Paintings, volumes & drawings

The multidisciplinary artist Tarek was born in 1971 in Paris, France. He studied Medieval History
and History of Art at the Sorbonne university. At the age of 20, he published Paris Tonkar book
which became the first book dedicated to graffiti published in Europe, discipline in which he will
evolve at the beginning of his prolific artistic career. As a complete artist, he also devoted himself to
cartooning, screenwriting for documentaries and fictions in Europe and the United States, and
photography. He even created his magazine devoted to urban art and graffiti "Paris Tonkar
Magazine". He has written nearly seventy comic’s books, some of which have become best-sellers:
Sir Arthur Benton series and Gallic wars ... Some of his books have won twenty prizes in France and
Belgium. His paintings have been exhibited and have joined public and private collections
throughout the world: Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Rennes, Brussels, Montreal, New York, London,
Geneva, Zürich, Hamburg, Venice, Lodz, Prague, Athens, Zagreb, Kribi, Chisinau, São Paulo ...

Tarek has a rating on Artprice since 2014. His paintings have integrated private collections in the
world / Africa: Tunisia, Morocco, Cameroon / Asia: Japan, South Korea, Palestine, Dubai /
America: USA, Canada, Brazil / Europe: France, England, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland,
Andorra, Spain, Ibiza, Greece, Italy, Czech Republic, Portugal, Luxembourg / Oceania: Australia

And collections of museums, cities and companies / France: Viltaïs (Moulins), Ville de Guéret,
Croix-Rouge Française (Paris), Ad Tatum (Paris), Monin (Bourges), Musée MoLA (Paris), ENC
Bessières (Paris), Ville de Pacé, Ville de Moulins, Graff ’art (Saint-Ouen), Street art city (Lurcy-
Lévis), Hôpital La Porte verte (Versailles) / Belgium: Musée Shoes or no Shoes / Tunisia: Havas
Worldwide (Tunis)
Main exhibitions since 1992: The Bridges of Graffiti / Venise, 2015
Gallery Klovicevi Dvori / Zagreb, 2015
Museum of l’éventail / Paris 10e, 2015
No Gallery / Rennes, 2019
Gallery Jed Voras / Paris 13e, 2015
House of city / Quimper, 2019
Castel of Dampierre / Dampierre-sur- Depôt art Gallery / Athènes, 2015, 2017 & 2019
Fondation EDF / Mulhouse, 2015
Boutonne, 2019
Urban art jungle #5 / Villeurbanne, 2019 Gallery La Bohème / Deauville, 2011 et 2015
Station E / Montreuil, 2019 Lavomatik / Paris 13e, 2015 et 2016
Impermanence gallery / Rennes, 2019 Maison Muller / Paris 18e, 2015
Théâtre Royal / Marrakech, 2019
 Gallery Knafo / Paris 13e, 2015
Irios gallery / London, 2019
 Gallery Amarrage / St-Ouen, 2015, 2016 & 2017
Platforms project / Athènes, 2019
 59 Rivoli / Paris, 2014, 2015, 2016 & 2019
Gallery Terrain-Vagh / Paris 6e, 2019 One eye Open Gallery / New York, 2013 & 2014
Galerie BDMC / Paris 15e, 2018 Museum Roger-Quilliot / Clermont-Ferrand, 2014
L’Afrique c’est chic world fest / Dakar, 2018 Alliance Française / Lodz, 2014
L’app’art #4 / Paris 11e, 2018
 French Institut / Prague, 2013
Gallery Lehalle / Paris 8e, 2018
 MeetFactory / Prague, 2013
Art Fair of Saint-Sulpice / Paris 6e, 2018
 Gallery L’art et la nature / Bourges, 2013
Crowne Plaza / Neuilly-sur-Seine, 2018 Alliance Française / Lodz, 2013
Alliance Française / Chisinau, 2017
 Next door Gallery / Geneva, 2013
Gallery Simon&Roth / Paris 3e, 2017 Gallery 35 / Prague, 2013
Gallery Calvanostra / Caen, 2017 Gallery Collectie / Paris 17e, 2013
L’œil ouvert / Paris 10e, 2015 & 2017 Museum of Fine Arts / Lyon, 2013
Gallery Daki / Sao Paulo, 2017 Tanja, street art / Tanger, 2013
Gallery Kvasnevski / Paris 17e, 2016 & 2017 Fine Arts Institut / Athènes, 2013
Sub Galeria / Sao Paulo, 2017 Gallery de l’escalier / Rennes, 2012
Gallery Agnès B. / Paris 2e, 2017 Galerie Juxtapoz / Marseille, 2012
Gallery Superposition / Lyon, 2017 Gallery The Square / Genève, 2012
Gallery Martine Ehmer / Bruxelles, 2017 Gallery Harteloire / Brest, 2011
Gallery Atelier 17 / Moulins, 2015, 2016, Gallery Bleus et originaux / Lyon, 2011
2017 & 2018 Gallery 770 / Paris 5e, 2011
Cultural Center of Waterloo / Waterloo, 2017 Eighty One / Lyon, 2011
Mémorial de la Shoah / Paris 3e, 2017 Gallery Spacejunk / Lyon, 2010
Gallery Ligne 13 / Paris 17e, 2017 La Gallery / Montréal, 2010
Gallery Bar’expo / Rennes, 2016 Gallery Starkart / Zürich, 2010
Gallery 203 / Montréal, 2014 & 2016 Palais of Jacques Cœur / Bourges, 2010
Gallery Kunsthaus an der Alster / Hambourg, Museum of la vie wallonne / Liège, 2009
2015, 2016 & 2017 Gallery of Arts Graphiques / Paris 5e, 2009
Gallery Strokar / Bruxelles, 2016 The Tour Bidoine / Saint Malo, 2008
Veines urbaines / Rouen, 2016 & 2019 Mémorial of Caen / Caen, 2008
Museum of St-Romain-en-Gal / Vienne, 2016 Les champs libres / Rennes, 2007
Gallery P. Gelot / Paris 4e, 2012 & 2017 Église des Jésuites / Alençon, 2006
Gallery JPHT / Paris 3e, 2016 et 2017 Synagogue of Strasbourg / Strasbourg, 2005
Studio Longboard / Hambourg, 2015 & 2016 Syrian Cultural Center / Paris 7e, 2002
Bab’s Gallery / Paris 7e, 2015 French Cultural Center /Damascus, 1997
Gallery Cognac art / Cognac, 2016 Gallery Chapon / Paris 3e, 1992



