Manifesto of Role Play (2024)
Emma Mella
157 x 20''
Prose Poem on Print
This works are personal and intimate. Paper and fibers, as natural and gentle materials, play a significant role in my “writing sculptures”. Like any artist and writer, the discussion of identities is a recurring theme in my works and ideas. Growing up in an East Asian country with a mixed cultural, multilingual background, I constantly ponder the question, Who am I? This introspection drives me to observe the nuances of people and develop sensitivity to my surroundings, reflecting on how humans, as social animals, interact with each other and their milieu.
In Manifesto of Roleplay, I reflect on performance as an art form, attempting to answer questions about the self. As an artist, I often feel stuck, returning to ruminations on existence. Before exposing my face in performance, I needed to contemplate its essence. Humans perform daily, with our identities and personalities contributing to the roles we play in different situations. This inspired me to explore my personas and the connection between my roleplaying behaviors and my spiritual self.
Emma Mella is a mixed-media artist and writer who works with writings and sculptures. Born in 2004, in Shenzhen, China, she was immersed in both traditional Chinese and Filipino cultures, shaping her heritage in art and literature. Her multicultural and multilingual background provides her with a distinctive perspective on ideas and art.
Studying at New York University has offered her new ways to explore the meaning of life and the existence of self. Cultural conflicts, language barriers, and manmade concepts have driven her to reflect on what individuals—and artists—can contribute to the humanities and the world. Her studies in Sociology, Mathematics, and Linguistics allow her to view art as a pivotal medium for communication, incorporating interdisciplinary approaches to explore language as humanity's first step toward understanding itself.
Having experienced both identity politics and the monocultural tendencies of the West and East, Mella often finds herself navigating the chasm between these worlds. This has led to moments of confusion and existential crisis, sparking her broad interest in a wide range of subjects. Influenced by literature and mythology, her artworks reflect her journey as a seeker of knowledge. From her early explorations of the body and cultural myths to her current focus on language, her practice encompasses not only written language but also visual literacy.
Mella's future path as an artist and writer is centered on continuing her exploration of writing sculptures, merging disciplines to create works that challenge and inspire.
Artist Statement
Languages, as the medium we all use to understand the world, connect every aspect of my life—as an individual, an artist, a writer, and a social observer. As an artist, I draw on both visual and literal language to express my philosophy of life. Coming from a mixed cultural background and still navigating the process of understanding my identity, I embrace the complexity of humanity, the richness of cultural diversity, and the experimentation with materials and ideas in my practice. I consume words, texts, and concepts through writing and translate them into visual expression. Working as a multidisciplinary artist with installations and sculptures, I often think of my art-making as "sculpting writing." Writing, to me, like language itself, carries a distinctive texture—it is knitting, drawing, handcrafting, thinking, and feeling.
Passionate about challenging norms and breaking rules, I reflect deeply on formats, mediums, and modes of expression. In many of my projects, I focus on condensing intricate ideas into forms that engage audiences, emphasizing how concepts and visuality interact. As a Filipino-Chinese individual living in the United States, with experiences of immersion in various cultures, my work explores the coexistence of "others" and "us." Through varied materials and thoughtful processes, I investigate accessibility—not only how ideas are made approachable but also how they resonate with audiences. For example, in exploring how the accessibility of my work allows audiences to connect with the ideas behind it, I often integrate diverse forms of text and visuals to foster a broader dialogue.