Swedish painter and artist Jwan Yosef was born in Syria and is currently residing in London. His plastic art is very renowned. His work entails a fresh perspective and a novel approach to composition that is distinct and innovative, entirely unlike the customary, well-worn techniques. Having been raised in Sweden after being born in Syria, he displayed artistic tendencies from an early age. Yosef graduated with a fine arts degree from Konstfack University in Stockholm and went on to Central Saint Martins in London to get a master’s degree in fine arts. He took part in a number of group exhibitions at several locations, such as Vienna, Prague, London, Dallas, and Los Angeles, after starting at Konstfack. In 2013 and 2016, he staged two solo exhibitions: “Painting about Sex, Flesh, and Violence” and “High Notes,” and “Masked” in 2016. Yosef holds a studio at “The Bomb Factory Art Foundation” and is one of its founding members. He creates a transitional space between paintings and sculptures in some of his works. Ricky Martin is a singer from Puerto Rico, and Yosef is openly homosexual.
Early Life & Childhood of Jwan Yosef
On September 6, 1984, Yosef was born in Ras al-Ayn, which is located in northern Syria. Given that his mother is an Armenian Christian and his father, Ahmad Yosef, is a Syrian Kurd, he is of mixed Kurdish and Armenian ancestry. His parents practiced different religions. Yosef’s family moved to Sweden from Syria when he was two years old. “Jwan” means “beautiful, young” in Syrian.
Yosef claims that he has painted since he was a young child. He studied painting at Stockholm’s “Pernby School of Painting” from 2004 to 2006. He graduated from Stockholm’s Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts, and Design in 2009. He graduated with an MA in Fine Arts at London’s “Central Saint Martins” in 2011.
Career of Jwan Yosef
Following his graduation from “Central Saint Martins,” Yosef began searching for a studio. He put in a lot of effort, and his efforts was noticed. He took part in several international exhibitions, which opened up more job opportunities for him.
During his early years, he took part in a number of group exhibitions, particularly at the Konstfack in Stockholm. “Life Is Elsewhere,” London (2011), “Some Catch,” London (2012), “Journey to the Centre of My Mind,” Madrid (2013), “Faceless,” Brussels (2015), “Re:Define,” Dallas (2015), “Tillstand,” Karlstad (2016), “Lounge,” Stockholm (2016, 2017), and “Over the Rainbow,” Los Angeles (2017) are a few of the group exhibitions in which he participated in later years.
He says he was inspired by the artwork of Neo Rauch, Gerhard Richter, and Jaan Toomik, but he draws inspiration for his own work from relationships, experiences, and commonplace objects. He primarily works with oil on Perspex, but he also does canvas work.
His first solo show, “Painting about Sex, Flesh, and Violence, lol,” took place at the “Divus Gallery” in London in 2013. In the same year, Stockholm’s “Galleri Anna Thulin” hosted his second solo show, “High Notes.” “Masked,” his third solo show, opened at “Stene Projects” in Stockholm on November 10, 2016.
Yosef participated in the group show “There and Back Again” in 2015 alongside artists Nastasja Loutchko, Petr Davydtchenka, and Josef Bull. Yosef is a founding member and studio holder of “The Bomb Factory Art Foundation,” a brand-new modern artist studio located in Archway, North London, that opened its doors in early 2015.
Yosef will have four solo exhibitions in the fall of 2018. He has concentrated on three different people for these shows: his own father, Ahmad Yosef, Syrian tyrant Hafez al-Assad, and actor Rock Hudson. He has chosen suitable titles from Rock Hudson films in order to give the concerts a unifying theme.
Honors & Accomplishments of Jwan Yosef
Two honors were bestowed upon him in 2013 for his artwork: the BEERS Contemporary Award for “Emerging Art” and the Columbia Threadneedle Prize.
Individual Life of Jwan Yosef
Yosef is well-liked on Instagram, a social media network. He enjoys reading books and eating a lot.
Yosef is gay in public. He has been dating Ricky Martin, a Puerto Rican singer, actor, and book, since 2016. A 2016 red carpet outing served as confirmation of their romance. The two also went to the “Inspiring Gala by amFAR (The Foundation of AIDS Research)” in São Paolo, Brazil. In an appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” Yosef revealed his engagement to the singer. After being married in 2017, the couple now shares a home with Martin’s surrogate twins, Valentino and Matteo.
Net worth of Jwan Yosef
The estimated net worth of Jwan Yosef is about $1 million.