Afshin (Cubitt, 1982-1986) was born in Tehran, Iran and raised all over the world, although primarily in the UK and Canada. He attended Cranleigh Prep school from the age of 10 and was at the senior school until the Lower VIth when his family moved to Canada. He had a difficult time at school, but Cranleigh was a large part of his formative years and there were a lot of good times with great friends who he has caught up with over the years.
After leaving Canada Afshin studied French literature at Reed College in Portland, Oregon in the United States and then moved to Paris where he remained for 22 years.
In Paris Afshin studied fashion and went on to work for various big brands such as Nina Ricci and Christian Lacroix. It was during this time that he created his eponymous fashion label which he showed at New York and London Fashion Weeks for a number of years, dressing the elite of Hollywood and the music world such as Katie Homes, Elizabeth Hurley, Elizabeth Banks, Julia Stiles, Girls Aloud, and Beyonce, among others.
Afshin was always an avid photographer and after moving back to London in 2014 he changed careers, leaving the fashion world for fine arts and portrait photography. His love for animal imagery is often mixed with graphic lines and dots, simple graphics that are capable of expressing extreme emotions, and triggering reflection. His portraiture is unique, surreal and combines the subjects with nature and animal elements.
Using his Afshinland alter ego he took part in his first joint exhibition at The Artful Pelican Gallery in South East London in July 2015.
Lately he has been exploring more of a documentary approach, resulting in his first solo exhibition in Covent Garden in London.
With the title The Wound Is Where The Light Enters You, the exhibition was themed around his recent trips to Kenya with the charity Global Angels, of which he is a global ambassador. Ashfin documented the lives of the local people of Itinyi Valley. His work throws light on their difficulties and shows the evolution as they slowly get outside help.
Recently he has been working on an as yet untitled exhibition on the gentrification of Soho in London. The focus is on the colourful characters that dominate the local scenery and who are still part of the landscape despite the massive changes of recent years. The photos will be qualified with quotes from Persian Poet Rumi who has been a huge influence on Afshin’s career from fashion to photography.
Afshin considers himself lucky to have had a very interesting and full life thus far, one fuelled in particular by his creative talents. He has recently formed a company called the300 with two partners, a collective of complementary creative talents, photography, film making, art, branding, marketing writing and social media, so the future is bright.
