Kemal Önsoy was born in Sarıidris, Isparta in Turkey in 1954. He received his degree from the Marmara University Faculty of Fine Arts in Istanbul in 1980. Following  his solo 'Rumeli Hani' Exhibition in 1989 in Istanbul, Turkey, Rumeli Hani No.9 and No.10 were featured at the 44th Venice Biennale's Turkish Pavilion.

Önsoy moved to New York City in 1989 and resided in his East Village studio until 1991. After participating in a number of solo and international exhibitions in the 1990s, Önsoy's sculpture Come Cry Through My Eyes was displayed at the Istanbul Biennial in 2001 and the Sao Paulo Biennial in 2002. Launched in 2013, Antrepo Exhibition, featured 150 large-scale paintings of which No.5 was added to Istanbul Modern Museum's permanent collection.