Jaabi Faarai was born in Paris, France in 1958. He was raised in the Caribbean Islands, Africa and France, with "Afro-Amazon-Europe-India-Asian" origins.  Jaabi showed an interest for arts at a young age, through music and his mother who gave him his first guitar.  He self-taught himself to play following inspiration from Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley and Miles Davis among others. 

Upon visiting Huahine island and other Pacific islands, he became intrigued to use tapa from Fiji islands, and learnt how to make the bark cloth.  By 2000, he was well known around the South Pacific, selling and exhibiting his tapa paintings and drawings in different countries and islands.

Source: www.paintmyearth.com/artist.html