Isabella Mellado’s “Realismo Mágico” opened on January 19, 2023, at Walter Otero Artwork Gallery in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The exhibition will probably be on view till February 25. Listed here are excerpts from IN Puerto Rico Journal.
[. . .] Puerto Rican artist Isabella Mellado presents, on the Walter Otero Artwork Gallery, an exhibition of her works from 2017 to the current, entitled “Realismo Mágico” [Magical Realism]. The work [. . .] tackle themes associated to the artist’s belonging to the queer neighborhood, the gender binary, and the sense of duality inherent in residing within the diaspora. The exhibition will probably be on view till February 25 from Tuesday to Friday from 1:00 p.m. to six:00 p.m. and on Saturdays by appointment.
Via her work, Mellado research her identification and the way she has lived it in numerous contexts, considering that, for many, life is a technique of masking and appearing in an effort to really feel that we belong. Because of this, the artist affirms that her inventive observe is greatest described by the phrase “saltar el charco.” [Translator’s note: Although this phrase literally means “jumping over the puddle,” and is usually employed to refer to migration or travel from Puerto Rico to the U.S., the artist expands on this notion using the metaphor in other ways.]
Her works middle queer narrative, framing it with symbolism taken from mythology, the Tarot, and astrology. Likewise, her works are normally contextualized in Puerto Rico.
She states, “As I’m a part of the diaspora, my work have all the time tried to take “el charco” [the puddle] under consideration; that’s, the sensation of not totally belonging to a neighborhood Puerto Rican or a diaspora neighborhood. Moreover, [. . .] “el charco” additionally describes what it means to be queer, and [to represent] the distinction between shifting by means of conservative areas and LGBTQ+ secure environments.”
Within the exhibition it is possible for you to to understand work that illustrate figures deliberately posed in a shallow area. Reverently painted, the figures are bigger than the viewers, trying immediately at them. She makes use of props comparable to papier-mâché masks and modified discovered objects, which then develop into a part of a staged {photograph} with a number of fashions. The ensuing photos are then mixed right into a composition and used to create the portray. Thus, the results of the meticulous photographic course of carried out by Mellado represent work of a theatrical model and composition.
Mellado is at present pursuing a grasp’s diploma on the Chicago Artwork Institute, essentially the most prestigious portray institute in the USA. She is going to quickly exhibit her work on the Kavi Gupta Gallery in Chicago.
Translation by Ivette Romero. For unique article (in Spanish), see https://www.inpuertoricomagazine.com/publish/realismo-magico-de-isabella-mellado-se-exhibe-en-walter-otero-contemporary-art
Additionally see https://www.walterotero.com/