Tavar Zawacki (b. 1981, California) is an American contemporary artist based in Berlin, working across two artistic identities: ABOVE and Tavar Zawacki. Spanning three decades, his practice moves between public art, architectural murals, painting, and geometric abstraction, connected by an ongoing exploration of color, movement, perception, and space.

In 1996, at the age of 15, he began creating street art under the pseudonym ABOVE. His upward-pointing arrow, introduced in Paris in 2001, became an internationally recognized symbol of possibility and resilience, carrying the message RISE ABOVE across more than 100 cities in 35+ countries on six continents. Over 21 years, ABOVE developed an expansive visual language through graffiti, street interventions, installations, and monumental public artworks.

In 2017, Zawacki stepped out from behind his anonymous identity and began working under his birth name. Seeking new creative possibilities beyond the arrow, he redirected his focus toward studio painting and geometric abstraction. This period gave rise to evolving bodies of work including SHAPESHIFTING, PAPEL, CONNECTED, and INTERPLAY, each expanding his relationship with color, form, transparency, and composition.

His INTERPLAY series (2026) explores the tension between precision and spontaneity, introducing expressive gestures and unpredictability into carefully structured compositions. This dialogue between control and chance reflects a broader evolution in his artistic practice.

Today, ABOVE and Tavar Zawacki coexist as two distinct yet connected artistic expressions. ABOVE carries forward his arrow-based visual language and RISE ABOVE philosophy, while Tavar Zawacki encompasses his broader abstract practice across painting, murals, and architectural spaces. Neither identity is confined to a particular medium. Together, they offer the freedom to explore different ideas while drawing from the same thirty years of artistic experience.