Leslie De Melo’s artistic practice begins with a philosophical question. The works on show at the Embassy of India revolve around the question of life and its expiry, i.e. the human condition. They were inspired by the lockdown situation and the pandemic virus. What answers have the world’s mythologies given on this theme of life and death? What were the narratives expressed in the form of images? These are some of the questions that became the starting point for the images created. Precise drawings preceded the paintings, drawings that are unique, guided by intuition and mindfulness. A completely new creation on paper, with the visual depiction of bodies in fragmentation yet with the form of the myth they narrate. Often, the mythological narrative is given a new twist: Icarus flies again, or Europa returns home. The acrylic paintings on canvas have an expressionist surface, a legacy of sorts of the fine art tradition on which the drawing is sketched and then perfected in paint. The fragmented shapes are reminiscent of platonic geometrical bodies, with what Leslie De Melo refers to as the soul of the shapes enclosed in a two-dimensional form while allowing for a third or even fourth dimension. The viewer is invited to go deeper into the aesthetic complexity of the composition and discover a world full of mystery.
The paintings Beyond the Void were completed over the period 2020 to 2022. Beyond the Void will be published and launched in 2023.
Anmeldung in der indischen Botschaft erbeten: tic.vienna@mea.gov.in
Text Leslie De Melo