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Artist Bio

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Melanie Carlos is a Visual Artist based in New Jersey, working with oil paintings, printmaking, found materials and multimedia. Carlos’ work examines modern America's political system by using metaphors of the animal kingdom and it’s interwoven instinctual brutality to relate to American’s relations with their community and peers. Her work has been exhibited in student-led exhibitions at Montclair University, including the Juried Exhibitions of  Spring 2025 and Fall 2026. She received an award of recognition for an Outstanding Thesis Project in Integrative Studio III. Carlos is completing a BA in Visual Arts, with a Minor in Psychology and a Concentration in Education. She is currently developing a website to present and sell her work.

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Artist Statement

I create oil paintings, printmaking, found materials and mixed media pieces that examine American social constructs and their anti-inclusive policies through a satirical lens. I zoom in on issues relating to queer representation, classism, human exceptionalism, and feminism. I use the creatures in the animal kingdom to create visual metaphors based on folklore. I often make human hybrids that resemble the interactions between the animals in the animal kingdom and compare them to different social hierarchies and their intersections with one another. I research animals' modern and historical backgrounds, diving into their uses in rituals and symbolism in different cultures to drive my storytelling narratives and relate them to human qualities. I compare the cycle of the animal kingdom to classism and the idea that the brutality of man follows a similar ciclicalness of repetitiveness and endlessness of the structure of the food chain. I often use vibrant, bold, complementary colors and stylization that align with folklore stories to invite viewers into my works by creating a feeling of whimsical nature and lightheartedness. By doing this I aim to invite individuals who would not typically engage with views opposing their own into my works to spark internal narratives and reflection within the audience. To increase engagement, I use size and loose canvas to create works that take up space and create installation forms to draw people into my work. The loose canvas also allows me to construct forms and helices that contribute to the narrative of cycles and repetitiveness. I am currently looking to expand my artistic horizons to create works that my audience can have for themselves for them to be able to spread their political stances through art.
 

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Melanie Carlos

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