Mask
Tarek continues the exploration of the
"Mask" that he initiated in 2010. In 2016,
after returning to Cameroon, he customized
masks and canvases. Tarek synthesizes more
than 10 years of research through his
Geometrik paths, which have been in his
works for several years. He associates with it
the universality of the mask and challenges
us: is it only a free form of figurative
naturalism, a symbolic object? A decorative
object? No doubt a plastic creation that
Tarek transfigured into a pictorial work on
canvas or wall echoing parietal art. Perhaps
his research refers to the urban artist,
hidden and anonymous. The mask becomes
its signature as can be a tag. William Buller
Fagg, an African art historian from Nigeria,
had said about the mask "All objects to
which the name" mask "is to be attributed
can be defined in two words: they mask.
This means that they hide or suppress
identity ".
But if the mask hides, then what makes us
discover it in exchange?
 Pop art 2.0
I've been working on Pop art for a very long time. I
am a great lover of Anglo-American and
Amerindian culture: I have been reading comic
books since my childhood (which motivated me to
become a comic book author), graffiti and American
pop culture attracted me rather early!

Tribute to Warhol? Indeed, that is how I envisage it.
This artist captured things and then transcribed them
in emblematic works of the 20th century. Foolish
and trivial things have been transformed into a work
of art with flying colors. Pop art 2.0? Just because
it's a new version ... Mine.


 

Geometrik
This series of paintings is trying to explore all
possibilities of geometric art it to be of
Amerindian inspiration, Arabic, Pythagorean
or postmodern. Most of the works were
painted with acrylic and Posca.

Star wars
Star Wars fan since the age of 7, I wanted to
decline some iconic characters of this
universe with my vision and my way of
painting. This series was a great success from
the presentation of the first canvas.
 

Skulls
I started painting on canvas in the early 90s
with such thematic geometric shapes and
Skulls. But also, I glue regularly skulls on
the walls of the cities where I go … So, I
naturally declined this theme in painting
and drawing. I started painting on canvas in
the early 90s with such thematic geometric
shapes and Skulls. But also, I glue regularly
skulls on the walls of the cities where I go
… So, I naturally declined this theme in
painting and drawing.


Tribal
Tribal series allows me to combine two of my passions in my current pictorial work: the parietal
art and Native American or African primitive art. I chose to decline the figures, symbols, and
concepts that are found in these traditional arts while adding a modern treatment with bright
colors.
 

Mythos
After my first exhibition in Athens in 2015, I began
painting this series called Mythos about the mythologies
that influence our collective unconscious. The paintings in
this series have found a captivated audience and success.
 Indians never die 


The series « Indians never die » allows me to mix my

graphic style with the Amerindians whatsoever in
symbols or portraits. I used acrylic, inks, Posca and
paper collages.


From Gotham
This series of paintings was done after a trip to New York where I exhibited for the second time. On-
site, I realized the live painting and the idea came to me to collect items, papers, stickers and all
kinds of elements found in the streets. Back in France, I painted several paintings by combining
these « small moments of New York » with my imagination. A recurring character appears in several
paintings to create matches. Most of the works were painted with acrylic, inks, the Posca, and
collages.
 Superhero
The superhero universe is part of my daily
life, since I read, as far as I remember, and
later, as comic book writer (Supernain and
Blateman et Bobine) … I realized paintings on
this theme to broaden my series but also,
more or less long term, create artworks from
my comics.



Karactere
This series is devoted mainly for
artworks where the main subject is a
person or a non-human
representation: a totem, a character,
a voodoo god, an African mask, etc
… Most of the pieces were painted
with acrylic, inks and Posca.



Kompozit
This series includes most of my paintings
where I combine collages, material, color and
lettering. Each work tells its own story and
sometimes I create connections between
some. Most pieces were painted with acrylic,
inks, oil, Posca, the bomb and collages.

Writing
This series allows me to mix graffiti and
calligraphy.

 Drawings
I made many drawings to prepare my
painting series and recently I started the
series only on paper and cardboard.
However, the paper is a material that is
right for some of my pictorial desires. To
do this, I use acrylic, but also Posca ink
on paper or canvas with a heavyweight.

Volumes

The volumes I have made in recent years are

elaborate versions of collages that I make in
the street. The idea is to find every time the
most beautiful setting and the best
development of my collages: skull, men at
work and Girls in the city. Most of the pieces
have been painted with acrylic and posca on
various materials: wood, plasterboard, metal,
slate ...
www.tarek-bd.fr