Mark Ashkenazi

Mark exercised his own strength during a three-year spell in the army. He then moved to New York City in his late twenties. There, he found freedom to express himself, and began working as a graphic designer and interior designer professionally. The city’s world-famous cityscape and diverse demographics gave him the opportunity to pursue his passion for photography, too.
By moving to New York City, Mark joins the myriad of Israelis who have emigrated to the Big Apple to seek new opportunities. Already at a first glance, we can see all of his designs to be influenced by the life across the Atlantic. His striking and richly coloured images of The Brooklyn Bridge, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty or Spiderman all scream America. When looking through Mark’s portfolio you also can’t not notice the recurrence of the Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe. “She symbolizes beauty and success story”, says the artist. “I admire people that started at the bottom and reached the very top”.
However, seeing Ashkenazi as an American-inspired artist is to deny the influence of his childhood. When we asked him about the origins of his ‘Bathing Hero’ design (because it’s one of our favorites here!), he explained that the image is a recall of his childhood memories and when he was little he used to play with superhero figures in the bath.
He also dreamed of being a famous singer, perhaps explaining the dramatic quality of the majority of his works.
“Colours put happiness into my life”, said Ashkenazi, and the vivid colourfulness of each of his images certainly translates into an undeniable sense of optimism. His designs are confident, free and refuse confinement, much like New York City itself.’