Stephen Keane (b. 1972, Watford) is a London-based painter working in oil, gloss, pastel, charcoal, and spray paint on canvas and paper. He studied in Leeds and Central Saint Martins. His work investigates gesture, rhythm, and the physicality of paint through an intuitive, layered process.
Often working on many paintings simultaneously, Keane begins with energetic brushwork, drips, and bold colour fields, before interrupting them with slower, deliberate marks. Surfaces may be turned, scratched, or restarted entirely, leaving each painting as a visible record of action and revision. While rooted in gestural abstraction, his works carry references to both landscape and the body—spaces that feel immersive, expansive, yet also intimate. Rather than depict, they suggest presence, inviting viewers into shifting terrains where forms remain unsettled and perception unfolds.
WILD, Three Rooms, Walthamstow, London, Group show curated by Stephen Keane - 2025
On Beauty, Pictorem Gallery, London. Group show curated by Gisli Bergmann and Patrick Bryson - 2025
Vice Versa (on tour), Arts University Plymouth. Group show curated by Johanna Melvin - Painting - 2025
Vice Versa, Terrace Gallery at Lea Bridge Library Pavilion, London. Group show curated by Johanna Melvin - Painting - 2025
, Winns Gallery, Aveling Centre, Lloyd Park, London. Group show curated by Stephen Keane - Painting - 2025
A bag of hope... A box of tears. Garage & Terrace present. The Garage Gallery, London. Group show curated by Karl Bielik - Painting - 2025
, London, Group show curated by Stephen Keane - Painting and drawing - 2025
Second Floor Studios CIC, no format Gallery, London, Painting Open - 2024
, No.1 Church Lane Pop Up Leytonstone, London, Group show curated by Stephen Keane - Painting, Sculpture and Photography - 2024
, London, Group show curated by Sara Breinlinger and Stephen Keane - Painting - 2024
, Lea Bridge Library Pavilion, London, Group show curated by Stephen Keane - Painting - 2024
Raw Edges, Dark Yellow Dot, London, Group show - Painting - 2024
VALUE, Barbican Arts Group Trust, London, Group show - Painting - 2024
Unintentional, Madame Lillies, London, Solo Show - Painting - 2010
The Schizophrenic Tenant, Xinacitta Animation Festival, Barcelona - Animation - 2006
Filler, Flash Forward NYC, New York - Installation - 2002
The Sculpted Form, Net Chisel IX Sculpture Biennial, Carrara, Italy - Animation - 2002
ShockArt, BC Bluecheese Factory, Rome, Italy - Installation - 2002
ShockArt, National Gallery of Modern Art of Rome, Italy - Installation - 2001
ShockArt, Art Biennial of Valencia, Spain - Animation (installation by Peter Greenaway) - 2001
GMI, The Foundation for Art & Creative Technology, London - Animation - 1999
La Sala, Barcelona, Spain - Installation - 1996
Kika, Barcelona, Spain - Mural - 1996
4states, Northampton, UK - Group show - Painting - 1993