Tarek Elkassouf

What Tarek Elkassouf does

Tarek Elkassouf is a multidisciplinary artist and sculptor operating as a sole practitioner from Abu Dhabi, UAE. A Lebanese-Australian national, the artist produces hand-carved stone sculptures and fine art drawings grounded in the ancient craft traditions of the SWANA region, explicitly positioning the practice as one of 'tools, touch, and time' inherited from generations of master craftsmen. The signature methodology, 'Revealing Through Stone,' frames sculpture as a process of exposing what is already present within the material rather than additive or subtractive carving.

Name

Tarek Elkassouf

Legal name

Tarek Elkassouf

Website

https://tarekelkassouf.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tarek Elkassouf is a Lebanese-Australian multidisciplinary artist and sole-practitioner sculptor based in Abu Dhabi, producing hand-carved stone sculptures (limestone, basalt, Carrara marble, lava stone, 22k gold leaf) and ink drawings for cultural institutions, public art commissions, and international galleries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Sculpture

NAICS

Cut Stone and Stone Product Manufacturing (327991)

SIC

Cut Stone & Stone Products (3281)

akta.pro primary industry

Other Dimension Stone (Slate, Sandstone, Quartzite, Travertine) Quarrying & Fabrication (IMAKAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Marble Quarrying & Dimension Stone Fabrication (IMAKAHAE)

Keywords

• Contemporary stone sculpture
• Fine art drawings
• Public art installations
• Art gallery exhibitions
• Sculpture commissions

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Artwork Sales: Sale of sculptures and fine art drawings through gallery representation and direct sales at art fairs
2. Public Art Commissions: Large-scale public art installations commissioned by institutions, developers, and cultural organizations
3. Book Sales: Sale of published books documenting artistic body of work, such as 'The Future is Near' documenting the 50-piece grief series

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Tarek Elkassouf is an individual multidisciplinary artist who creates hand-carved stone sculptures using limestone, basalt, Carrara marble, and lava stone finished with 22k gold leaf, alongside fine art ink-on-paper drawings and large-scale public art installations. The practice sells individual sculptures, drawing series, and published art books through gallery representation, art fairs, and direct institutional commissions for cultural institutions, museums, airports, and real estate developers.

Product overview

Tarek Elkassouf is a multidisciplinary artist and sculptor offering a diverse portfolio of artistic works and services. The core offerings include monumental stone sculptures (in limestone, basalt, Carrara marble, and lava stone), fine art drawings (ink on paper, leporellos), and large-scale public art installations. Key sculpture series include Questions, Attachments, Fragments, Breakthrough, Intersection, Making the Invisible Visible, Transformative Energy, Where Are You From?, The Mind, Denial, The Gate, Life of a Cube, and Boundaries. Drawing series include Letters and Ink on Paper, Gold on Paper, Ink on Paper, State of Being, Inter-Connection, and Etudes. The artist also creates commissioned works for cultural institutions and public spaces, and has published art books. Works are exhibited at international galleries and museums including Seoul Museum of Art, Bassam Freiha Art Foundation, and Saleh Barakat Gallery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Questions Sculpture Series Sculptural series in Bianco Carrara marble exploring the void and presence, examining the silence between words and sounds through minimalist geometric forms.
• Attachments Sculpture Series Sculptures in limestone and 22ct gold leaf exploring the tension between holding on and letting go, examining the space between connection and separation.
• Fragments Sculpture Series Conceptual sculptures in Bianco Carrara and 22ct gold leaf exploring how nothing is truly lost but reshaped into new forms during the sculpting process.
• Breakthrough Sculpture A large-scale sculpture in Bianco Carrara and basalt (170x75x55 cm) representing the breakthrough in grief where hope is created, transitioning from introvert to extrovert.
• Intersection Sculpture Series Sculptures in limestone, basalt, Bianco Carrara, and 22ct gold leaf exploring balance and harmony in complex connections, with pieces in two series spanning AA through HH.
• Transformative Energy Public Art Installation A public art installation of six stone pillars in basalt and limestone (40x40x320 cm) representing perpetual motion and infinite energy.
• Where Are You From? Installation A large-scale installation in basalt, 22ct gold leaf, and biodegradable PLA (280x820x15 cm, 234 pieces) exploring identity, belonging, and shared grief through hand-carved lava stone bricks.
• Boundaries Installation A large-scale public art installation of 29 hand-carved limestone sculptures adorned with 22k gold leaf, exploring how perceptions are influenced by perceived boundaries.
• Yalla Tnam Sculpture Copper sculpture commissioned for Institut Du Monde Arabe, a poetic reflection on Beirut's tragic descent into absurdity honoring children lost in the August 4 explosion.
• The Gate Sculpture Sculpture in Beige Royale and 22ct gold leaf (160x245x225 cm) representing transition and travel, composed of 18 pieces finding balance before departure or arrival.
• The Mind Sculpture Sculpture in Bianco Carrara, basalt, and 22ct gold leaf (150x150x2 cm) exploring the duality of day and night, detachment and turmoil, through circular forms.
• Denial Sculpture Large-scale sculpture (440x110x145 cm) representing the beginning of the emotional journey through grief, exploring cuts of stone as the sculptor's language.
• Life of a Cube Artwork Four-panel artwork (90x90x2 cm each) in basalt, Carrara marble, mirrored stainless steel, brushed stainless steel, and gold leaf exploring the cube as shadow, light, and mirror.
• Change the Date Artwork Gold-plated metal and enamel artwork (15x15x0.2 cm) exploring Australia's divisive January 26 date and its meaning for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
• The Future Is Near Exhibition Series A 50-piece body of work taking observers through the five stages of grief, exploring humanity's most intimate, primal response to loss with realist optimism.
• The Future Is Near Book A published book chronicling the 50-piece body of work guiding viewers through grief, celebrating the profound journey of grief and adaptation through art.
• Letters and Ink on Paper Drawing Series Contemporary ink drawings exploring the space between text and form, sculpting perception of what's visible, hidden, and what lies beneath.
• Gold on Paper Drawing Series Minimalist fine art drawings featuring 22k gold leaf and precise line work, serving as a tribute to the ongoing process of creation.
• Ink on Paper Drawing Series Drawings exploring territories of potential through ink on paper with cutouts and gildings, creating windows taking viewers inside/outside the paper surface.
• The Void Sculpture Sculpture exhibited at Abu Dhabi Art in 2023 where light sculpts the sculpture, turning the invisible into reflections and exploring the void as the work itself.
• Lines from Letters Exhibition Exhibition of fine art drawings and leporellos featuring ink on paper, cutouts, and 22k gold leaf gilding, examining early concepts in writings and drawings.
• Making the Invisible Visible Sculpture Series Wall-mounted sculptures in Bianco Carrara, basalt, and 22ct gold leaf in two parts (I and II) exploring how the square attempts to expand and how people crave the hidden details, with the second part exploring metamorphosis where the square no longer physically exists.

