tarek abbar

Born in Madrid (1976) - to a father from Libya and a mother of Lebanon - at home in the Hokuriku region of Japan.

summary;

a) An early interest in the cartography of aviation, soviet repetition and comic books in languages out of grasp.

b) Drawings of concrete landscapes, portraits of aircraft and stories set to mute.

All works are hand-drawn with ink on various types of paper.

deer head park

Deer Head Park was an old house on the Noto peninsula, Japan. It stood, in various forms, for over 200 years. First as a farm, then home to of a family of potters. Its final incarnation was my home and studio.

Following an earthquake in 2024 it was mortally wounded and torn down.

Its spirit remains, for now, as a website.

washi - japanese paper

The paper used in most of my work is custom-made by Tomi-san. A third-generation master still living in the world of his grandfather, his only concession to modernity was the switch from iron to steel on the heat panel that turns the pulp; from the mulberry, bamboo and cedar of his surrounding forest into washi, Japanese paper. It is paper that is addictive at first stroke, that detests sketch and insists an immediate commitment to ink. Draw timidly and the grain ignores you; press too hard and it is game over. It is paper that will not tolerate mistakes but compensates with its unique absorption of light.