Draft:New Blood Pop
Brad Novak FNZCPHM | |
|---|---|
 A New Blood Pop painting, circa 2021 | |
| Born | Brad Matthew Simon Novak 1976 (age 49–50) |
| Education | Auckland Grammar School; University of Auckland (MBChB); New Zealand College of Public Health Medicine (FNZCPHM) |
| Known for | Printmaking, Painting, Public health |
| Style | Pop art, Urban art, Contemporary art |
| Spouse | Katrina Novak (m. 2004) |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | www |
Brad Novak (born 1976), known professionally as New Blood Pop, is a New Zealand artist and public health physician known for his screen-printed, figurative urban art and pop art work.[1] He has exhibited in New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, including alongside pop and street art figures such as Andy Warhol, Keith Haring and Banksy at a 2015 group show in Toronto.[1][2] Alongside his art career, Novak works as a public health physician.[3]
Early life and education
[edit]Novak was born in 1976 in Auckland, one of four brothers.[1] From 1989 he attended Auckland Grammar School, where his academic stream precluded him from taking art classes.[4]
He went on to study medicine at the University of Auckland, completing his Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery in 2000.[3] During this time he met his future wife, Katrina.[4]
Public health career
[edit]In the mid-2000s, Novak worked on a meningococcal B vaccine study in New Zealand under infectious disease specialist Professor Diana Lennon.[1] By 2009 he had specialised in public health medicine,[3] and authored a needs assessment on the health outcomes of Pasifika people for the Counties Manukau District Health Board.[5] He has also co-authored public health research published in The New Zealand Medical Journal.[6]
Later, as a Medical Officer of Health with the Auckland Regional Public Health Service, Novak led enforcement action against the illegal sale of single cigarettes.[7] During the COVID-19 pandemic, he supported the frontline public health response in Nelson.[1]
Art career
[edit]In the early 2000s, Novak lived in the United Kingdom, where a visit to the Tate Modern gallery in London inspired him to pursue art.[1] He began teaching himself art theory and experimenting with photography while travelling, and practised still-life painting from 2003 to 2006.[4][1]
By 2008 he had adopted the moniker "New Blood Pop" and began exhibiting and selling his work commercially, starting his Hybrid series.[1] He held his first solo exhibition in New Zealand on 5 March 2015 at his studio in Onehunga, Auckland, after being turned down by three galleries; he sold 60 pieces on the night.[1] Later that year, his work was shown alongside pop art and street art figures including Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, Mr. Brainwash, Shepard Fairey and Banksy at the opening of Toronto's Struck Contemporary gallery.[1]
In 2016, Novak held his first solo show outside New Zealand, in Toronto.[1] He has since exhibited internationally, including a 2022 solo show, Hybrid 2.0, at Chicago's Vertical Gallery,[1] and a joint portrait exhibition, The Difference, with New Zealand painter Michael Smither in Coromandel in October 2022.[8]
His work has been acquired by private collectors including film director Quentin Tarantino.[1]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Wane, Joanna (2022-06-03). "Pandemics to pop art: Auckland doctor Brad Novak explodes on to the hip Chicago art scene". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
- ↑ "Brad Novak - Originals and Limited Edition Screenprints". Boyd-Dunlop Gallery. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
- 1 2 3 "Novak, Brad Matthew Simon". Medical Council of New Zealand. 2025-04-07. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
- 1 2 3 Creed, Lewis Matheson (2025-04-03). "New Blood Pop Interview". Craccum.
- ↑ Novak, Brad (2007-05-01). Ethnic-specific health needs assessment for Pacific people in Counties Manukau. Auckland, New Zealand: Counties Manukau District Health Board.
- ↑ Novak, Brad; Bullen, Chris; Howden-Chapman, Philippa; Thornley, Simon (2007-09-07). "Blue-collar workplaces: a setting for reducing heart health inequalities in New Zealand?". The New Zealand Medical Journal. 120 (1261).
- ↑ "Dairy owner prosecuted for selling single cigarettes". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2026-07-14.
- ↑ Wane, Joanna (2022-10-21). "The Difference: artists Michael Smither and Brad Novak combine for new show". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 2026-07-14.