More installation shots courtesy of @blouindivision .
It seems to me that when we give ourselves time to stay still and hold space by ourselves, our most authentic versions begin to take permanent form in our physical expressions. It may not seem like much to those not paying close attention, but it’s the subtle expressions that make one’s character so unique. These 2 works are my personal favorite representation of that observation.
1. The Lady In Yellow, 2022 Oil on canvas
24h x 18w in
2. MF DOOM and Gloom, 2022
Oil on Canvas
60h x 54w in
For availability, contact @lindsay_jarvis@blouindivision
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#jaemelo #newyorkartist #artistofinstagram #nycpainters #creativeart #portraitpainting #iconicportraits #afrolatino #dominican #afrolatinoartist #realism #modernart #nycportraitartist #expochicago
🎨 Step into the world of @jaemelo —an artist you NEED to know. 👀
When a trusted collector raved about Jeffrey to us, we had to see for ourselves. Hidden away in his NYC basement studio, we found an artist whose work is as bold as it is deeply personal. Drawing from his upbringing in the very neighborhood where he now creates, Jeffrey’s art is a powerful reflection of identity, history, and representation.
His work embodies Thelma Golden’s post-black concept—rejecting stereotypes and celebrating the complexity of Black culture. Through his pieces, he challenges perceptions of race, gender, sexuality, and class, bringing untold stories into the light. His commitment to representation is unwavering, making space for voices too often left unheard.
Pay attention, because Jeffrey Melo is just getting started. ✨
Comment MELO and we’ll DM you the link to watch a free preview!
Credits:
Director: @andydunninsta
Camera Assistant: @wethewencks
Social Media: @tinyambitions
#watchseenart #jeffreymelo #blackartwork #emergingartists #artiststudio #artistinterview #nycartists #nycart #representationalart
A little surprise in my mailbox the other day from @newamericanpaintings ! I’m honored to have been included in the latest edition 🌟🙏🏽🌟🙏🏽❤️🌟
Please join us tonight for the opening of Ameyn, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Jeffrey Melo, opening May 15, 2026, with a reception from 6–8 pm and on view through June 28, 2026. In Ameyn, Melo situates faith within a landscape of profound instability—shaped by crisis, repetition, and emotional fatigue. This body of work emerges from global conflict - the widening U.S. military engagement in Iran, the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, alongside rising domestic turmoil marked by intensified ICE raids and enforcement actions that have raised alarm over racial profiling and civilian deaths. Against this backdrop, the work reflects on how individuals locate themselves within uncertainty and strive to sustain a sense of steadiness over time.
McBride/Dillman presents “Ameyn”, a new series from Jeffrey Melo
May 15, 2026 - June 28, 2026
@jaemelo@mcbride_dillman
Preview: 3-5p
Reception: 6-8p
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From Official Press Release:
In Ameyn, Melo situates faith within a landscape of instability shaped by crisis, repetition, and emotional fatigue. The work emerges in response to escalating global conflict, from U.S. military engagement in Iran to the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, as well as intensifying domestic unrest marked by aggressive ICE enforcement. Against this backdrop, the paintings consider how individuals locate steadiness within uncertainty, and what it means to endure over time.
A first-generation Dominican immigrant, Melo grounds this inquiry in lived experience. His subjects, which are people of color, often women and children, foreground communities whose vulnerability and resilience are most acutely felt in periods of upheaval. Their gestures of prayer (hands pressed, heads bowed, palms lifted) become quiet acts of negotiation between control and surrender.
For all inquiries email Ashley at [email protected]
Ameyn by Jeffrey Melo
Ameyn situates faith within a continuous state of instability shaped by crisis, repetition, and
emotional fatigue. The work draws from a shared condition, focusing on how people locate
themselves within ongoing uncertainty and sustain a sense of coherence over time.
The paintings focus on bodies in prayer as sites of response. Hands pressed together, heads
lowered, palms lifted. Each gesture processes pressure through the body, holding control and
release at once. These positions register a search for structure while carrying the weight of
instability.
Context is reduced so attention holds on gesture, light, and duration. Light stabilizes the figure
and sets a contained space. Surface carries pressure through abrasion, buildup, and
interruption, with quieter passages opening into moments of clarity. These shifts track
fluctuation, where intensity and stillness move in close proximity.
Prayer operates here as repeated behavior shaped by need and condition. It organizes thought,
absorbs fear, redirects attention, and registers strain. Each return to the gesture marks an
attempt to hold form within changing circumstances.
Across the work, repetition produces a pattern of endurance. The paintings follow how these
actions accumulate over time, marking the effort to remain intact and to continue reaching
beyond the immediate condition.
Il tetto di Shin, 2026
68x48
oil on linen
Ameyn, May 15
Courtesy of @mcbride_dillman
Upcoming:
JEFFREY MELO 
Ameyn 
May 15 - June 28, 2026 
Opening Reception: May 15, 2026, 6-8 PM
McBride / Dillman is pleased to present Ameyn, a solo exhibition of new paintings by Jeffrey Melo, opening May 15, 2026, with a reception from 6–8 pm, and on view through June 28, 2026.
In Ameyn, Melo situates faith within a landscape of instability shaped by crisis, repetition, and emotional fatigue. The work emerges in response to escalating global conflict—from U.S. military engagement in Iran to the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza—as well as intensifying domestic unrest marked by aggressive ICE enforcement. Against this backdrop, the paintings consider how individuals locate steadiness within uncertainty, and what it means to endure over time.
Read the press release here:
/jeffrey-melo-ameyn
A man with many faces has but one story to tell.
His own.
Thank you to all of those who have helped me tell my story. Through photographs, film, literature, conversation, etc.
It’s time to contribute to the next chapter.
More to come.
Week of art,sun, and growth. To feel energized and rejuvenated by our community in the arts is a privilege that we as participants of the art world shouldn’t take for granted. Congrats to all of the artist, galleries, and everyone who had a successful art week in Miami. Cheers to a great week at Art Basel and all of the exceptional fairs.
Now it’s back to the studio!
#artbasel #miamiartweek #explorepageًًً
