By: María Laura Hernández de Agüero
Melen (Lima, 2001), one of the most outstanding young artists of his generation, is participating in the current “Making Context” group exhibition, curated by Martin Gustavson and Rodrigo Gomez Olivos.
In the heart of the city, where the crowd unfolds like an overflowing river, Melen offers us an intimate glimpse into a world burdened by the weight of certainty. The scenes in his paintings speak of the environment in which he moves and of his own experience as a being (trans, student, migrant, young, and small, as he defines himself). The body is the territory where cultural influences, history, and memory intersect. Furthermore, the awareness of the limitations of his own body in interacting with the world is key to his art and the scenarios he paints.
In many of his works, Melen presents us with a world where religious imagery blends with everyday life. Some of his paintings pay homage to the collective. We don't know if his work is a search for meaning, or simply a need to connect with something that transcends individuality. "It has become common for me to talk about experiences that weigh heavily on me, that until I externalize them, my soul finds no rest in its search for a language of its own that can contain its fullness," the artist has stated.
Melen's work is a reminder that, despite uncertainty, life is a gift we must cherish. And in this sense, his work is a celebration of life, an ode to the beauty and complexity of the human experience.
"Creating Context"
Proyectoamil
Av. Pedro de Osma 409
Barranco, Lima
The exhibition will be on view until May 9.