Zeinab Saleh (b.1996, Kenya) makes drawings, paintings and occasionally video works. Inspired by everyday experiences, personal encounters and memories, Saleh’s materials and palette allow her to make artworks that evoke feelings of intimacy and tenderness without being fixed in any specific time or narrative. Inviting calm and contemplation, the viewer is immersed in the space within the image. She is influenced by writer Kevin Quashie’s concept of ‘quiet’ as a metaphor for inner life – a private space to explore desires and fears. Saleh uses recurring patterns and silhouettes to project layers of time and meaning onto her canvases. Narratives are alluded to but rarely fully disclosed.
Zeinab Saleh received her BFA from Slade School of Fine Art in 2019. She co-founded Artist Collective, Muslim Sisterhood in 2017, along with Sara Gulamali and Lamisa Khan. Solo exhibitions include j~o~y r~i~d~e, Champ Lacombe, Biarritz, (2022/2023); Softest place (on earth) [Extended mix], Château Shatto, Los Angeles, USA (2022); Softest place (on earth), Camden Art Centre, London, UK (2021). Selected group Exhibitions include, A Lover’s Discourse, Aspen Art Museum, Aspen, (2023); Nour el Ain, Karma International, Switzerland, (2021); after image, MAMOTH, London, UK (2020); Condo London, Mother’s tankstation, London [two-person exhibition with Yuko Mohri], (2020); The Poetics of the Neighbourhood Rascals, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam, (2019); A patch of green in London, Cookhouse Gallery, London (2019); Film Screenings, Collective Moments: Muslim Sisterhood Takeover, Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK (2022); Marathon: The City That Never Sleeps, Het Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam, (2019); VIDEOSPORT, Good Sport Gallery, Ontario, Canada, (2018). Her work is part of the permanent collection of the Start Museum, Shanghai, Pitzer College Art Galleries, Claremont CA, USA, The Perimeter, London UK and Frac MÉCA Bordeaux, France. Zeinab Saleh lives and work in London.