DEM189 from Beirut, Lebanon was born in the late 70’s and heavily influenced by the turmoil within the country from that time, as he had to learn the limits of a city in conflict. Confined at home, during most of his free time outside school, he had to develop his own creative universe. From Lego to drawing, he built his own fantasies often fascinated by war, which is evident in his future work. In 1989 Dem Moved to Paris where he discovered a whole new biotope with different rules and cultures. Ecstatic and overwhelmed by the prospect of this new life he launched into graffiti in his early teens in which he integrated various movements from punk rock to heavy metal, electro to hip-hip, switching from one to the other.
 
Over the last 7 years, Dem has been working on paintings and installations in an abstract style, parallel to his graffiti world. Influenced by urban architecture, decay and the artists Moebius and Lebbeus Woods Dem has developed a style that is unpredictably diverse as he continues to refuse to limit himself to a particular movement. His inspirations and influences are countless.
Urban by essence, he finds what inspires him roaming the streets, and allows himself to experiment with any technique and tools. Letter workaholic, he likes to torture them into new shapes, with the viciousness of the most perverted bondage artist. Schizophrenic, tireless and bulimic, his work in recent years has left the shores of lettering to venture into the realms of illustration and abstraction.