Of Korean descent, brought up in the United States from the age of seven and now living in Hamburg, Germany, Ki Yoon Ko 's works emanate the clean lines and uncluttered canvasses typical of much Korean painting. He paints portraits but the point of his work is to capture an emotion or a state of being. His Suzi series captures the intensity of various states of surprise while the Sleep series brings forth the beauty of tranquillity.
Ki Yoon Ko's technique is different from traditional painters as his brush never touches the canvas. He mixes graphite powder with water and flicks the mix onto the canvas, building up the layers to create a photorealist effect.
"My themes first start out with a vision in my head and then I take a photo of the right person that will fit my vision. For the past couple of years I have developed a unique style of painting. I mix graphite with water. With my paintbrush I stand really close to the canvas surface and flick the graphite powder onto the canvas. Layer by layer, shade by shade."