Lighting My Own Torch
2020
12" x 18”
oil pastel, acrylic, gouache, colored pencils and ink on paper

​I want this to be a conversation with no restrictions because who likes constraints and formalities? My work deals with everything contemporary using myself as the narrator, sprinkled with a humorous and sarcastic tone. Bright colors are key. The colors have to be bright, distracting the viewer and letting them wrap themselves in their own idea of the work. It has a meaning and no meaning at the same time. I lay the information, you take it, shake it till you break it, and make your own interpretation of what it means. I choose what I’d like to share carefully, but sometimes the flow takes over - if it’s out, it’s out ya dig? Keeping it real is an important part of my process. My work is story telling: personal stories, rambling and ranting. It is an open journal, where every person can see something they identify with and add their little personal touch to the cake mix. I gate-keep the work as it mostly involves self-portraits, while also letting people in. I make art about stuff that matters to me: self-representation, mental health, and being a Black Woman in America. Experience is personal but sometimes there are common themes that people share.
 
Zeinab Diomande is a 21 year old Philadelphia-based multimedia artist working in painting, sculpture and video (animation).

Instagram: ​ztheratt

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2020
16" x 30"
acrylic on illustration board

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2020
12" x 18"
cut out paper, acrylic, gouache and oil pastel on paper

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2020
12" x 18"
gouache, ink and oil pastel on paper

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2020
12" X 18"
mixed media collage on paper

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2020
12" X 18"
gouache, acrylic, oil pastel on paper