Néle Azevedo opens the freezer in her kitchen with the same reverence one might open a time capsule. Inside, delicate ice figures lie in wait, destined to meet their inevitable end. “Very fragile,” she observes as one shatters in her hand. “Like life,” she adds while talking to theworld.org, her voice carrying the weight of the impermanence she’s come to embrace – and celebrate.
The Brazilian artist, sculptor, and independent researcher has spent decades carving ephemeral masterpieces that disappear almost as soon as they’re created. Through her globally acclaimed Minimum Monument installations, Azevedo captures life’s fleeting nature while sounding a clarion call for climate awareness.
First unveiled in São Paulo in 2005, Minimum Monument features thousands of 20-centimeter-tall ice sculptures seated serenely in public spaces. They are faceless, anonymous, yet hauntingly human. Perched on steps and plazas, the figures melt into small puddles within minutes, drawing crowds that witness their quiet demise.
“It started as a critique of traditional monuments,” says Azevedo to thisiscollosal.com. “Instead of commemorating the ‘great’ with enduring stone or bronze, I wanted to honor the transient and the ordinary. To take into account the history of the defeated, the anonymous — to bring to light our mortal condition.”
But as the world grapples with the intensifying climate crisis, her melting figures have taken on a deeper, more urgent resonance. Each drip of water echoes the rapid disappearance of life as we know it. “We are not kings of nature,” she asserts. “We are nature.”
Poetry in ice
In her latest project, ‘Suspended State’, Azevedo takes her exploration of fragility to a new level. In her sunlit studio, ice figures dangle from the ceiling, spinning lazily as the sunlight kisses them. Below, bowls and pots amplify the sound of their melting – a tiny, watery orchestra.
“The sound is very important,” Azevedo explains in her conversation with thisiscollosal.com. “It invokes disappearance, connecting the subjective self to a collective consciousness.”
As the first droplets ping against the metal, she stands back, observing the fleeting performance. “This is to remind us of our mortality,” she says softly. “To remind ourselves that we all die. And by remembering that, perhaps, we can live better.”
In her latest project, ‘Suspended State’, Azevedo takes her exploration of fragility to a new level. In her studio, ice figures dangle from the ceiling, spinning lazily as the sunlight kisses them. Below, bowls and pots amplify the sound of their melting – a tiny, watery orchestra.
Fragility as a mirror
From her early work with iron sculptures in Rio de Janeiro to her Melting Men interventions in cities like Paris, Lima, and Belfast, Azevedo has always sought to provoke thought and evoke emotion. Her art is a mirror, reflecting not only the impermanence of human existence but also the precarious state of the planet.
“This urgency requires a paradigm shift,” she says. “Governments must abandon this unsustainable consumption model. We need to rethink our place on this planet – not as rulers, but as participants in its delicate balance.”
As the world grapples with the intensifying climate crisis, Azevedo’s melting figures have taken on a deeper, more urgent resonance. Each drip of water echoes the rapid disappearance of life as we know it. “We are not kings of nature,” she asserts. “We are nature.”
A legacy that melts
Azevedo’s installations, though fleeting, leave an indelible mark. The silent grace of her melting figures urges us to cherish each moment, to honor the fragility of life, and to confront the uncomfortable truths of our shared mortality.
Her work is not about permanence, but presence. Not about saving what cannot be saved, but appreciating it before it’s gone.
As we watch the last of her ice figures dissolve into a shimmering puddle, Azevedo’s words linger: “Life is short. Enjoy it before it melts.”
Pics courtesy: thisiscolossal.com
4 comments
Life is short. Enjoy it before it melts
Such an appropriate ending to this article
Such a well articulated piece by Navni Chawla
Dear Priyam ji, Thank you so much for your kind words! That truly means a lot.
We poured our heart into every line, and to know it resonated with you so deeply is the greatest reward.
Yes – life is short, tender, and ever-melting. Let’s keep celebrating it while it lasts.
With gratitude and warmth,
A Lotus in the Mud team
Life is as fragile as the “Ice Sculptures”, only one never is trained to think about it! – Malathi Shriyan
Thank you, Malathi for liking this article about ice sculptures.