Born in Bordeaux in 1979, ATMA was raised in Toulouse and started to draw from an early age. He was drawn into the street art movement by an urge to express his inner thoughts on a larger canvas, initially pursuing decorating the walls of his city.

From there he embarked on a voyage of self discovery, following the light first to Morocco, where his nascent talents were recognized by the King. Barcelona was to follow Rabat, where he explored large street murals, painting and collage, and subsequently to London, where he currently lives and works.
Starting as a portrait artist, ATMA began painting in Black & White. This is a signature theme which has continued throughout his career on walls and canvasses.

In 2004, ATMA was commissioned to create a large collage for Camel using their packaging. This piece was displayed as the main feature during ”Camel arte” events across Spain. In 2006 ATMA’s iconic mural-portrait of Gilbert & George in East London was unveiled & endorsed by G&G; confirming ATMA’s growing new recognition.
In 2009, ATMA participated in “TUNNEL 228”, an extraordinary art project in the unused underground basement of London’s Waterloo Station themed on the 1920’s Metropolis Film. Curated by Punch Drunk, the show saw ATMA collaborate with Mark Jenkins on a large mural- installation depicting Soul-less workers (“Metropoli Souls”) and create 2 other pieces inside the dark vaults. TUNNEL 228 has been critically acclaimed by the London & UK press, selling out its 15.000 tickets in 2 hours.

In March 2010 ATMA held his first Solo show in Barcelona. 2010 also saw ATMA expand his mural work, starting with an international art project called “Seres Queridos” (meaning “the loved ones”) in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art of Monterrey (MARCO) in Mexico. Conceived as a social art project to pay tribute to well loved local figures, “Seres Queridos” spirited ATMA back to his origins as a street artist. Large-scale murals were created on walls in prominent parts of Monterrey.

In September 2010 ATMA went to Lisbon, Portugal to collaborate with the Hotch Potch Collective and produced a full body of work based on the “Age of Enlightenment”, that included collages & a mural to be displayed permanently at the LX factory.

2011: ATMA is invited by Paris 6 City Hall to paint a mural celebrating Ali Akbar (the famous newspaper street seller and writer, elected “loved one” by the inhabitants) in the heart of the  Latin Quarter. In October, ATMA takes part in the LAZARIDES’ “The Minotaur” group show in the Old Vic tunnels in London with his MINOTAURUS installation.

ATMA divides his time between public art projects, commissions, collages, large-scale murals & educational projects. Part of his time is dedicated to inspiring & teaching Youth in the community in association with Museums & Foundations, and through the creation of art workshops ATMA also maximises the learning process of unprivileged young people. The Blue Train Project, initiated & commissioned by the VICTORIA & ALBERT Museum, saw young people create a spectacular performance inspired by the ballets Russes.

ATMA’s own adventure is continuing apace with the exploration of colour, texture, recycled materials & scale. His dexterous use of colour shades and the succinct choices of various textures of materials both serve to vibrantly enhance his trade mark collages, paintings & murals. These combine a strong, and mystical sense of three-dimension and depict life in its raw humanity.

Mixing precise drawing skills & recycling materials specifically related to his subjects, ATMA has developed collage portraiture for some high profile commissions.

Obsessed by the idea of turning dark forces into inspiring and uplifting works, his unique art-form personifies the eternal self-quest with its hopes and aspirations, highs and lows, failures and successes.
His belief that one’s persona is a direct product of the four elements of Life is translated via the medium of his artistic rendering of Joy and Sorrow, Light and Darkness. This is ably demonstrated and essentially typified in his self-portrait “Burning Soul” – where fire exiting the cranium emphasizes that stress must inevitably be eliminated if the body & soul are to attain inner peace and strength. This he believes will lead to self enlightenment.

ATMA, the Sanskrit word for “Soul”, strongly conveys this illuminating vision though his work.