Duncan Swann

Duncan Swann (b. 1969, Sheffield) is a British-German painter and sculptor based in Tokyo, with an MA from the Royal College of Art. His work has been shortlisted for the Jerwood Painting Prize and the John Moores Painting Prize, and he has exhibited across Europe, the UK and Japan.

His practice bridges Western abstraction and Eastern aesthetics — building oil surfaces that balance structure with spontaneity, and organic form with architectural order. His recent series *Forbidden Colours* (OAG Tokyo, 2025) reinterprets the Edo-period kinjiki palette to question hierarchy and cultural translation. His new work returns to the figure, placing people within abstracted space in search of what it means to be human.

Studio Kaku handled curation, framing and installation for this exhibition.