Paul Melhado is a West-Indian born artist of Portuguese descent, who lives and works in New York. He works primarily with large format cameras 4×5 to 12×20, in traditional darkroom black and white process. Mr. Melhado holds an MFA degree and is an educator himself. Mr. Melhado’s work has been presented in countless publications, scores of exhibitions and is widely collected by individuals and institutions such as the Museum of the City of New York and the Samuel Dorsky Museum. He is a former 2002 Photography Institute Fellow (his cohort includes Lalla Essaydi,) and has received a number of grants for his landscape work. Mr. Melhado’s work can be seen in the current edition of The Hopper Magazine.
The Difficulties of Being
I don’t take pictures, I make photographs. My photographs are an attempt to understand and organize my existence. To put into the world some record of my being, some manifestation of my experiences and the sensation of passing through life. Today everyone takes pictures, as such photography is at risk of becoming the most banal an meaningless of human activity. I still see great magic in the medium and the process, in which I engage in the fullest by means of a large-format camera. I still believe in photography’s power to show us ourselves, to connect us to each other and to enhance our understanding of the human condition.
To view more of Paul Melhado’s work please visit his website.