Hélio Melo
Curated by Jacopo Crivelli Visconti
03.23 — 07.22.2023
The Hélio Melo exhibition, curated by Jacopo Crivelli Visconti, highlighted the diverse journey of a unique artist. It retraced the life of Hélio Melo (1926–2001), who had various professions: rubber tapper, boatman, barber, watchman, writer, poet, musician, and foremost, an artist.
In the late 1970s, after settling in Rio Branco and beginning to paint the forest from memory, Melo's work caught the attention of renowned artists and critics like Sergio Camargo and Frederico Morais, turning them into avid supporters of his art.
Jacopo perceived Melo's works as having a spatial organization with a theatrical or cinematic quality, suggesting staging and mise en scéne, rather than a literal and simplistic representation of reality. The exhibition showcased Melo's interpretation of the forest, a portrayal that remained significant over twenty years after the artist's death.
A parallel program featured a Film Show, broadcasted on the Almeida & Dale YouTube channel. This selection included historic and recent works highlighting Melo's artistic, literary, and musical universe, as well as revealing the impacts of the occupation of Western Amazonia and its effects on the forest people.
The conversation series held at the gallery and the Acre Film Library in Rio Branco, Acre, tackled issues resonating with the restless spirit and poetics of the artist. These discussions explored connections between his legacy and other artistic expressions and narrative forms, covering topics like Acre, rubber, Chico Mendes, contemporary art, cinema, the artist's life, and photography.
The book "Hélio Melo," released during the exhibition, offers an in-depth overview of Melo's life and work. Essays by Tony Gross, Jacopo Crivelli Visconti, Lisette Lagnado, and Flávia Burlamaqui provide varied perspectives on Melo's production, highlighting the context in which he lived and worked, and delving into the nuances of his creations.
Service
Hélio Melo
Curated by Jacopo Crivelli Visconti
From March 23rd to july 22nd, 2023
