diff --git a/backend/app/tasks/admin.py b/backend/app/tasks/admin.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fec90c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/app/tasks/admin.py
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+"""FC-3k: admin destructive Celery tasks.
+
+Two long-running ops on the maintenance queue. task_run lifecycle is
+captured automatically by FC-3i signals — these tasks just return
+their summary dict so it lands in task_run.metadata (via Celery's
+result backend) for the dashboard to surface.
+
+Soft/hard time limits inherit the FC-3i recovery sweep: a runaway
+task gets killed and flipped to status='timeout' by
+recover_stalled_task_runs.
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import logging
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from sqlalchemy.exc import DBAPIError, OperationalError
+
+from ..celery_app import celery
+from ..services import cleanup_service
+from ._sync_engine import sync_session_factory as _sync_session_factory
+
+log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+IMAGES_ROOT = Path("/images")
+
+
+@celery.task(
+    name="backend.app.tasks.admin.delete_artist_cascade_task",
+    bind=True,
+    autoretry_for=(OperationalError, DBAPIError),
+    retry_backoff=15, retry_backoff_max=180, max_retries=1,
+    soft_time_limit=1800, time_limit=2400,  # 30 min / 40 min
+)
+def delete_artist_cascade_task(self, *, artist_id: int) -> dict:
+    """Wraps cleanup_service.delete_artist_cascade. Returns the
+    service's summary dict for FC-3i task_run.metadata capture."""
+    SessionLocal = _sync_session_factory()
+    with SessionLocal() as session:
+        return cleanup_service.delete_artist_cascade(
+            session, artist_id=artist_id, images_root=IMAGES_ROOT,
+        )
+
+
+@celery.task(
+    name="backend.app.tasks.admin.bulk_delete_images_task",
+    bind=True,
+    autoretry_for=(OperationalError, DBAPIError),
+    retry_backoff=15, retry_backoff_max=180, max_retries=1,
+    soft_time_limit=900, time_limit=1200,  # 15 min / 20 min
+)
+def bulk_delete_images_task(self, *, image_ids: list[int]) -> dict:
+    """Wraps cleanup_service.delete_images."""
+    SessionLocal = _sync_session_factory()
+    with SessionLocal() as session:
+        return cleanup_service.delete_images(
+            session, image_ids=image_ids, images_root=IMAGES_ROOT,
+        )