Tarık Töre explores the structure of the mind and collective memory by incorporating symbols of popular culture as well as scenes from art history into his works. For him, painting serves as a medium where the images accumulated in his personal memory are expressed, sometimes spontaneously, sometimes deliberately. Consequently, the surreal combinations in his compositions reflect both his own memory and that of the era he lives in. Töre likens his chaotic compositions to a wall scribbled and graffitied without concern, playing with perceptions of time and space while simultaneously opening a door from the personal to the universal.
Töre challenges the linear conception of time in modernity, instead establishing a relative relationship between time and space in his works. The anachronistic placement of figures in his paintings evokes a sense of incompleteness, compelling the viewer to engage in a dynamic process of following the narrative. Töre’s rich color palette and eclectic compositions create a collage effect by blending realistic figures with cartoonish, exaggerated, and playful elements. This fusion takes the viewer on a journey through a world that is both familiar and strange, where the realistic elements, almost cut and pasted, exist between these different aesthetic planes.
The artist views his creative process as a playground, prioritizing freedom over the fixation of meaning. Through his fragmented and multi-figure compositions, Töre introduces a sense of flexibility to both his artistic process and the presentation of his works. For him, deconstructing an idea and reconstructing it is a vital part of generating new meanings. By employing this method, Töre establishes a connection between individual emotions and collective consciousness, allowing viewers to create new contexts based on their own experiences.
Born on September 16, 1985, in İzmir, Tarık Töre graduated from the Painting Department of Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in 2013. In 2014, he took additional courses at the School of Visual Arts in New York and began his master’s studies at Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University’s Painting Department, which he completed in 2019. A member of the punk band Kilink, formed in 2003, Töre continued his music career as the band evolved into Palmiyeler.
Among his selected solo exhibitions are Caspar David Friedrich Nietzsche Guevara, PİLEVNELİ, Istanbul, Turkey (2022), Whellkom, Pilot Gallery, Istanbul, Turkey (2017), and Humiliation, PİLEVNELİ, İstanbul, Turkey (2024). Additionally, in collaboration with PİLEVNELİ, he held a solo presentation (2023) at the Enter Art Fair in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Currently the bass guitarist of Palmiyeler, Tarık Töre lives and works in Istanbul.