He uses his own photographs as the source for his paintings but he does not regard himself as a photorealist.
"My work is ephemeral and that relates to photography, the funereal aspect of photography, capturing that frozen moment," he said.
He applies paint using an airbrush to create every detail. From a distance the images are sharply defined, but close-up they are made up of abstract forms.
Catherine Bromley, spokeswoman for the National Portrait Gallery, said: "You could see it as a departure for us but we always push to represent new work, of which this is a good example.
"When you come into the contemporary gallery you see Zoe in front of you and it's a huge canvas. It really is a very bold statement. I think people will be quite surprised and, hopefully, quite impressed."
