Tavar Zawacki (b. 1981, California) is an American abstract artist based in Berlin. From 1996 to 2016, he worked under the pseudonym ABOVE, gaining international recognition for his iconic arrow symbol and its message to “Rise Above,” first introduced in Paris in 2001 when he was 20 years old. Over the next two decades, he created murals and public works in more than 100 cities across six continents.

Having lived in seven countries and speaking four languages, Zawacki’s practice is shaped by a deep engagement with cultural diversity and global perspectives. These experiences inform his visual language, which centers on two-dimensional abstraction characterized by vibrant color, clean lines, and explorations of transparency in which overlapping hues create new forms. Influenced by Minimalism, Color Field painting, and Hard-Edge traditions, his work expands these legacies through a focus on connection, perception, and transformation.

Since 2010, Zawacki has exhibited internationally with solo shows in New York, London, Paris, Berlin, San Francisco, Miami, and Zürich. In 2017, he ended his anonymity and began producing work under his birth name, expanding his practice beyond the public identity of ABOVE into a more focused studio practice rooted in color, form, and abstraction. His current Connected series (2025–) marks the latest development in this evolution, bringing the scale and clarity of his public work into paintings built from sweeping arcs, transparent and opaque color fields, measured distances, and layered relationships between forms.