Almost perfect is as anecdotal as all of my previous works.
A complete stranger tells me something and it subconsciously has an immense effect on my practice. Talking about an old painting of mine that has since been “lost.” Almost perfect might just be the greatest compliment I’ve ever heard about my work. As if chasing the one that got away, this exhibition is just one of many, countless attempts at reclaiming/reimagining that which is almost perfect

I don’t quite know what the stranger meant with almost perfect but I have since come to believe that it is the serendipitous happenstance -slightly off and it’s brilliant; and impossible to replicate. Anxious rubbing of oil and ink on serene canvas, the plastic scent of acrylic mixed with toxic turpentine and spray, foot steps and cat hair – almost perfect.

Melanie Ubaldo (b. 1992, Philippines) graduated with MA Fine Arts from the Iceland University of Arts in 2022. Her artistic practice is characterized by vulnerable autobiographical narratives around racism, prejudice, power and discrimination. Hand sewn paintings containing text with graffiti-like vandalism oftentimes of her own crude experiences of others preconceptions, thus exposing the power of immediate, unreflected judgment; and various installations that addresses memory, displacement, immigration and identity. Melanie has exhibited widely in Iceland and internationally. Melanie was the recipient of the Svavar Guðnasson and Ásta Eiríksdóttir fund for promising artists in 2021. Alongside her solo practice, Melanie is one of the founders of Lucky 3, a collective of Icelandic artists of Filipino origins. Lucky 3 were the recipients of the Motivational Award from the Icelandic Art Prize in 2022. Her works have since been acquired by the Reykjavik Museum and Hafnarborg for their permanent collections and in private collections.