Ashwan was born in 1971 in Liverpool, United Kingdom.
He lives and works in Barcelona, Spain.
The British artist Ashwan has lived and worked in Barcelona for many years. After studying fine arts, especially classical painting, in Newcastle and at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (USA), the artist developed his own style – strongly influenced by street art and hip hop music.
Ashwan often combines different media in his series of works and combines street art methods with classic art history techniques. In his current works, on canvas and paper, he refers to the palimpsest technique. In ancient times and later in the Middle Ages, there was still a great shortage of writing materials. In order to be able to write on paper or papyrus several times, the recipient erased the message after receiving it in order to use the writing surface for the reply. However, this always left behind pale residues of the erased text, so that after frequent use, during which the paper was turned over each time, the surface had several layers of pale residues. The artist uses this antique technique. Using spray paint, gold, aluminum and copper leaf, he creates works with multi-layered lines of text taken from the titles or verses of classic hip-hop songs.
Bachelor (with honors) from the University of Northumbria, Newcastle, United Kingdom
Master of Fine Arts from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, USA
UNTITLED, double solo show with Jeremy Holmes, Galerie Isabelle Lesmeister, Regensburg, Germany
Today Was A Good Day, Galerie Isabelle Lesmeister, Regensburg, Germany
Sample Culture, BienCuadrado Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
I Like The Way You Talk, Galerie Isabelle Lesmeister, Regensburg, Germany
Used To Do It Out In The Park, BienCuadrado, Barcelona, Spain
Swab, Art Fair, 3 Punts Galeria, Barcelona, Spain
Palimpsest, Zap, Liverpool, United Kingdom
Art Madrid, 3 Punts Galeria, Madrid, Spain
Art Karlsruhe 2014, 3 Punts Galeria, Karlsruhe, Germany
Royal College of Art, London, United Kingdom
London Elephant Parade, London, United Kingdom
Dukes Oak, Cheshire, United Kingdom
Loop Festival, Video Art, Barcelona, Spain
Firbob and Peacok, Knutsford, United Kingdom
Videoakt, Video Festival, BerlÃn, Germany
MIND MAPS, Galerie Isabelle Lesmeister, Regensburg
DOGGED, BienCuadrado Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
Interruption, with Nico Sawatzki, Galerie Isabelle Lesmeister, Regensburg, Germany
Sprayed, with Katharina Grosse and Nico Sawatzki, Galerie Isabelle Lesmeister, Regensburg, Germany
Urvanity, BienCuadrado, Madrid, Spain
Same Same but Different, with Robert Longo, A.R. Penck, Alex Katz and others, Galerie Isabelle Lesmeister, Regensburg, Germany
Art Milan, 3Punts Galeria, Milano, Italy
Xerxes Fine Art, 2 Man Show, London, United Kingdom
Bites of Future, 3 Punts Galeria. Barcelona, Spain
Abnormal Activity, 3 Punts Galeria. Barcelona, Spain
A Rich Stash, A Nova Incredible. Believe Inn, Chicago, USA
Dukes Oak, Cheshire, United Kingdom