Kean Onn See
Hailing from Sydney, Kean Onn See is an artist dedicated to the time-consuming practice of painting on carved woodblocks. Heavily inspired by Australian artist, Cressida Campbell and Japanese woodblock prints his work exhibits meticulous attention to detail and uplifting compositions of domestic scenes.
He is an artist who appreciates life’s minutiae - paint brushes and spray bottles, the form of a rice cooker and the fall afternoon light through the shutters, something he has adopted from the ethos of the Japanese artists he admires and Campbell.
Steadily garnering significant recognition for his fine work. He is a current finalist in the 2024 Archibald and Blake Prizes. In 2023 he placed as a finalist in the Sulman Prize, Mosman Art Prize KAAF Art Prize & National Emerging Artist Prizes.
Primarily self-taught, Kean Onn started painting as a hobby in his early 30s and pursued this interest while working full-time.
Kean Onn See was born in Malaysia and now lives and works in Sydney, the land of the Gadigal.
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Commissions
We warmly invite you to contact us about commissioning a personalised artwork by Kean Onn See.
A limited number of commissions are taken each year, please allow a rough guide of 6 months from brief completion to artwork delivery
Central Courtyard
Created for Sarah Birtles Art + Advice, for Affordable Art Fair Singapore, these carved and painted woodblocks by the artist, Kean Onn See, were inspired during a visit to Penang, Malaysia.
The three panels were created together as a whole. Each panel stands alone also, to reflect the characteristics of Peranakan architecture of the late 19th century.
Kean Onn See
Q and A with Kean Onn See
“My life changed when I came across a book, ‘The Woodblock Painting Of Cressida Campbell’. I was spellbound. It completely changed the trajectory of my practice and my life.
I was always drawn to Japanese woodblock prints, but that book that inspired me to carve. And I loved it, I knew I had found my medium.”
-Kean Onn See