Thinkspace Projects in Los Angeles is excited and honored to debut the work of Zeinab Diomande (aka Z the Rat) in their viewing room this January. This special showcase serves as a sneak peek to a larger show coming up in October 2022 with the artist.
U’ve Seen It… U Can’t Unsee It explores the intersection between what one longs for and the struggles they have to face to achieve those goals. The artist describes these paintings as “love letters to my child-self." Diomande's relatively simple, yet simultaneously complex, compositions and their use of bright colors give a sense of warmth and safety that at times can still weigh heavy on one's soul. Contrasting the pensive characters, the opposing forces and their conflicting nature are a byproduct of one’s desire to create safety out of chaos.
About Zeinab Diomande
Born in 1999 in Virginia (US), Zeinab Diomande (aka Z the Rat) spent her childhood and adolsescene in Abidjan (Ivory Coast), before returning to the US to pursue her university studies in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 2017. The artist explores the theme of mental health and her experience as a black woman. These themes mark out and feed her warm and colorful world. Adapting what already exists and reinventing it in a way that also shapes a new reality is the main focus of this expression.
Diomandé is currently studying at the University of the Arts, pursuing a BFA in Fine Arts with a concentration in painting and drawing. Additionally she was a finalist for the 2021 edition of the AXA Art Prize at the New York Academy of Art in New York City.
