MEL | Project space in Porto | second event
Opening Saturday November 23rd
from 6 to 8 pm
EARLYMADE CEDOFEITA
Rua do Rosário 235, 4050-524 Porto
MEL (a collaborative project by Monitor, Early Made, and Lehmann + Silva) is pleased to present, for this second event, a compelling dialogue between the works of Elisa Montessori (Genoa, Italy, 1931), Joana da Conceição (Rebordões, Portugal, 1981), and Dayana Lucas (Caracas, Venezuela, 1987). These three bodies of work, centered on the theme of nature, are showcased across MEL’s vitrine and basement.
MEL’s Vitrine: Lightness, transparency, and emptiness are central themes in Kew Gardens (2015), where large cellophane sheets, drawn on by the artist, are arranged to form a greenhouse-like structure (as quoted by Ilaria Gianni, 2016). For Elisa Montessori, drawing is an agile and versatile medium: it can unfold into a wide, airy flow that transitions into painting when stretched or can fold, tear, and crumple, engaging with space as volume and sculpture (excerpt from Davide Ferri’s essay, 2019).
MEL’s Basement: Dayana Lucas’ sculpture and Elisa Montessori’s book together form a poignant introduction to an intergenerational dialogue among artists reflecting on nature. Montessori’s book, gently but firmly resting on Lucas’ sculpture, becomes a striking metaphor for art supporting and amplifying other art—not merely as influences or echoes, but as mutual amplifiers of meaning and impact.
Dayana Lucas has long explored the symbiotic relationship between art and nature, integrating natural elements or evoking them through various media, including drawing, sculpture, installation, and performance. Her sculpture [table] (“Untitled”, 2022) features a base composed of two sinuous lines and bean-shaped glass top, emphasizing her fascination with the line as a foundational element, seamlessly transitioning from drawing to sculpture. This piece was previously exhibited in “Pulso [Pulse]” in Lisbon (2022), where it captured similar themes of fluidity and connection.
Elisa Montessori book Black and White (2016 – 2023), is one of a series of books and sketchbooks created by the artists over the years. Books have always been faithful companions to Montessori, a passionate reader and author of numerous publications. Her intimate relationship with literature and poetry has inspired works dedicated to women writers such as Emily Dickinson, Marianne Moore, and Ingeborg Bachmann. Her unique, handmade books mark significant moments in her artistic journey. For Montessori, the sheet of paper is a space for confessional engagement, an element she approaches freely, unbound by constraints. This one-on-one relationship unfolds in a writing-drawing continuum, composed of full and empty spaces, balancing abstraction and figuration. Page by page, her compositions weave together evocative narratives that invite a new way of observing the world.
Continuing in the basement, works of Joana da Conceição (paintings) and Elisa Montessori (sketchbooks) engage in a dialogue, again bridging generational divides through a shared exploration of natural themes. Joana da Conceição presents a series of works created between 2012 and 2019, and Elisa Montessori exhibits a series of sketchbooks created over the years.
Some of Joana da Conceição’s works presented here were featured in “Cores em Silêncio” at Galeria Lehmann + Silva, Porto (2018), and are inspired by natural elements such as cells, blood, and crystals. The artist applied a microscopic lens to Nature, bringing it to a macro scale for everyone to observe.
This selection of paintings goes beyond a simple micro/macro view of nature, offering an engaging interpretation of the pieces and Joana’s artistic trajectory. Most of these works align with what Gilles Deleuze describes in his book “Francis Bacon: Logique de la sensation” (1981, Éditions de la Différence) as the “diagram” in painting. According to Deleuze, the idiosyncratic diagram — the singular pictorial language of each artist and the way they organize their painting — destabilizes representational order and creates “zones of indiscernibility,” where new forms and sensations come to life.
In this selection, “Mundo Tripartido” a painting from 2012, is essential to the exhibition as a contrasting element. The intrinsic order of this painting prevents the diagram from functioning, creating a counterpoint to the other six works (from 2016 and later), where the diagram is fully realized. This juxtaposition not only allows for a contrast between pieces with and without the “diagram” but also highlights Joana’s evolution as an artist, who continues to develop her own visual language.