Karl Kotas

Karl Kotas (aka Karl KAOS) is a punkadelic artist. He coined the term for his chaotic mash-up of punk’s raw edge, psychedelic posters, Pop-Art attitude, ’80s painting, and lowbrow comix. It holds together. Or maybe it doesn’t.
He spent decades grinding out album covers, gig posters, magazine illustrations, and any advertising that paid.
Now he blends traditional hands-on work with digital tools. The result is equal parts punk rock and psychedelic—hence “Punkadelic.”
He caught the early internet wave, building games and cartoons for global brands. Survived the dot-com crash. Drifted into YouTube. And kept painting whenever he could find decent light and a flat surface in New York City.
He calls his paintings "psychedelic punk mandalas that send the gaze on never-ending journeys."

Buffalo State College.

2025 Brooklyn Safehouse- group show What Time Is It?, Brooklyn, NYC
2022 CNFTCon- Cardano NFTs, Digital Art & Prints, Las Vegas, NV

2018 Underground Buffalo Rock Posters- group show of vintage punk posters in Buffalo, NY. GCR Audio, Buffalo, NY

2018 "What Time is It?" group show, Brooklyn Safehouse- Greenpoint Gallery Night

2016 ConArtist Gallery- group show New York Shitty, NYC

2015 Admit To Bitter- group show, South Street Seaport, NYC

2014 Theater for the New City—group show, The Many Identities of the Struggling Cartoonist, NYC

2013 NYC Film-Makers Cooperative—group show & art auction, NYC

2013 Chelsea Pier 67—live painting mural, Pier Pressure, NYC

2013 Fountain Art Fair—G-Spot, Surrealistic Slot Cars - Armory, NYC

2012 Fountain Art Fair—The G Spot, group show - Armory, NYC

2010 The G Spot—Curated by SubTexture- Brooklyn, NY
2010 X Initiative—BYOA, Chelsea, NYC

2009 Niagara University—live painting, Music Is Art, Niagara Falls, NY

2008 Sketchel Gallery—curated by Jeremeyville, Sydney, Australia

2008 Gawker Artist—online gallery curated by Liz Dimmitt, NYC

2008 HPGRP Gallery—group show, Meatpacking District, NYC

2007 HPGRP Gallery—group show, Meatpacking District, NYC

2007 Art Basel Miami—Pool Art Fair,...