Ki Yoong’s paintings are marked by a quiet tenderness, underscored by his distinctive use of tightly cropped compositions upon found materials including copper, steel, acrylic, and glass. The removal of visual information opens space for projection, inviting the viewer to bring their own associations and memories into the process of looking. His works simultaneously explore portraiture and object making. Rendered with meticulous detail, Yoong’s paintings are constructed from multiple translucent layers of oil paint, each applied with a fine brush in a process akin to drawing. Rather than bold, expressive brushstrokes, Yoong favours subtle accumulation, delicate gestures that coalesce into images that are concurrently precise and ephemeral.
Ki Yoong (b.1988, Bradford, UK) lives and works in London. Yoong received his BA in Fine Art from The University of Leeds in 2010 and his MA in Fine Art from Central Saint Martins in 2013. Recent exhibitions include: Pictures of You, Kerlin Gallery, Dublin, Ireland (2025); As We Are, Workplace, London, UK (2025); Focus: Ki Yoong, Workplace, London, UK (2025);Figurative Impressions, Hurst Contemporary, London, UK (2024); Studio West, MEGA Art Fair, Milan, Italy (2024); Marilyn, Plop Residency, London, UK (2024); The Blush Upon Her Cheek, Studio West, London, UK (2024); Faces/Faces, Slugtown, Newcastle, UK (2023); The Picture, Brooke Benington, London, UK (2023); Skin Deep, Studio West, London, UK (2023); A Celebration of Portraiture, Marlborough Gallery, London, UK (2023). Yoong has also collaborated with various brands and institutions such as Vogue, Alex Eagle, Paul Smith, and The House of St Barnabas. Since 2019 he has been Artist in Residence at Coppermill Primary School, Walthamstow.
