Like many artists, Tarek initially struggled to exhibit her work in private galleries. Determined to showcase her art without censorship or restrictions, she turned the streets into her own gallery. By 2009, Tarek had already created several street-art pieces and started to make an appearance in independent films. Tarek created two distinct murals for the film and developed a technique specifically for it too in order to best represent Alexandria's culture. An outspoken critic, Tarek uses multiple art venues that center on graffiti to express her views and share them with others in public spaces. She explains her philosophy, asserting that graffiti "is not about being rich, or having a secluded space." In the fall of 2012, Tarek participated in an exhibition in
Beirut called
White Wall, which brought together graffiti artists from all over the world. The exhibit was organized by the
Beirut Art Center in partnership with Foundation Saradar and featured an exhibit at the Beirut Art Center and works displayed on the streets of Beirut. Aya Tarek describes her experience here to be extremely free and the other artists were not expected to stick to one message when creating this wall. Many different artists from all around the world came here to work in a space free of judgement. In December 2020, Tarek had her first solo exhibition titled
The Fear of Missing Out which included fifteen works of art in which she explored the feelings of anxiety emphasized by social media and the feelings of falling behind in comparison to others. Held at the SHELTER Art Space in her hometown
Alexandria, this exhibition incorporated works of various styles and colours. Through the use of virtual reality, Tarek makes a shift from her usual large-scale mural work. == Recognition ==