Born in Alexandria, Egypt in 1989, Aya Tarek is a painter, street artist and illustrator with an exciting portfolio of diverse art projects, feature films and art collaborations that draws international acclaim in major cities, from Sao Paolo to Frankfurt. Experimentation is at the forefront of Tarek’s current artistic endeavors. Through the use of innovative mediums such as virtual reality and the discovery of fresh forms of studio painting, Tarek seeks to use her experience as an artist to revisit her roots in classical training and push herself in new, unexplored directions. Tarek’s work explores the different interchanges within modes of urban communication and the dynamics of a public space. Using a vibrant, comic-derived aesthetic, and often working through site-specific murals, Tarek aims to trigger a humorous sense of controversy while investigating different ideas pertaining to different public contexts. Tarek has showcased her artwork in various exhibitions and events around the world, includingOmar A Sharif Mural, Antigel Festival, Geneva (2018), Sprezzatura, SOMA Art, Cairo (2018), Aya in America, Portland (2017), Paper Trail, Gypsum Gallery, Cairo (2017), Objects in the Mirror Are Closer than They Appear, SOMA Art, Cairo (2017), the showing of Cairo Man, photogravure print, made in collaboration with Master Printer Tim Baker at the University of South Florida’s Graphic Studio (2016), Afreaka Festival, Sao Paulo (2016), World Premiere of a New Mural by Aya Tarek, USF Contemporary Art Museum, Florida (2015), Urban Art Biennale, Weltkulturerbe Völklinger Hütte, Völklingen (2015), Djerbahood, Itinerrance Gallery, Djerba (2014), Vagabonds Congress, Theatre RMPH, Stuttgart (2014), Cityleaks, Cologne (2013), White Walls, Beirut Art Centre, Beirut (2012), Arabic Graffiti & Egyptian Street Art in Frankfurt, Frankfurt (2012), Ankh Project, ITP Berlin (2011), Graffiti: Style/ History/ Experience, Goethe Institute, Alexandria (2011), Bytes and Pieces, Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah (2011), Shopping Malls, Alexandria Contemporary Art Forum, Alexandria (2010), PICK 4, Townhouse Gallery, Cairo (2009). She is also a recipient of several residencies, including the Cité Internationale des arts de Paris in France, and Artist in Resident Show at the Arnaldo Pomodoro Foundation in Italy.
