Street Artist with a knack for producing fantastical and lively creations, Tarek is an avid fan of graffiti.
He also has a hand in making vibrant illustrations and comics which he fills with a plethora of contemporary and interesting characters.
Resounding artistic beginnings
TAREK, whose full name is Tarek Ben Yakhelf, was born in Paris in 1971. Having grown up in an artistic urban world, TAREK invested himself very early on in the art of graffiti and is an active participant to this day.
Having studied history and Art History at the Sorbonne, and keen on Street Art, TAREK published at only 19 years old "Paris Tonkar", the first book in Europe dedicated to graffiti.
This book offers for the very first time an honest representation of graffiti-artists, mentioning their motivations, their artistic approaches as well as the public’s reception to this new cultural phenomenon.
A multi-faceted artist
Tarek quickly switches out his aerosol can for a camera, in order to document this new wave of French Street Art.
At the same time, this talented artist channels his artistic expression in other ways and on other supports, such as comic strips, a field in which he garners a great deal success. But spray cans are never far away: they continue to allow him to leave a an imprint of his time on this Earth on its city walls.
Towards global recognition
Listed and certified on Artprice since 2014, his paintings have made their way into art lovers’ private collections around the world: Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Rennes, Brussels, Montréal, New York, Geneva, Zürich, Hamberg, Venice, Lodz, Prague, Athens, Zagreb, Budapest, Kribi, São Paulo, Dakar…
His pieces have also integrated collections in museums, cities and organisations the world over: Viltaïs (Moulins), Town of Guéret, French Red Cross (Paris), Ad Tatum (Paris), Havas Worldwide (Paris), MoLA Museum (Paris), Graff’art (Saint-Ouen), Street art city (Lurcy-Lévis), La Porte Verte Hospital (Versailles), Shoes or no Shoes museum and Institute of King Albert II (Belgium) aswell as Havas Worldwide (Tunis).
