Courtney Jinsook Bae (b. 1986) is a Korean-American artist, born in Australia. She graduated with a BA in Graphic Design from Southern New Hampshire University, New York in 2015.
Courtney paints in oil, depicting raw and expressive landscapes. She is drawn to the relationship between traumas and resilience, exploring identity formation and human purpose as it parallels with the land. Bae often uses her painting as an impetus to inspire cultural movement.
I have this ongoing curiosity around why we exist. I believe that we are here to grow and that growth cannot happen without traumas providing a path to strength and resilience. There is this beautiful mirror between our ability to grow and the Earth’s ability to regenerate, and so through my landscapes I engage in this unspoken dialogue.
Often my practice is defined by a highly expressive and whimsical play – brave strokes are contrasted with gentle organic mark making. I seek out the unexpected, allowing my work to connect, excite, and engage. Often my pieces flirt with abstraction, at times I even play with figurative motifs. My paintings are often interpreted with great imagination, provoking new thought with each visit.
Courtney works from her studio in Surrey. She gained national recognition in the UK when she was featured as a semi-finalist on Sky Portrait Artist of the Year, 2025. She has held solo exhibitions in London and Brooklyn, New York. Her work has also featured at the Saatchi Gallery and The Royal Birmingham Society of Artists.
