Courtney Jinsook Bae (b. 1986) is a Korean-American artist, born in Australia and based in London. She is the daughter of artist Sangki Bae. Bae's expressive and stylised works are celebrated for their unflinching communication of vulnerability and shame, often through an exposed portrayal of the human form. Her work focuses on the relationship between trauma and resilience, examining how these forces shape human identity in both the internal and physical realms.
Working in oils and gouache watercolour, Bae captures the essence of her subjects through a dynamic and fluid paint application, which is then contrasted with whimsical marksmanship. Her artistic practice is defined by a play between real life and highly imaginative visceral experiences.
Bae graduated with a BA in Graphic Design from Southern New Hampshire University in 2015. She gained national recognition when she was featured as a Semi-finalist on the national television series, Sky Portrait Artist of the Year in 2025. Bae has held solo exhibitions in at the Bermondsey Project Space, London and the Sideshow Gallery, Brooklyn. Her work has featured at the Saatchi Gallery, The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, and Denise Bibro Fine Art, New York.
EXHIBITIONS
2026
SOLO: Surrey, New Ashgate Gallery - ‘A Project of Becoming’
London, The Gallery at Green & Stone - ‘Works On Paper 2026’
2025
London, Noho Galleries - ‘Marks of Reflection’
London, Barbican Project Space, ‘Barbican Artworks Open’
Dorchester, Dorset Museum & Art Gallery - ‘The Dorset Open’
UK, Storyvault Films, Sky Arts, ‘Portrait Artist of the Year’, Series 12 Semi-finalist (broadcast)
London, The Gallery at Green & Stone - ‘Summer Show’
Online, Russell-Cotes - ‘Ruth Borchard Self Portrait Art Prize’
Birmingham, Royal Birmingham Society of Artists, ‘Summer Show 2025’
2022
London, Saatchi Gallery - ‘StArt Art Prize 2022’
2021
SOLO: London, Bermondsey Project Space - ‘Forgetting Recollection’
2020
Athens, Greece, Art Number 23 - ‘Athens Open Art’
Hull, East Yorkshire, Ferens Gallery - ‘Open’
2019
London, Candid Arts Trust
London, Candid Arts Trust - ‘Fusion V’
2018
London, The Stash Gallery - ‘Beautiful and Damned’
2016
SOLO: Brooklyn, NY, Sideshow Gallery - ‘Concrete’
SOLO: Brooklyn, NY, Early Edition - ‘The Mood’
New York, NY, Dacia Gallery - ‘Six Years Anniversary Exhibition’
Brooklyn, NY, Site Gallery
Brooklyn, NY, Friday Studio - ‘Autumnal Equinox’
New York, NY, Denise Bibro Fine Art
PRIZES & SHORTLISTS
Women United Art Prize 2025, Painting and Drawing (3rd place winner)
Irving Open 2026 (shortlist)
Homiens Art Prize, 2025 (highly commended)
Jackson’s Art Prize, 2025 (extended longlist)
PRESS & PUBLICATIONS
Cass Art Blog, 2025
Behind the Artist, 2025
Surrey World, 2025
Art By Artists, 2025
Aesthetica Magazine, 2020