Zeinab Saab is a multimedia artist, printmaker and book artist based in Portland, Oregon. Their work focuses on Arab/Islamic symbolism, the study of the history of bookmaking within Islamic art...
Zeinab Saab is a multimedia artist, printmaker and book artist based in Portland, Oregon. Their work focuses on Arab/Islamic symbolism, the study of the history of bookmaking within Islamic art history, and re-contextualizing narratives and philosophies pertaining to life, death, and the afterlife within Islam.
Saab’s work Translate Beit is a French door-style book that discusses the duality of diaspora - the connection and lack of connection to an origin. The work invites consideration of what “true home” is, as Saab questions whether it is possible to even come to a definitive conclusion within their lifetime. The question is intended for the audience to recognize that the artist is in a state of limbo, never having found a place that makes them feel settled or secure.
Their work has been exhibited nationally and internationally in San Francisco, St. Louis, Detroit, New York, California, Dubai, New Mexico, and Hawaii among other places, and is held in several permanent collections, including Emory University, The Bainbridge Museum of Art, Zayed University in Dubai, UAE, the Arab American National Museum, and the University of Iowa’s Special Collections Library. Saab completed their MFA in Printmaking at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, IL in 2019.