Ziba Rajabi

Bleeding to Space

June 18th -  August 19th 2020

Tops at Madison Avenue Park

151 Madison Avenue 

Memphis, TN 38103

on view 24 hours a day, gallery faces Maggie H. Isabel Alley

Tops is pleased to present Ziba Rajabi's Bleeding to Space at our Madison Avenue Park gallery.

This three-dimensional work consists of loose canvas that has been dyed, stained, painted and covered with a cloth weaving that extends beyond the canvas onto the ground. Rajabi applies multiple layers to the canvas allowing each iteration to dry thoroughly for a day before applying the next layer. This palimpsest of washes and mottled marks creates an illusion of space that is heightened by the literal space of the weave that veils the canvas.

Originally from Tehran, and currently living in Arkansas, Rajabi's work draws from traditional Persian architecture, tile and rug design as well as the history of modernist painting. She often works on raw canvas laid flat on the floor and keeps multiple layers of canvas underneath the work in progress to absorb whatever medium is being used. The residue of the current painting creates the original structure for the following work. The history of each piece lays the foundation for subsequent works in unplanned and unexpected ways.

This exhibit is at Tops Madison Avenue Park gallery. The gallery is a vitrine-like space that is always on view, but not a space that you can physically enter. There will not be an opening for this exhibit, but feel free to view at any time of day or night.  

Ziba Rajabi (b.1988, Tehran, Iran) received her MFA from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and her BFA from the Sooreh University, Tehran. She is the recipient of the student artist grant for the Artist 360 Grant, a program sponsored by Mid-America Arts Alliance. Her work has been included in a number of exhibitions, nationally and internationally, including Masur Museum, LA; CICA Museum, South Korea; Aran Gallery, Iran; Pensacola Museum, Florida; Site: Brooklyn, NY; Amos Eno Gallery, NY; Millersville University. She has also been an artist in residence at Anderson Ranch Arts Center and Vermont Studio Center.