Kay Gasei (b. 1991, Zambia) completed a BA with Honours in Illustration Narrative and Sequential at Oxford Brookes (2014). Kay was born in Lusaka, Zambia, and currently lives in London. His work currently focuses on self-reflection, interweaving mythology and recent history with a profound psychological nuance and a critique of cultural capital. Through the use of esoteric details and aesthetic ambiguity, his images aim to evoke a sense of wonder in the viewer and, at the same time, the feeling that the works are watching them. A set of recurring characters and motifs that, taken in isolation, seem modest and rather unremarkable, but which, combined with his exploration of space, color, and texture, seek to tap into a lexicon of subconscious languages from which we can all draw meaning if given a moment.
Solo exhibitions include Black Whimsy with EY Projects, Shanghai, China (2026), Console Rites with Brink Gallery, Notting Hill London (2025); Aporia with Chilli Art Projects, Westminster London (2023); Black Box Series with GoWithYamo, Fitzrovia London (2023); BAM Residency, Paris (2022); EPOCHÉ, Reem Gallery Soho London (2022); Soho House Artist in Resident, Soho Home Kings Road (2021); These Is Love Scenes, BAM Bookshop/Gallery, Shoreditch (2018).
Group exhibitions 1-54 African Art with the Southern Art Hub, Somerset House, London (2026); The Sun & the Moon: Art inspired by the Celestial group show with the Saatchi, London (2026); London Art Fair with the Southern Art Hub, Islington, London (2026); Veil and Vessel duo show, Kay Gasei & Abigail Norris, AGBI, London (2025); In Place of War charity auction, Brian Eno’s Studio, London (2024); How Do We Reconcile? RROWM, Copeland Gallery, London (2024); Soho Art Fayre, Soho House, London (2024); Voices of Black Artistry, Christie’s Lates w/ CasildArt Contemporary, London (2024); Liminality super group show, EY Projects, Beijing, China (2024); The Art Office, London (2023); Affinity Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria (2023); Papier, Delphian Gallery, Ligne, France (2023); Ambivalent Paradox, Omaka Gallery, Vauxhall, London (2023); Skies and Stars (2-man show w/ Craig Keenan), East Art Gallery (2023); Ascension, BSMT Space, Dalston, London (2023); Mythical Landscapes, Rele Gallery, Los Angeles, USA (2023); Sur(face), Chilli Art Projects, Crewe, Cheshire (2023); Kink, East Art Gallery, Hackney Wick, London (2023); The Affordable Art Fair, the Art Friend, Evolution Battersea (2023); Open Studio Auction, The Auction Collective, Online (2023); London Art Fair, Columbia Road Gallery, London Business Centre (2023); Print show, Delphian Gallery x Unit1 Workshop, London (2022); Christie’s x Arms Around the Child Auction, Christie’s (2022); Politics of Charm group show Cicek gallery, Soho London (2022); Burnt Orange group show, Big Yin Gallery, Hastings (2022); The Stories We Tell group show, Chilli Art Projects, Mayfair London (2022); St.Art Gallery group show, Dalston London (2022); Rebirth group show, 99 Projects London, Kensal Rise London (2022); Art N Folly, Art Basel, Miami (2021); Choose Love group show, Soho Revue, Soho London (2021); New Hues of Blackness group show, A Space for Art, Victoria London (2021); Collaboration piece w/ Marcus Aitken for his solo show, Pringle of Scotland, Mayfair London (2021); Awakening group show, Chilli Art Projects, Fitzrovia London (2021); Whelm group show, Leicester Contemporary Gallery, Leicester (2021); The Other Art Fair, Brick Lane London (2021); The Other Art Fair, Kings Cross London (2021); Re-Enchanted Matter group, APT Gallery, Deptford London (2020).
Highlights and Collections his work can be found in prominent public and private collections such as Soho House, Knotted House, Electric Lady Studios and Jackson’s Art Supplies. Furthermore, Kay has been covered by prominent press media such as BBC and featured in Magazines like FAD, Art Plugged and the Berliner Zeitung Newspaper in Germany for the Black History Month.