Z the Rat (aka Zeinab Diomande)
Statement: “My current body of work explores the conversation between the ideas of the black figure in relationship to space. I recently switched my work from small to medium scale to overwhelmingly large-scale paintings to start a conversation surrounding the black body and how people interact with it when it starts taking up space. Exploring my black identity in the realm of painting, I willingly put myself in positions and situations that normally would be kept private as t0000hey deal with emotional matter and through the language of self- portraiture, mixed media, high-key colors, dynamic compositions and whimsical sceneries I bring those themes that relate to my experience and the black experience at large. In doing so, I would like to challenge the viewers to think differently of the black figure: vulnerable, sensitive, grounded, present and non-threatening, qualities that never seem to be attributed to them
”.