Bio

Tarek Ben Yakhlef - Tarek - a multidisciplinary artist (b. 1971) lives and works in his workshop in Rennes (France).

He is a member of the Maison des artistes, La Charte des Auteurs, the professional authors' league, and the ADAGP (Association for the diffusion of graphics and fine arts).

At 19 years old, he barely graduated from the Sorbonne in medieval history and art history, and while he has been working in the world of graffiti for some time, Tarek releases Paris Tonkar, the first art book dedicated to graffiti published in Europe. He exhibited his first paintings one year later, in 1992 during the Paris Graffiti exhibition. He is also recognized in the world of comics, he has written numerous scenarios for several French publishers.

For more than 20 years, Tarek has been exploring and working on several mediums, from painting to comics, including photography, video, and calligraphy. Concerning his paintings, the artist draws his inspiration from his surroundings, his readings, and his encounters with other artists, his travels, or simply the streets where he walks. Tribal masks, advertising posters, or even spray paint sometimes are used as supports in his pictorial experiments. He has also shown his talent in urban performances at festivals dedicated to this culture and in residences where he has produced in-situ murals.

Tarek's paintings have been exhibited worldwide, in France, Belgium, Canada, the United States of America, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Greece, Cameroon, and many other countries. His artworks can be found in several private and public collections. He even created his magazine dedicated to urban art: “Paris Tonkar Magazine”. As for his work in comics, he has won numerous awards.

He has been listed on Artprice since 2014 and his paintings have integrated the collections of several art lovers around the world and the collections of museums, cities, and societies.