Shaffoceans
Born and raised in Male’ City, Ahmed Shaffan made his mark in the Maldivian art scene as Shaffocean with his vivid brush strokes. Known for his signature pop-inspired portraits and art reflecting both wonder and concern for his natural and social landscape, the contemporary artist’s drive and passion became evident early on by the number of art he produced and sold. From early childhood he found synchronicity as art interweaved at curial moments of his life. A self-taught artist, he sold his first art piece at the young age of 16 as he worked his way up from an intern at a souvenir production gallery, to becoming the Owner and Creative Director of Go Big Maldives- a lucrative Wedding & Event Design Company in 2009. His humble background helped him master the dedication and drive needed to learn different artistic mediums that he wanted to explore; from watercolors, acrylics, digital art and screen-printing to airbrushing large scale murals. He defines his biggest achievement to be the relationships that saw him through the years; family and friends; mentors and benefactors who all helped shape him to be the artist he is today. Shaffan has successfully exhibited in both local and international platforms and is a sought after artist by the Hotel and Resort industry of Maldives, some of his biggest commissioned pieces can be found at the Hard Rock Hotel in Crossroads Maldives. Actively involved in building the art community in Maldives, Shaffan continues to inspire aspiring young artists as the 2019 elected chairperson for MAC (Maldivian Artists Community) and as a board member of the NGO- Fine Arts Association Maldives. Always moving forward and experimenting with new artistic mediums, Shaffan continues to grow both as an artist and entrepreneur, as he creatively merges his logical sensibility with his artistic talents.
