Born in Iran in 1969, Afshin Naghouni (Ash) immigrated to United Kingdom in 1997 and lives in London where he works as a visual artist.

Considered a child prodigy he started his oil painting training at the age of nine and won a number of regional and national painting competitions by the time he was twelve years old.

Naghouni has exhibited widely in the UK and internationally.

Education: Post Graduate, London Metropolitan University, Sir John Cass Department of Art Media and Design

My paintings and in a way even my nudes reflect and question the social-political landscape of our world. I thrive on impregnating the viewer’s mind and understanding to go ahead and try connecting with the work through experiencing aesthetic qualities beyond the apparent naked form, or to continually reminding them that there is a darker more sinister concept embedded within images which at first glance seem harmless, aesthetically pleasing and even beautiful. To challenge them to discern how deeply into the work they would care to travel.Afshin Naghouni

If I am ever to paint a thorn, I will hide it nicely under a bed of rose petals, and if I am to paint a rose, I will make sure that you will feel how damn sharp its thorns are!Afshin Naghouni