+ Bio

Ziba Rajabi (b.1988, Tehran, Iran) received her MFA from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and her BFA from the Sooreh University, Tehran. Her primary practice is focused on painting, drawing, and fabric-based installation. She is the recipient of the Jerome Fellowship for Early Career Artists by the Jerome Foundation and the Artist 360 Grant, a program sponsored by the Mid-America Arts Alliance. Her work has been included in a number of exhibitions, nationally and internationally, such as Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art; AR, CICA Museum; South Korea; 21C Museum, AR; Araan Gallery, Iran; The II Platform, UK, among many others. She has been an artist in residence at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, Vermont Studio Center, Terrain Residency, and Anderson Ranch Arts Center.

+ Artist Statement

My work revolves around reconciling my relationship with two distinct spaces: where I come from and where I reside now (Iran and the US). Utilizing an expanded painting practice, I investigate the politics, privileges, and hierarchies surrounding my complex reality. Responding to a sense of a growing distance from cultural roots, I source Persian language and architecture to create fiber-based installations and paintings that operate as a sentimental refuge and, through personal tales, explore the collective experiences of displacement/distance.