Intellegis Me(la) (2022)
In Intellegis Me, Mela Wayfinder explores the relationship between the body and its hidden organs, which may draw attention by signaling areas of distress, areas for growth, neglected needs and forgotten dreams.
The artwork highlights the thyroid, a gland shaped like a butterfly, that can cause wild mood swings, temper tantrums, sudden panic episodes, extreme fatigue, and unexplained changes in weight. At a time when the role of the thyroid gland in the endocrine system was not fully understood, women with thyroid disorders were often sent to mental asylums and labeled with psychiatric conditions.
Mela portrays the thyroid gland as an impalpable butterfly, crafted using a dripping technique on acrylic glass. Golden splashes are a symbol for the organ’s exceptional value, together with its precious, almost transparent “fabric”, represented by the artist’s chosen medium.
This participatory work invites the audience to interact with the image, allowing them to become interlocutors in an intimate dialogue with their own thyroid.
We often overlook certain organs until they start functioning abnormally, causing discomfort. Such is the case for this very delicate, yet crucial gland enclosed in our neck. As "participants", we are directed to stand in front of the thyroid image at neck level, resembling an X-ray, to expose what is hidden from sight. A piece of art meant to visually represent our inner essence, translating it into a tangible form and returning the form to a poetic gaze.
Each organ symbolizes and carries desires, stories, traumas, and recognition... This prompts us to reflect on the importance of what is alive inside of us that we often neglect, whether it be anatomical tissue, an emotion or a thought... It is also an invitation to move from mere sensory perceptions to a deeper understanding, the act of intelligere, connecting with the lesser-known parts of ourselves.
By engaging in a dialogue centered on active listening, we open ourselves up to the transformative power of these unexplored parts.intelligereHence, the title Intellegis Me, a clear reference to an internal awakening triggered by unexpected discomfort. Intellegis MeWhat is considered illness can be seen and welcomed as a stimulus for transformation, the urge to address the aspects of our personality that are seeking validation. Only then can we shift from a state of ill-being to a state of well-being. mal-attia diventa allora ben-attia.
Dafne Crocella per ArtPlatform
Infinity does not exist (2022)
The art object invites the audience to interact with the framework itself by changing the order of the glass sheets, each of which representing the conceptual planes of the human approach to the idea of Infinity. The eight (∞) sheets represent the stars, spirits, angels, God, Truth, dreams, intuition, and thinking. As such, the box is an attempt to mentally contain concepts that extend beyond what is logically possible: concepts organized according to everyone’s personal approach to the experience of knowledge. The two ends of the box are open to allow one participant to find the other's gaze through the Infinite. The art object invites the audience to interact with the framework itself by changing the order of the glass sheets, each of which representing the conceptual planes of the human approach to the idea of Infinity. The eight (∞) sheets represent the stars, spirits, angels, God, Truth, dreams, intuition, and thinking. As such, the box is an attempt to mentally contain concepts that extend beyond what is logically possible: concepts organized according to everyone’s personal approach to the experience of knowledge. The two ends of the box are open to allow one participant to find the other's gaze through the Infinite.
Dafne Crocella per ArtPlatform
Play with ME (2018)
Four cubes are combined to form a unified image in the art piece. The viewer can alter the appearance of each cube, customizing their own version of the object. The images show two people moving towards each other to kiss. They capture the moment of the kiss and the excitement leading up to it, that split second before their lips touch, filled with emotions that everyone can understand. The figures depicted have imaginary physical traits: the main emphasis is on disability and mental distress, with the purpose of accentuating the value of diversity and the unifying, unbranded feeling of love.
Memento (2023)
Whitewashed Tombs is an art project in the making, within which the participatory action "175" and the painting "MEmento" are currently featured.
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth.28 So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness" Mt 23:27-32.
Drawing inspiration from this Bible passage, Mela saw parallels with Julian Assange's extradition case. Assange was condemned for exposing the putrid hypocrisy of a moralistic imperialism that asserts full authority over the economies and destinies of other regions.
Dafne Crocella per ArtPlatform
But everything about Me(la) is a mystery.
Following extensive research in the area, meeting and interviewing the locals and using an anthropological approach, Mela’s inquiry has ultimately focused on the significance of inhabiting a place, resulting in a lively portrayal of Chia, Italy. She presents us with the portrait of a timeless little town visually enclosed in a QR code. This directly alludes to the efforts made by governments to define, confine, and authorize or restrict movements during the COVID period. A QR code which fails to capture our complex identity by only including a few registry and health data, and neglecting all the poetic aspects that make us unique. A binary code trying to categorize our lives, choices, and desires with a simple "yes" or "no".
Dafne Crocella per ArtPlatform
