
TAREK ELKASSOUF
ARTIST
TAREK
ELKASSOUF
MY WORK IS ABOUT THE RAW ENERGY EXTRACTED FROM THE HEART OF THE EARTH, CRAFTED BY THE WORK OF HANDS, CUT AND FASHIONED WITH PASSION, ROUGHNESS REMOVED, INEQUALITY POLISHED AWAY. IT IS AN ODE TO BEAUTY, AN ODE TO THE MATERIAL.
TAREK ELKASSOUF IS AN ARTIST BASED BETWEEN BEIRUT AND SYDNEY. ELKASSOUF'S STUDIO SPECIALISES IN EXPRESSING CONTEMPORARY ART, CRAFTED USING PRECISE AND TRADITIONAL CRAFTSMANSHIP HANDED DOWN OVER HUNDREDS OF YEARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST. HIS LANGUAGE EXPLORES THE DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE MAN AND THE MACHINE. ​
"I SEE BEAUTY IN EXAMINING THE DETAILS OF THE MUNDANE. THE QUALITIES YOU WOULD OTHERWISE MISS. THE MUNDANE IS SURPRISING. I WANT PEOPLE TO STOP AND OBSERVE AND ABSORB, AND CELEBRATE IT. THEN CONTINUE ON THEIR DAY, WITH THEIR LIFE HAVING BEEN ENRICHED, AND WITH A CHANGED PERCEPTION OF THE WORLD".
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IN 2018 ELKASSOUF WAS THE SELECTED RESIDENT ARTIST AT THE SWATCH ART GALLERY IN SHANGHAI. AND HE HAS COLLABORATED WITH INTERNATIONAL BRANDS LIKE CARTIER. ELKASSOUF'S WORK HAS BEEN COMMISSIONED BY INTERNATIONAL MUSEUMS SUCH AS THE INSTITUTE OF THE ARAB WORLD IN FRANCE, AND ITHRA IN SAUDI ARABIA. AND IT HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE MUSEUMS OF FRANCE.
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ELKASSOUF'S WORK HAS BEEN FEATURED AT MORE THAN 20 INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS, AND IS REPRESENTED IN GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, ASIA, AMERICA AND EUROPE. HIS WORK IS PRESENT IN BEIRUT, KUWAIT, DUBAI, PARIS, SHANGHAI, NEW YORK, SINGAPORE, RIYADH, MADRID, FRIBOURG, TORONTO, HONG KONG, LONDON, BANGKOK, MUNICH.