist in New Zealand's history to exhibit in the same show with the global superstars of pop and street art such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, Mr Brainwash and Banksy, at Struck Contemporary in Toronto, Canada.

Brad says that he feels very "privileged" to have two successful careers that he is passionate about. "Public health medicine feeds into my art-making and this in turn has a positive influence on my ability and enthusiasm for making a real difference to the health of people in Aotearoa."

Having started painting in 2003, Brad credits not knowing exactly what he wanted to do for a job as a good thing. "You do not need to rush into what you want to do with your life. I had no idea when I was at school and I am glad about that - I never would be the artist I am now if it wasn't for becoming a doctor too."