Ellis King is a contemporary British figurative painter based in Norwich, UK. Her work explores the emotional and political realities of womanhood, examining how lived experience is shaped by memory, resilience and systemic inequality.

King returned to painting in 2020 following the premature birth of her son — an experience that profoundly reshaped her understanding of vulnerability, strength and care. What began as a personal grounding practice evolved into a focused exploration of female identity and the often-unspoken dimensions of women’s lives.

Working primarily in portraiture and interior spaces, King balances realism with restrained abstraction. Through considered colour, gesture and surface, she creates psychologically charged paintings that hold tension between fragility and power. Her work invites quiet confrontation, encouraging reflection on the narratives historically imposed upon women’s bodies and lived experience.

Since returning to professional practice in 2020, King has exhibited widely across the UK and built a growing national profile. In 2025, she was shortlisted among the final 22 artists for the Women in Art Prize and awarded the Square Feet Gallery Exhibition Prize. She was previously named one of 100 Emerging Artists by the Arts to Hearts Project (2024) and appeared on Sky Arts’ Portrait Artist of the Year (Series 12). In 2026, she was shortlisted for the Behind the Artist Awards and is preparing for her first solo exhibition in London’s Marylebone.

Her work is held in private collections across the UK, Europe, Canada and the United States.

Ellis King (b. 1989)
Social: @elliskingart
Email: hi@ellisking.co.uk

Press and Publications

2025 – Portrait Artist of the Year Season 12, Sky Arts
2025 – Celebrating daring voices and new perspectives in contemporary art, Luxury London Living
2025 – Artist Interview, “How Ellis King is Exposing the Realities of Modern Womanhood”, Arts To Hearts Projects
2025 – Artist Series Blog with Heath Kane
2025 – Artist Series – Ellis King, by Heath Kane
2022 – Podcast Guest, The Flying Fruit Bowl
2021 – Cover Design & Illustration, The Food Fighters E-Cookbook
2020 – Window Design, Bread Source, Norwich

Art Fairs

2025 – Manchester Art Fair, Manchester
2025 – The Other Art Fair, Truman Brewery, London
2024 – Manchester Art Fair, Manchester
2024 – Affordable Art Fair, with Clifton Fine Art, London
2024 – The Other Art Fair, Truman Brewery, London
2023 – Art Fair East, St Andrews Hall, Norwich

Exhibitions

2026 – Solo, Square Feet Gallery
2026 – Good Things (Come In Small Packages), Prince & Pilgrim, Richmond
2026 – BTA Art Prize, Virtual Exhibition
2025 – ING Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, London
2025 – Female Five Million, BobCat Gallery, London
2025 – Women In Art, Marylebone Gallery
2025 – Silicon Gods, Ministry of Sound, London
2025 – With Heath Kane, Saffron Walden
2024 – Late Summer Exhibition, Holton Lodge Barn
2024 – Thompson’s Annual Exhibition, Thompson’s Gallery, Aldeburgh
2024 – Summer Exhibition, Prince & Pilgrim, Richmond
2022 – Contemporary Art, Brick Lane Gallery, London
2022 – Humans – Strength and Frailty, The Yare Gallery, Great Yarmouth
2022 – New Artist, Boomer Gallery, London
2021 – Nostalgia, The Holy Art, London
2021 – Facade, The Holy Art, London

Awards

2026 – Shortlist, BTA art prize
2025 – Square Feet Gallery Exhibition Prize, Women In Art Prize
2025 – Shortlist (Final 22), Women In Art Prize
2024 – Selected Artist, 100 Emerging Artists, Arts To Hearts Project