Rita Melo explores a dualistic world in art. It combines humor and irony to her pictures, painting characters that are somewhat antagonistic. Creating a world with large dimension, hers. Where everything is allowed and nothing is profane. A permanent duplicity that enables to play with the reality. The ultra (past) paintings that can be seen in the gallery Serpent, on the 5th of November.
Your work is somewhat irreverent. Has sense of humor, not to mention the large size of your paintings.
Rita Melo: Humor and irony are two concepts that I care much to explore in my work. This large canvas began in college, where I could explore the materials. Saw it as almost as a performance, though I cannot say that it is. It is an act to create spontaneously, freely and to vent especially in large formats. The impact creates a sense of being in something bigger and large, but due to the difficulty in transportation, I started working in smaller formats.
It is difficult to create on large scales? I remember that you also paint large murals.
RM: Not much. The painting has always been very present in my life, because my father is a painter; my sister is also a painter. In terms of techniques, painting with large canvas was never very difficult, maybe so, because as a child I was so involved in it.
Another area where you are present is in the theater. Tell me about a little girl of stone of the project.
RM: My job was as a book illustrator. The girl of rock was an interactive ballet with musical direction of Jorge Salgueiro, João Aguiar's argument which was produced by musical focus. It is a ballet for children that music is ever present and in parallel there is a book that I was asked to illustrate. The characters, the book's figures and the costumes were the same as those used in ballet. It was a very interesting project because it brought together artists from various fields, from dance, literature, music and illustration, so I really enjoyed this participation.
Another strand you explore is photography. Where this aspect fits in your artistic life?
RM: I had academic training in this area. Photography is very important for my paint work, because all the characters I paint are photographs taken by me. I'm always looking for people that interest me. Then I have to have a personal relationship with the individual who is photographed, because I need that requires expression and intimacy. I had to adapt and eventually is present in the painting. Then we also did some work shooting scene, a project of the Cast Palmela, which was a ramp for you, where I photographed the show.
How do you choose people to paint, you have a feature set into consideration? Or you are interested in the person?
RM: They turn out to be actors. There's always something in them that captivates me, I care about in order to make this character. Basically, it will not be about Mary, she will take a character as my information and the project itself also channels that personality. She takes another role, that of actress in the painting. But there are indeed certain characteristics that I find interesting. The marks of the tattoos, or because they are old ladies, have wrinkles and have a pistol in her hand, which refers to another universe.
Never wished to explore other aspects of art such as sculpture or installation?
RM: I am interested in exploring this, but I'm really dedicated to painting. Then I have these small projects of illustration and photography. I have a few sculptures and installations, but I do not identify much with them, is more like a process, such as experimentation.
Are you developing a new project right now?
RM: I am preparing an exhibition for the gallery Serpent, which is on Rua Miguel Bombarda in Porto and will be inaugurated on November 5th. It is a very important art show, because I changed a little bit of my work also is within the same line, but I made some innovations and am curious to know how will be the result.
What are these innovations?
RM: In terms of stressing some more classic lines. The unifying theme of the exhibition is paintings ultra (past). I want to show two dualities, two different universes.
http://rita-melo.blogspot.com/
www.galeriaserpente.com
