Iriée Zamblé
Iriée Zamblé – Untitled (2020)
Zamblé’s paintings are based on people that she passes throughout the day. The way she paints the people vary; in some paintings the figure looks the other way, unbothered and untouchable. In other paintings the figure looks directly at the viewer, like they long for something from you. At first sight the figures look distant and anonymous, but the way they are painted gives them familiarity and status. It seems like they are telling us stories and in these stories, black people are the standard not the exception.
Iriée Zamblé – photo by Mark Bolk
Background
Iriée Zamblé (1995) graduated with honors from HKU Utrecht in 2019 and was artist-in-residence at Roodkapje Rotterdam in 2020/21. In 2019 she won the Sprouts Young Talents Award and in 2020 she was nominated for the Royal Prize of Modern Painting and the Buning Brongers prize. Her work is part of multiple collections such as Museum Rembrandthuis and Ministry of Foreign affairs. Zamblé’s work has been shown in numerous museums and galleries, like Museum Rembrandthuis, Expoplu Nijmegen and SBK Amsterdam.
In the summer of 2021, her work will be shown at an all new, temporary museum in the middle of the Westerpark in Amsterdam. Check out Unfair™ Westerpark to learn more about this project, the design and the other participants.
Iriée Zamblé – Eyes low (2020)
Iriée Zamblé – the souls of black folk (2020)
Iriée Zamblé – Made u look (2020)
Iriée Zamblé – Holdin’ it down (2020)
Iriée Zamblé – If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it (heartbreaker’s anthem) (2019)