Puerto Rico-born, Chicago-based artist Isabella Mellado is challenging traditional Christian concepts of sin through her mystical oil paintings that celebrate desire and transgression. In her latest exhibition "7 Pecados" (Seven Sins), Mellado presents a vivid collection of works that reject Catholic guilt in favor of embracing what many consider moral failings as essential aspects of human nature.
Mellado's artistic practice centers on magical realism, drawing heavily from tarot symbolism and occult imagery to explore themes of queer identity and Latinidad. Her work fundamentally questions Western religious strictures, particularly asking viewers to reconsider how behaviors like laziness, gluttony, and lust might be viewed not as wrongs to avoid, but as empowering and fundamentally human experiences.
The artist's creative process begins with carefully staged photography sessions where she and her collaborators dress in witch-like garments and gather around fires or bodies of water. These participants hold tarot cards or chalices while communing in these mystical settings. These photographs then serve as source material for Mellado's large-scale paintings, which transform the already magical scenes into even more dreamy and mysterious visual narratives.
Central to Mellado's artistic vision is the creation of alternative spiritual spaces where figures can freely revel in pleasure without shame or judgment. Her painted characters take on the roles of witches and conjurers – anonymous figures hidden behind disguises yet boldly engaged in acts of personal empowerment. This approach directly counters Western religious traditions like Christianity, which Mellado sees as leaving little room for identities and behaviors that don't conform to established beliefs.
Mellado's previous exhibition "Te Diré Quien Eres" at Povos gallery in Chicago drew its central concept from a line in Miguel Cervantes' classic novel "Don Quijote de la Mancha": "Tell me who you surround yourself with, and I'll tell you who you are." This body of work similarly rejected shame around queerness and what society often considers monstrous, instead focusing on the intimate relationships that shape one's identity and the sacred spaces provided by covens.
The paintings in "7 Pecados" incorporate traditional tarot archetypes while reimagining the seven deadly sins. Works like "Pride (Temperance)" and "Lust (The Lovers)" blend tarot symbolism with sin concepts, while pieces featuring cards like "The High Priestess," "Two of Wands," "Three of Cups," "The Magician," and "Gluttony (The Emperor Midas)" further explore these themes of spiritual rebellion and self-empowerment.
Through her art, Mellado creates a visual language that speaks to those who have felt marginalized by traditional religious structures. Her work offers viewers an invitation into alternative spiritual spaces where pleasure, desire, and non-conforming identities are not only accepted but celebrated as sacred aspects of human experience.
