/Melissa J. Shaak
@melissajshaak
Melissa Shaak
Undercover
Inspired by: Phyllis Galembo, Atam Masquerader
video (click here to watch)
0:03:22
2023
Phyllis Galembo’s “Atam Masquerader” is a highly evocative and inspiring image, with an elaborately costumed figure shown in relation to a natural environment. In the video “Undercover,” the figure is also costumed, but in a minimal way, and set in a natural but more elaborately sculpted environment. In each piece there is a sense of ritual, and a tool or stake related to that purpose. One is a still image and the other moving, but both visually convey elements of mystery, magic, and the potential for transformation.
@melissajshaak, /melissajshaak
Melissa Shaak
Intercoastal
video, 0:03:35
3:35 min
2023
The artist personifies a seeker whose exertions reveal a deep desire to connect interior and exterior worlds. She appears alone in a landscape, with objects that don’t fit the scene. Her movements are improvised, authentic responses to a contrived and illogical situation. In this way she offers a paradigm of the artistic process and a reminder that we are all seekers in this world. The video was filmed at Rafe’s Chasm in Gloucester, MA.
@melissajshaak