Preslav Kostov b. 1998, Bulgaria | Lives and works in London, UK

Preslav Kostov is a London based painter and draughtsman whose work engages with the intricacies of identity and the immigrant experience. Employing the technique of automatism, Kostov’s paintings emerge from a cumulative process of self-questioning.

Kostov's imposing compositions dialog with the form and palette of the old master painters, presenting imagined scenes of personal struggle situated within a liminal realm. His works speak to the enduring reality of human experience while rejecting association with any particular moment in time.

Presenting anonymous ghost-like figures unconnected to any singular narrative or experience, his subjects inhabit a realm untethered from worldly possessions or cultural signifiers. The tangled forms, with their alluring asymmetry, evoke a melancholic isolation inviting the viewer to contemplate the complexities of the human condition.

He is a recipient of The Elizabeth Greenshields Award (2021 & 2023) and an elected member of The Contemporary British Portrait Painters Society.​​​​​​​