The exhibition presents new works by Melanie Ubaldo, where the artist, in her candid and unapologetic way, confronts the medium of painting. Melanie explains that the works span a long period, but each piece is unique. The process can be described as a long contemplation:
"I paint on the canvas, sometimes splash and smear according to what my intuition tells me. I view the canvas more as a sketch than a finished work. I find a great sense of freedom in that — and being able to tear it apart."

Melanie then arranges the canvas fragments and sews them together, allowing the beauty and form of each surface to shine.

She mentions that art theory teaches us that certain rules apply to painting, but she experiences a conflict with that internally:

"I actually want to break that down and go against what is expected. For example, being able to turn the painting around and let it be appreciated from the other side — like when you turn a garment inside out and show the seams. I do, however, always follow a certain working method. Sometimes things happen by chance, and even though I don’t want aesthetics to be my guiding principle, I’m pretty sure it’s there in my subconscious."

Melanie adds that there's a sense of infinity in sewing the pieces together, since, unlike the frame of a painting, nothing is predetermined: "I can keep sewing if I feel the piece isn’t finished," Melanie concludes.

About the artist
Melanie Ubaldo (b. 1992) has exhibited widely in recent years, both solo and in group exhibitions, in Iceland and abroad. Her work has been shown at the Akureyri Art Museum, Gallery Guðmundsdóttir in Berlin, among others, and her works are part of the collections of major museums in Iceland. Her piece But You’re Too Tanned Though for an Icelander, which is owned by the National Gallery of Iceland, was recently shown in the museum’s anniversary exhibition Insight, Outlook – The National Gallery of Iceland at 140 Years.

Melanie earned her MFA in Fine Art from the Iceland University of the Arts in 2022, having completed her BA at the same school in 2016. She is a member and co-founder of the artist collective Lucky 3, a group of artists of Filipino descent. Lucky 3 received the Visual Arts Council’s Encouragement Award in 2022.