JAN MELKA - A SPACE BETWEEN SHAPE AND SYMBOL.
The Paris-based artist discusses her evolving point of view.
4/10 (glass series) - 120 x 80cm - acrylic on plexiglass, 2022.
Your focus on the human body is fascinating - can you explain why you return to this reference?
I see the canvas as a blank, shadowy space in which I can project and get rid of any interior feelings I have. It’s easier for me to humanize those feelings on the canvas. The structure of bodies has become more and more abstract in my recent pieces. I became bored by the roundness and felt like deconstructing the shapes. The idea of repetition is still very present, but the movement floats in a new way. I still see human shapes twisting around themselves, but when I take a step back the only body I see is mine.
2/10 (glass series) - 120 x 80cm - acrylic on plexiglass, 2022.
The structure of a house is another reference within your work that you return to - why is this?
I actually see my houses as bodies, interior bodies. When lockdown began in March 2020, during the first weeks of captivity and global horror, I was in the middle of a break-up and a new, secret love affair. The first house was a reaction to how torn up I felt. It was a safe place of protection where I could read my heart and live inside my paintings for the first time.
In fact, the first house was made out of canvases. I literally put together 6 cardboard paintings that were meant to be on the wall. I wanted the paintings to have a role in the space and not just serve as decor.
Then I fell in love with the shape and symbol and began to make more serious houses. They became an obsession and a way of testing materials and colors made with the urge to create in a state of emergency as a kind of shield.
‘Refuge House’ - mixed media, 100 x 120 x 180cm - by Jan Melka and Joseph Melka.
The relationship that you have with your family is very important to you - Your American mother and your French father - how do you feel these different cultures have shaped you?
Having a foreign parent gave me insight for sure. I grew up seeing my mother being treated like a tourist in Paris, an outsider, even though her American-accented French is fine. My father is French, but he had his own issues because he was born in Algeria. His family didn’t move to Paris until he was seven years old. My parents never put any weight on us, but we could still feel questions of identity. It's in our blood and lifestyle. My parents have a special way of seeing the world and they made sure I was aware of my own. I grew up in a very creative little nest and was taught to welcome feelings, to cherish them and speak and create with them.
My brother and I are in love with our parents. They are our favorite people in the world, and we feel so lucky.
I know you love Mexico - can you explain your relationship with this country and why it is important to you?
I first visited Mexico in 2017 for a painting job and didn’t think much of it before I arrived.
Mexico City was a major cultural love shock for me. Above all I appreciated the feeling of surprise. I began large scale painting for the fist time there with no reference to what I had done previously. I became passionate about Mexican culture and pre-Columbian civilizations. This was the first time I felt connected to an energy coming from a particular place. Later on, I found out that my father experienced a similar awakening there when he was about my age. You can see the influence in his art and I probably felt this familiarity there. So Mexico has become a second home. I return each year to paint.
Please can you tell us about the work you are currently undertaking?
Right now I'm focusing on two series of paintings: One is more abstract, I just binge on any movements I can do with my own body. The intention is to explore this bigger persona I have become. It’s less detailed, more like a series of human-sized gestures on canvas.
The other series is more psychological. I use warmer and deeper tones in charcoal and oil. My engagement here is more mental than physical. I’m painting mostly on the floor without a frame and I use a lighter fabric. I like to show these on windows, floating on walls, or in the middle of a space. Transparence and light are important here because they transmit a feeling of life.
These series communicate with each other despite their differences. They respond to each other and I feel very comfortable working on both simultaneously.
Jan Melka photographed by Gemma Janes, Paris.
Jan Melka will present new work at Colobo’s - 50 Rue Chapon 75003 Paris - 22 June 2023.