'My paintings are an exploration of the interplay of pattern, flat colour and naturalistic representation, with the aim of creating a space that sits between realism and abstraction.'
Kayoon Anderson (b.1997, Seoul) is a London-based artist working with oil paint.
After studying architecture at the University of Cambridge, Kayoon completed a painting course at Siena Art Institute in Italy. She then reached the 2021 semi-final of SkyArts Portrait Artist of the Year, an achievement which encouraged her to continue on in the field. In 2022, Kayoon recieved a diploma in portraiture from the Heatherley School of Art.
In her London studio, Kayoon now focuses primarily on figurative work. Looking to European medieval art and munbangdo still-lives for inspiration--structured works, with with a strong sense of design--Kayoon aims to create a feeling of calm and grounded spaces. "My background in architecture, perhaps, pushes me to strive for stable and balanced compositions," she says. Her paintings lie somewhere between naturalistic and abstract. They contain people, but the people aren’t the focus--people sit within the scene, a part of it, without clear distinction between the figure and their surroundings. Thematically, Kayoon's work is intimate, and personal. Her domestic scenes call to her mixed heritage, bringing together memories of her childhood in Korea and the UK. Recently, Kayoon has been exploring themes of motherhood and longing.