Reza Aliabadi (born 1974), known as RZLBD, is a Canadian artist and architect of Persian origin. He is the founder and principal of Atelier RZLBD; an art & architecture practice based in Toronto, named after a pseudonym he adapted that reflects his interest in abstraction and reduction. His repertoire of work extends to making arts, crafting objects, designing buildings, curating installations, and publishing a zine called rzlbdPOST.
From a 17mm wedding ring to a 56km long housing proposal, his portfolio has been distinguished with numerous accolades; exhibited in many venues; and celebrated in more than one hundred print publications.
In 2017 RZLBD has been selected among the top emerging design talents in Canada. In the same year the first monograph, RZLBD Hopscotch, was published by UK-based Artifice; it recognizes RZLBD selected built projects by collecting essays, project profiles, and annotated drawings. In 2020, Actar published a pocket-sized manifesto written by RZLBD entitled, The Empty Room; the book intends to portray the room and the emptiness as the essence of architecture. Starting 2023 he is named the first Vignelli Center Designer in Residence, and at the moment he divides his time between Toronto ON & Rochester NY. > www.rzlbd.com