Taqi Spateen is a multi-talented Palestinian artist, and a Fine Arts graduate of the International Academy of Art (IAA) in Ramallah, Palestine.

Spateen started to paint in the second grade. By the time he concluded his secondary education, he began to carry out a number of commissions and murals on school walls and other public spaces. This led to him apply to study for a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts at the IAA in Ramallah. On completion of his studies, he competed against renowned international contractors and successfully won an architectural tender to renovate a former palace.

Landscape paintings are where he thrives most, and his realist style makes him stand out as a remarkable young talent. As a deeply spiritual person, he draws inspiration from the sanctity and blessedness of the Palestinian countryside - given its special place in the Holy Scriptures. The olive tree - the most famous of Palestinian symbols - features in nearly all of his recent paintings. Yet, Spateen’s more recent paintings also include depictions of mass urbanization, colonial settlements and imposing structures on this precious terrain.

Spateen has also created large murals for local and international communities, and street art on the apartheid wall in Bethlehem about international cases, such as murals in honour of George Floyd and Iyad Hallaq. Spateen’s work continues to reach international audiences, and has been featured across local, regional and global news and media outlets.

Spateen was previously invited to collaborate with the brand ‘The North Face’, and created a mural as part of the ‘Walls are meant for climbing’ campaign. He was also a finalist in the international ‘UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Global Festival of Action’ competition, for his mural that focused on the UN’s Strategic Development Goal 16, which promotes Justice.

In late 2021, Spateen was invited by the Mayor of the City of Cergy/Ville de Cergy in France to be part of an Artist Residency with Art Osons, where he also created a mural during the ‘CAPS’ street art festival in Cergy.

Spateen was also chosen by a committee to receive a Scholarship, to take part in a 4-Month Artist Residency program that was completed at the end of February 2022, at the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, France. Spateen created a series of paintings as part of the Artist Residency program, and explored new painting methods and art techniques inspired by visiting exhibitions and the Cité cultural exchanges.

Spateen about the Artist Residency program [Translated]:
“Dear Artists - The Cité internationale des arts is an incredible place to meet artists from all over the world, discuss with them and discover their works … It offers different exhibition spaces and invites visitors to discover your work … Paris has an abundance of artistic platforms, which allows us to communicate widely about our work … If you are an artist and would like to apply for this artistic residency program in partnership with the French Institute of Jerusalem, I invite you to apply” [Article link in French]

Spateen has previously taken part in group exhibitions in Europe and the US. Photographs of Spateen’s street art also feature in a group exhibition titled ‘Be with the Revolution: Street Art’ at the Museum of Arts and Crafts, Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg (MK&G) in Hamburg, Germany (2022 - 2024).

Spateen is also experienced in creating local and international art workshops and murals for youth, schools and communities, for different ages and abilities, and to help bridge a connection through art and across communities.