David Ko 高永偉

David Ko (Wing Wai) is an independent artist and art tutor based on the Isle of Dogs, London.

Born in Southern China, David learned to hold a Chinese brush at the age of three when he started to copy Old Master drawings from a Chinese calendar. His parents noticed his precocious artistic abilities but felt constrained from encouraging him – they were still feeling the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution (1966 – 1976) which aimed to purge China of its traditional Arts. They had witnessed many revered artists suffering humiliation during this time and were afraid that their son might experience similar difficulties if he pursued his creative interests.

In the 1980’s David’s family moved to Hong Kong. Here he received a liberal education. He excelled academically but there was no room for art on the curriculum of the prestigious school which he attended. Not wanting to give up his passion, David started teaching himself about Western Art.

David graduated from Hong Kong University with a degree in English Literature. He went on to attend Imperial College London where he gained an MBA. Since then he has worked for a number of prestigious international banks including Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, rising to the position of vice president at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Having enjoyed a successful career in investment banking for over 20 years, David decided to pursue his artistic journey in 2017. He is exploring combining traditional Chinese brush painting techniques with Western styles and media.

As well as making paintings, David also undertakes Interior Design projects. He offers private lessons on art for beginner/children, modern and traditional Chinese brush painting and calligraphy. He also teaches Chinese language privately and at Idea Sore Canary Wharf.