Melonie Mulkey V. 2

Melonie Mulkey is a conceptual photographer who has exhibited across the United States and internationally in Italy. She has lectured at institutions such as the University of Notre Dame and South Bend Museum of Art. Recent exhibitions include Space-Millepiani in Rome, Moreau Gallery at St. Mary's College in Notre Dame, The Colfax Cultural Center in South Bend, Indiana, South Bend Museum of Art, Midwest Museum of American Art in Elkhart, Indiana, and Fort Wayne Museum of Art in Indiana. Melonie’s awards include an Artist Stipend Award at South Bend Museum of Art, Eugene M. Riley Memorial Prize in Photography, Honorarium Awards from Indianapolis Art Center and Lightbox Gallery as well as grants from University of Colorado in Denver and University of Notre Dame. 

The photographs of Melonie Mulkey portray hand-crafted miniature dioramas of quaint interiors and conceptual scenic occurrences contained within these small theatrical set designs. Melonie’s art is not just based on photography but also on an elaborate artform of miniaturized set design which contain iconography based on subject matter such as apparitions, theology, the confinement of the Covid-19 pandemic through dollhouse-like construction, and mental health. Inside such a tiny world, the viewer will be taken on a journey of toy-like structures and furniture within constructed interiors which convey conceptual imagery such as colored lights emanating from doors suggesting paranormal occurrences or vines swallowing a space. 

These installations represent grand theatrics with dramatic shadow and strategic lighting which are often suggestive and bring certain subjects contained within these interiors to become focal points. Melonie’s photography sometimes captures just portions of these constructed spaces, as if the viewer were a mouse exploring a dollhouse. The invocation of exploration remains consistent throughout her works as her camera guides us around corners, angular distortions, depth of field, and capturing of subjects from above and below for us to discover the amazement in such a miniaturized realm of discovery. Many of the photographs could be mistaken for capturing of real interiors which conveys a testament to the production values of these hand-constructed elaborate scenes. 

Memory, Will, & Intellect (pictured above) contains a photograph of a scene reflective of paranormal activity and suggestive of apparitions. The photograph contains three doorways revealing ominous lights emanating from an unknown source amidst a room of darkness. Some similar photographs are more suggestive of ghostly influences, however Memory, Will, & Intellect remains slightly more subtle and is a more recent work. 

Melonie Mulkey reveals a miniaturized world of interiors constructed in a manner similar to dollhouses conveying conceptual inclinations on various topics. Her use of iconography and strategic props of windows, drapery, light, and shadow reveal dramatic foreshadowing and ominous forecasting of untold events and narratives. Melonie can be described as an investigative artist who invokes numerous mysterious occurrences challenging the viewer to solve the puzzles of conceptual representation and metaphor. She guides us through theatrical displays which communicate symbolism on personalized topics and encourages the viewer to explore the meaning behind her directed props and strategic lighting.

https://meloniemulkey.com