Elaine Woo MacGregor

b. 1981, United Kingdom

"I am an expressive cross-cultural painter trained in the Glasgow School of Art 1999 - 2003. Rhythmic calligraphic brushstrokes, exacting moments of drawing, suggestive mark-making that bridges between figuration and abstraction, eclectic colour palette and painterly techniques of surface play all features strongly in my work. My painted stories and memories are of people based on my personal experiences and experiences of others found in books, films, fashion and photography. Painting for me is a voyage of discovery and a sensation felt. I want my viewers to peer through layers of paint, dapples of colour and a smudge of a mark to enter an alternative reality." – Elaine Woo MacGregor

MacGregor’s artistry offers a unique perspective, encompassing a fusion of cultures. Through her eclectic use of mark making and imagery, she weaves together atmospheric and theatrical narratives. While her painted stories may often be fictitious, they are rooted in real people, places, and objects.

Elaine Woo MacGregor is a Scottish-born, Chinese artist who trained at the Glasgow School of Art. She graduated in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree with honours, acquired a studio and began working as a full-time artist.

MacGregor’s first solo exhibition was Portraits in Glasgow. Recent exhibitions include her solo exhibition Maman et Muses’ Patriothall Gallery, Edinburgh (2023), Art on a Postcard, Fitzrovia Gallery, London (2023), Women in Art Fair, Mall Galleries, London (2023), ING Discerning Eye, Mall Galleries, London (2023), Art Miami, USA (2023), Expo Chicago, USA (2023) Young Masters Autumn Exhibition, London (2022) and The British Art Fair, Saatchi Gallery, London (2022 & 2023). Notably, MacGregor was selected for Platform 2023 at the London Art Fair in Reframing the Muse, an exhibition curated by Ruth Millington, showing with The Cynthia Corbett Gallery.

MacGregor's work has been critically recognised by virtue of the Dewar Arts Award, James Torrance Memorial Award, Hope Scott Trust Award and the Cross Trust Fund. In 2022, she was a finalist in the Jackson's Painting Prize, received the Art Paisley Prize for outstanding work, and Velvet Easel Award. In 2023, she was awarded the RSA Blackadder Houston Mid-Career Travel Award. She will be travelling to Hong Kong and Shanghai for art research in 2024.

Artist Residencies include Visiting Artist and Lecturer in Guizhou Art Academy, China in 2008, and Artist in Residence with Partial Fellowship Award in Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, USA in 2009.

Woo MacGregor’s work is in British and international museum collections including Atkinson Art Gallery and Museum, UK, Art Gallery of South Australia, and 21C Museum and Hotel, USA, Rudolph Blume Foundation, Houston, Texas, and Didrichsen Art Museum, Helskinki, Finland.