Khaled Tirikli

Khaled Tirikli “Abou el hol” is a multidisciplinary Turkish-Syrian artist that works across plenty of mediums, exploring challenging ideas with a contemporary approach. He has accomplished his studies in both Turkey and Syria with a master’s degree in Fine Arts. Khaled is not only an avant-garde artist but is also a proficient writer, as well as an adept researcher in the Arabic letter. Unlimited to the rules of Art nor to the restrictions of society, Khaled openly defies the notions of aesthetics and unprolific patterns of thought in the public.

Towards Art, he has a mystical attitude, creating a union between his ideas, imagination, and materials.

“With everybody of work, I believe that there should be full integration with the art piece, where I, body and soul, become one with the artwork. This is my own process of Sufism, where I disappear as a person in that moment and I get found in the artwork itself.”

Khaled is mainly driven towards questioning the indisputable traditions of society, culture, and religion and how these false understandings of it, have influenced negatively on women in society leading all the way to violate her. Not only does he shed a light on physical cruelty applied to women in the middle east, but he also discusses mental, emotional, and cultural violence. Some of the themes that Khaled has discussed through his works are child marriages, stories of rape, body and period shaming, and all aspects of brutality against women in society. Through his pieces, Khaled works on giving a voice to all women in society, documenting their struggles, and presenting them in positions of leadership and power. With a revolutionary refusal to any type of violence to what and who is considered vulnerable in the community, Khaled creates stunning and intellectually challenging compositions.

With a keen passion for Arabic calligraphy, Khaled Combines the beauty of the female figure with the delicacy of the Arabic letter. Using the letters in their non-traditional compositions and applying them as an inseparable part of the women’s body, Khaled produces complex, vibrant and thought-provoking artworks. 

His techniques and choices of material are within a wide range as he uses an experimental methodology. His major focus though is on creating two-dimensional pieces through various layering. He often uses the techniques of silkscreen printing as well as manual painting. His colors are always vibrant with an interesting play between light and shadow.

Khaled’s work is considered to be an attempt to comprehend the behavioral structure of society and curious research in the human experience itself. His artworks have been exhibited all around the world and his artworks have been part of many prestigious exhibitions, art fairs, and private collections.