Exposition de Dana Melamed : Duality of Matter

In her latest body of work, a series of wall-mounted sculptures, Dana Melamed presents haunting urban landscapes that explore the struggle between humanity and nature. The abandoned environments are littered with the twisted metal of urban decay under violent skies. The intricate and three-dimensional crevices, caverns, stairwells, and passageways can be explored endlessly, yielding a new discovery with each viewing. Tangled vines threaten to envelope the crumbling architecture, reminding us of our tenuous hold on the constructed environment. While humans strive to build and to civilize, often causing harm in the name of progress, nature continues its perpetual cycle of renewal.

Melamed’s work grows organically, building up from the surface of an irregular aluminum mesh.  She combines found natural and manmade elements with drawings and sculpted architectural forms. Each piece is developed layer upon layer with paint and glue, agitated with razors to distort and obscure the images, and fused with a blowtorch. Melamed relates her aggressive techniques and the use of both mechanical and organic materials to the conflict between people and the environment. Her layered and repeated process of drawing, painting, building, carving, scraping, and burning also recalls the growth and subsequent destruction essential to our relationship with nature.

Dana Melamed holds a B.A. in Architectural Studies from ORT Technikum in Israel. She has exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the United States. The artist lives and works in New Jersey. This exhibition marks Melamed’s first solo show with Von Lintel Gallery.

The exhibition is accompanied by an illustrated catalogue.

DANA MELAMED – DUALITY OF MATTER
February 28 – April 13, 2013

VON LINTEL GALLERY
520 W. 23RD STREET
GROUND FLOOR
New York, NY 10011
T: +1 212 242 0599

Von Lintel Gallery