Marcelo de Melo

Marcelo José de Melo (born 23 January 1972) is a Brazilian artist. He was born in Apucarana, Paraná, and lives and works in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. (Naturalised British in 2003).

Marcelo de Melo has been living in Europe since 1996. In Brazil, he worked in the theatre as a professional actor, lighting designer, and stage manager. He took part in several productions for Teatro Guaíra, in Curitiba. Since his arrival in Europe he developed a keen interest in mosaic art. From 1998 to 2005, he was based in Edinburgh, Scotland, where he carried out most of his mosaic production. He is best known for his 'structural mosaic technique' (tesserae used as structural elements as well as surface embellishment). Two of his structural works received awards: ''Running Rug'' received the Juror's Prize at the SAMA - Earth Elements Exhibition in Miami in 2003 and ''Low Tech High Res'' received a ''Picassiette Prix'' in Chartres, France in 2016. De Melo travelled worldwide visiting museums and archaeological sites in pursuit of his passion for mosaics and art in general. He went on a study trip to Southeast Asia in 2002/2003 and produced an article on mosaic art in Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam published in ''Grout Magazine'' (BAMM - UK). He has exhibited in several countries including Brazil, France, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the US. Several of his works have been featured in books and magazines worldwide. His production is varied, ranging from sculptures to installation art. In 2017, de Melo had the opportunity to exhibit alongside Lucio Fontana and Mirko Basaldella at the Museo d'Arte della città di Ravenna.

His book ''De Kunst van het Mozaieken'' (), jointly written with a Dutch mosaicist, was published in the Netherlands in January 2010 by Forte Uitgevers BV.

"In the irreverent world of Marcelo de Melo, mosaics are a launching point for his ideas and perceptions. Pushing the boundaries of traditional techniques, de Melo uses materials only as a means to an end, that end being the impassioned request to stimulate the viewer to the thoughts beyond the physical piece." (JoAnn Locktov)

"With a strongly cultivated and eclectic training, he has translated into the language of mosaic […] a view permeated with the denunciation of contemporaneity, with an increasingly social and, at the same time, fiercely ironic and sacrilegious style. De Melo’s ''modus operandi'' is close, as an artistic practice, to the expressive and poetic line of other Brazilian artists such as Vik Muniz or to the designers Humberto and Fernando Campanha in the valorisation and experimental and symbolic use of raw and recycled materials […] perceived as waste, yet elevated to the level of artistic material, while maintaining their quality and history." (Sabina Ghinassi) Provided by Wikipedia