Quantifiable outcome

• Exhibited at multiple international cultural institutions including Institute of Arab World (France), Seoul Museum of Art (South Korea), Bassam Freiha Foundation (UAE), and Ithra (Saudi Arabia)

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Selected by ADMAF for Proximities exhibition at Seoul Museum of Art, featuring 'Where Are You From?' installation in lava stone and 22k gold leaf exploring themes of home and identity.
• Abu Dhabi ArtcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Annual participation in Abu Dhabi Art fair with solo exhibitions including 'Questions' and 'The Void' sculpture series.
• Art DubaicoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2025Exhibition of 'Attachments' series at Art Dubai, featuring hand-carved limestone and 22k gold leaf sculptures.
• Bassam Freiha Art FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Multiple exhibitions including 'Boundaries' (29 hand-carved limestone sculptures) and 'Lines from Letters' exhibition at the Saadiyat Cultural District venue.
• Jubail IslandmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Record-breaking public art installation 'Transformative Energy' - the first permanent sculpture of the Jubail Public Art Programme, featuring six limestone and basalt pillars.
• Saleh Barakat GallerycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2023Primary gallery representation in Beirut, hosting solo exhibitions including 'The Future Is Near' and 'Fragments', and book launch for 'The Future Is Near' publication.
• Institut du Monde ArabemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021Commissioned sculpture 'Yalla Tnam' for the Institute of Arab World in Paris, honoring children lost in the Beirut explosion through copper sculptural installation.
• ADMAF (Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerSelection partner for international exhibitions including Seoul Museum of Art Proximities, providing institutional backing and curation support.
• Gaf & CominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned 'The Gate' sculpture for Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, a final moment before departure or arrival.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tony Cragg: British-German sculptor working in bronze, stone, and found materials with a major catalogue of monumental sculpture. Overlaps in material exploration and large-scale public sculpture production.
• Lee Ufan: Korean-Japanese sculptor and Mono-ha artist known for minimalist stone and steel installations at major museums and art parks. Comparable in contemplative stone work and international museum presence.
• Jaume Plensa: Spanish sculptor renowned for monumental stone and metal figurative works installed in public spaces worldwide. Comparable to Tarek Elkassouf in delivering large-scale public sculpture commissions to cultural districts and developers.
• Antony Gormley: British sculptor producing monumental stone and iron works for urban and institutional settings. Comparable in leveraging craft traditions and bodily/architectural forms for permanent public commissions.
• Bernar Venet: French conceptual sculptor producing monumental steel and mathematical-form works for permanent public art programs. Comparable in scale of ambition and museum-grade public art commissions.
• Shirazeh Houshiary: Iranian-British sculptor working in stone and minimalist forms with major institutional exhibitions. Comparable in cultural hybridity (SWANA/Iranian background) and minimalist stone vocabulary.
• Anish Kapoor: British-Indian sculptor working in stone, pigment, and reflective materials with major permanent public art installations globally. Direct overlap in scale, material ambition, and institutional commissioning.

Broad incumbents

• Richard Serra: American sculptor known for monumental steel installations in public spaces. Overlaps in producing signature permanent public commissions for cultural districts, though his primary material is steel rather than stone.

Regional players

• Wael Al Awar: Lebanese architect and artist working between Dubai and Beirut with cultural-identity themes. Comparable as a Lebanese-origin creative operating in the Gulf cultural commissioning ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Rachid Koraïchi: Algerian contemporary artist with strong cultural and diasporic themes, exhibited at major international biennials. Comparable in cultural storytelling and SWANA-rooted visual language, though his primary medium is textile and embroidery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tarekelkassouf
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZqkoKW-bLy0GenMIuLdOtQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/TarekKassouf
• Instagraminstagram.com/tarekelkassouf
• Pinterestpinterest.com/tarekelkassoufstudio
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tarek-elkassouf-studio

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Tarek Elkassouf