Born in Stockholm, Sweden. Kent Tankred studied painting in the early 70s and then attended EMS (Institute for Electro-Acoustic Music in Sweden) in Stockholm. Kent Tankred is interested in musical encounters with other art forms, particularly pictorial art. He seeks to strengthen the ties between music, movement and image and to avoid conventional forms of expression.

His works have been exhibited at numerous venues in Sweden and Europe. Tankred was president of Fylkingen, a noted Swedish association for experimental music and performance art, between 1993-98.