Zach Toppin (b.1987) is a London-based multidisciplinary artist. Their work is rich in narrative, symbolism and cultural reference, weaving together important stories about emotion, gender, sex and love.
Working across painting, drawing and sculpture, Toppin archives and reimagines queer histories, in order to construct new pathways of understanding. Explorations into identity fantasy are borrowed from these ancestors, enhanced through dissecting the construction of masculinity. Desire and longing are actualised through the fetishisation of items, possessions, signifiers and relics. By investigating this collage of desire, Toppin navigates the dichotomy of trans unease and euphoria, exploring the strength and authenticity to be found via the armour of dress and signifiers.
EXHIBITIONS
London Art Fair, TIN MAN ART, London (2024)
'Tales from the Riverbank', TIN MAN ART, London (2023)
Canal Boat Art Fair, London (2023)
'Coming Out', Sunbury Workshops, London (2023)
EDUCATION
2023, Drawing Intensive, The Royal Drawing School
2008-2009, Fine Art Foundation, Camberwell College of Arts
2005-2008, History of Art, The University of Edinburgh