What you see at first are clear colours, unblended, in infinite variations, bright shining in defined borders red against blue, yellow against green on monochrome backgrounds, that offer a theatrical stage, negating perspective space, in which the artist begins his work. All Forms are reduced and definit.
He paints flowers, trees, the sun is a stylised circle in the sky, man and woman pose in erotical postures, they smile, dance, laugh, are without fear.
Leslie De Melo was born in Dar-es-Salaam, in Tanzania, grew up in India came to Vienna, studied sculpture at the academy of fine arts under Prof. Franz Xaver Ölzant. 1992 he graduated with distinction. The list of exhibitions to his credit is long imposing, he took part in various art symposions, received scholarship to Chicago, from the Ministry of Arts in Austria. Many of his works are in private and public collections.
The artist works in different Media. He uses the pencil to sketch for his paintings, and at the same time drawings form an authenthic media on their own see Fox-Trott. They are also used as part of installations ”Paper is Patient”. His works as a sculptor are in different materials – wood, iron, plaster of paris, stone. He creates installations in which observation, dream, memory, desire, reality as a basis are used to create the artistic statement.
The question that arises regarding the ornaments and symbols that the artist uses is to where are their origins? Africa? India?
I resume that they arise from an ancient source that allows one to go back to the basics of love and affection, a state transcending borders, giving mankind direct approach to emotional states nuturing spiritual longing.
Angelica Bäumer | artjournalist and author