XEINA ALI AKA ZAINAH

Cluster Exhibitor | Cluster Contemporary | 2022

 
 

Boys will be boys | 2022

 

American artist Zainah Ali lives and works in the state of Kentucky. Ali's paintings act as a sort of prism between her cognitive mind and the world as she sees it. Ali's paintings, which are rich in texture and color can convey a feeling of depth through the use of vibrant and bright hues in association with complex linework. Her work is based on the notion of reliving evocative past experiences in order to evoke a vast scope of conscious feelings. In order to create her works, Ali first focuses on a feeling that she attempts to capture on paint. Painting in layers allows her to express herself throughout all of her feelings. The stylistic movements of expressionism and figurative painting are echoed throughout Ali's body of work.

 
 
 
 
Through the significant use of texture, color, and linework that may be both thick and thin, my paintings are a visual representation of my innermost feelings and ideas.
— ZAINAH

Not you jester I 2022

Zainah I Portrait

Counting sheep I 2022

 
My favorite thing to concentrate on are people’s eyes since they are such a powerful indicator of emotion and have the ability to set the tone for a whole picture. Painting is a bridge for me to transmit particular facets of my ideas and mood, and it serves as a resource for me through the use of symbolism and strange themes.
— ZAINAH
 
 
 

Cognitive dissonance | 2022

Hereditary | 2021

 
 

The boy who cried wolf I 2021