Meet Kayoon Anderson
To mark the occasion of her debut solo exhibition, we sat down with Kayoon Anderson to discuss her artistic journey and the ideas behind her work.
Kayoon Anderson reflects on themes of motherhood, heritage, and identity, drawing inspiration from her Korean and British roots. Her process blends architectural precision with playful creativity, and explores family dynamics, cultural contrasts, and universal emotions through quiet, harmonious compositions. In her current solo exhibition with EDJI, she delves into her evolving role as a mother and her relationship to cultural traditions, offering intimate glimpses into imaged spaces where memory and observation converge.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR WORK?
I am a Korean and British oil painter living in London. The works in this solo show with EDJI Gallery explore feelings around motherhood and heritage. They include paintings based on my changing physicality as a prospective mother as well as observations of daughterhood and motherhood within my family.
I enjoyed reflecting on how these themes are intrinsically linked to culture. Certain elements of motherhood, for instance, appear in my Korean family but not in my English family, while many others feel universal, recognizable across cultures worldwide. This process allowed me to think deeply about my two heritages, the lessons they’ve taught me, and ways to visually represent them in the imagined spaces of my paintings.
I aim for my works to feel quiet, balanced, and harmonious while expressing warmth and a playful attitude to picture-making.
CAN YOU WALK US THROUGH YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS? WHAT STEPS DO YOU TYPICALLY TAKE FROM IDEA TO FINISHED PIECE?
There are two distinct stages in any painting I make: the composition stage and the painting stage. Both are equally important in creating a harmonious final piece.
At the composition stage, I start with the figures. These are taken from photos—either old family photos or ones I’ve taken myself. I look for body language that expresses the emotions I wish the painting to convey. Using Photoshop, I digitally sketch an imagined scene around these figures, creating settings with simple architectural shapes and domestic objects. This part of the process is quite structured, as I seek to balance all elements in a way that feels right.
The resulting digital collage serves as my base and reference for the painting stage. Once the image is drawn onto the canvas, the process becomes much more instinctive. I focus on colour, pattern, and surface texture, experimenting and playing to create a cohesive painting.
WHO OR WHAT ARE YOUR MAIN INFLUENCES? ARE THERE SPECIFIC ARTISTS OR MOVEMENTS THAT INSPIRE OR GUIDE YOUR WORK?
I am deeply influenced by medieval European art and traditional Korean still-life paintings—an unusual combination, but one with surprising similarities. Both emphasize structured compositions and often use multiple perspectives within a single image. This playful approach to space creates a flat yet ambiguous sense of depth, sitting between abstraction and realism, something I strive to achieve in my own work.
Contemporary artists also inspire me, including Zoey Frank, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Anne Buckwalter, Matthias Weischer, and Christian Hidaka.
COULD YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE SERIES YOU CREATED FOR THIS EXHIBITION? IS THERE A PARTICULAR STORY YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE?
One key piece, Daughterhood Scene in Green, is a painting made into a folding screen inspired by byung-poong—traditional Korean folding screens. It explores the evolving dynamic between my mother and grandmother as they age, shifting into a relationship where the daughter begins caring for the mother.
For example, I depict moments like my mum helping my grandmother wash or dry her hair. The characters in this piece are repeated, conveying a sense of passing time and reinforcing that this is not a real space but a collection of memories.
Although the figures are based on my family and the setting reflects my grandmother’s flat in Korea, I hope the work expresses a universal feeling of being part of a parent-child relationship and witnessing the aging of loved ones.
HOW HAS YOUR BACKGROUND IN ARCHITECTURE SHAPED YOUR APPROACH TO PAINTING? DO YOU SEE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE TWO FIELDS IN YOUR WORK?
I once heard a painter say there are two types of artists: architects and gardeners. Architects plan and structure their work meticulously, while gardeners respond to their work more organically. I fall into the ‘architect’ category, and my background in architecture has certainly influenced this.
Studying architecture taught me to construct geometrically, striving for balance and harmony in my compositions before I even pick up a paintbrush. This structured approach is integral to my creative process.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR USE OF COLOUR? HOW DOES IT RELATE TO THE THEME OF YOUR WORK, AND WHAT DO YOU HOPE IT CONVEYS TO THE VIEWER?
Colour is a significant part of how a painting feels. I tend to use earthy tones to evoke warmth, working within a limited colour and tonal range in each painting. This approach creates harmony and helps guide the viewer’s eye seamlessly across the canvas.
When starting a piece, I decide on a specific segment of the colour wheel for all elements in the composition. I enjoy exploring subtle colour shifts and nuances, which bring depth and richness to the work.
HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR WORK EVOLVING IN THE FUTURE? ARE THERE THEMES OR IDEAS YOU’RE EXCITED TO EXPLORE NEXT?
I plan to continue exploring themes of motherhood as my own perspective evolves. Most of the paintings in this show were created while I was pre-pregnant, reflecting a deliberately naïve viewpoint. Now that I’m expecting a child, I’m curious to see how my attitudes shift and how that will shape future works.
I also thoroughly enjoyed creating imagined spaces for this exhibition, inspired by both my Korean and Western influences. Two of the paintings, for instance, feature only interiors with no figures—something entirely new for me. I’d like to push this further, experimenting with imaged spaces in new ways.