1 Hour With Tarik

I spent an unforgettable hour with Tarik, riding through his hometown and glimpsing the vibrant world inside his mind. Tarik’s creativity is relentless, a constant need to express something greater than himself. His art feels like a conduit to a larger truth. I watched, captivated, as he drew intricate designs on a piece of cardboard, then hung it boldly from a bin—a striking act that turned trash into treasure. Moments later, he spotted an old metal sheet in a pile of rubbish and, with frenetic energy, painted it before I even registered what was happening. In that same heap, Tarik uncovered containers of discarded paint, which he eagerly took home. Those finds sparked a new series of paintings, each one brimming with his unstoppable vision.

The ideas pour out of him, a torrent that’s exhilarating yet hard to keep pace with. His mind leaps from one creation to the next. At one point, Tarik’s thoughts drifted to a different realm, and he penned a powerful quote that lingered in the air, heavy with meaning. To me, an artist is defined by the message in their work, and Tarik’s art is profoundly moving, each piece a window into his soul. I could spend hours with him, swept up in the unpredictable journey of his imagination—a rush of excitement and adrenaline.

One moment stood out as particularly beautiful: Tarik, with a can of spray paint, crafted a simple love heart on a weathered piece of wood buried in the rubbish. That small act captured the essence of his gift—finding beauty in the forgotten and breathing life into the discarded. It was a reminder that, through his eyes, everything holds potential for wonder.

Photos/write up by Claye Harnett