Ashkan Sanei, a painter and university lecturer, was born in Urmia in 1984. He completed his bachelor's degree in painting at Islamic Azad University. His student days and presence in Isfahan marked a fruitful beginning for him. In 2004, he won the first prize in the fourth annual competition of Isfahan contemporary painting. The following year, his works were displayed in a group exhibition at the Isfahan Museum of Contemporary Arts. In 2016, he won the honorary award of the third festival of experimental visual arts. Also, his paintings were displayed in a group exhibition at Tehran's Museum of Contemporary Arts due to his participation in the experimental arts festival. It was in 2008 that he finished his bachelor's degree in painting and entered Tehran Azad University to continue his studies and received his master's degree in painting from this university. The first solo exhibition of this artist was held in Tehran's Hour Gallery in 2011. The first international appearance of this artist took place in Dubai in 2014 through the Allies project. The same year, he participated in another group exhibition titled "Good News from Iran'' at Frank Peaches Gallery in Geneva. Sanei has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions. His artworks have been showcased in the art centers of Beijing, Germany, Shanghai, Turin, and Basel. He has received a residency at the Qingyuan International Center of China. Also, his works have participated in Artissima Artfair and Paper Positions Artfair. Until August 2022, Sanei's works have been offered five times in different Bonhams auctions.
Sanei follows an abstract approach in his paintings. Panels that are based on the motif and rhythm of textures and lines. He has a designer spirit in working with paints, Abstract works that were created over time with his more significant focus on design. In some of his works, the strokes take on a dynamic and expressive character; in others, they sit on the work's surface neutrally and calmly. The limited color palette and black and white lines are distinctive features of Sanei's works. Minimalism and the limitation of colors in his paintings are reminiscent of the works of artists such as Cy Twombly.