Ivan Asem
Art

Green Wink

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A change of palette gives this playful face a different kind of energy. Olive shadows settle around sharp greens, making the familiar pose feel cooler and more curious.

Frostline

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The eyes hold steady while pale blue hair moves around the face like a current. Frostline balances the coolness of its colours with a striking human presence.

Yellow Dare

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Yellow Dare catches its subject mid-play, with a bright backdrop and loose curls amplifying the joke. Fine lines bring just enough precision to a pose that refuses to sit still.

Tidal

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Blue strands sweep across the composition like water in motion. A small illustrated fish appears among them, turning the portrait into a fleeting meeting of person and ocean.

Rose in Progress

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A rose rests by the shoulder while teal hair and fine marks give the figure her shape. The open spaces and sweeping white strokes let the making of the image remain visible.

Sunward

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Warm ochres bring light to the subject’s profile, while small botanical details soften its sculptural lines. Her gaze rises beyond the frame, giving the still pose a sense of direction.

Digital & Traditional Artist

Ivan Asem is a South Africa–based artist working across oil, gouache and watercolour. His current practice centres on portraiture and an interest in how people see and interpret one another. Alongside individual portraits, he is developing The Soil, an ongoing series examining the assumptions we form through the objects people carry.

Featured Collection

A study of individuality through colour, expression and the human form.

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Bird of Paradise

Bird of Paradise

Bird of Paradise