John Abell

Born in 1986, John Abell is a visionary Welsh artist known for his bold woodblock prints and vividly coloured watercolour paintings that explore the rawest dimensions of the human experience; life, love, lust, loss, and survival. Based in Wales, Abell studied at Camberwell College of Art, but his creative path has been anything but conventional.

John's early life was marked by instability, homeless between the ages of 15 and 25, he navigated a broken system and struggled with addiction. Art became a lifeline, a means of survival and reflection. He eventually made his own way, living aboard a tall ship for several years, travelling ancient trade routes and witnessing the world from shifting vantage points. These formative experiences continue to shape his worldview and his work.

His imagery is deeply emotive and often laced with gallows humour, capturing the contradictions and chaos of what it means to be human.

John's commitment to honesty in his work, unmediated by theory or art-world pretension, is central to his process. His prints and publications are held in major private and public collections worldwide, including the V&A, the British Museum, the National Museum of Wales, the National Libraries of Australia and Canada, and Columbia University Library in New York.