Zalkian is a pseudonymous artist whose name, nationality and age remain unknown. He only appears wearing a full-face mask to conceal his identity, and usually only to perform unique stunts. Within the art world he is considered to be one of the most elusive artists, with only a handful of artworks available in the market, most in the form of limited-edition prints. He has been compared and even equated to Banksy by many prestigious art collectors and even Damien Hirst.

Not much information is publicly available for Zalkian, apart from the fact that he worked for private clients behind closed doors until the early 2010’s. He first became known in wealthy circles in 2017 after he set his own artwork on fire during a private auction held in a mansion in Madrid. After the stunt he disappeared to focus on his personal work. He was allegedly reported to perform work for clients in USA and Germany during the Covid pandemic.

In 2024, Zalkian made headlines after appearing in a new project called “Inferno Auctions”, during which bidders are allowed to make offers for his work, but the live audience holds the power to destroy the art. If the painting burns, he releases limited-edition prints of the painting for 24 hours.