ART

Mer-Eye

The Mer-Eye series comprises experimental photographs taken from a submerged vantage point, looking up at the surface from below. An exploration of the parts of our identities which are not necessarily visible externally, Mer-Eye particularly explores the experience of bisexuality, subverting bisexual invisibility through depicting images located in the colourful, fluid, unfiltered, organic, midsts of identity. 35mm film photographs, treated by hand causing the leaking of emulsions, result in washes of purple and amorphous shapes, embraced and exposed without digital editing.

Deep / Dive

Deep / Dive

Deep / Dive

Dream / State

Dream / State

Dream / State

Forever / Fluid

Forever / Fluid

Forever / Fluid

Identity / Leak

Identity / Leak

Identity / Leak

Inner / World

Inner / World

Inner / World

Un / Dressed

Un / Dressed

Un / Dressed

Artist Statement

Influenced by surrealism and interested in abstraction, my practice employs experimental photography and mixed-media techniques primarily to self-reflect. Drawn to all things analogue, I combine film photography with alchemic processes to disrupt the development process and physically alter the resulting images. I also layer photographic images with other media to alter them post-development. Central to my process is working with the dual forces of intention and chaos. I deliberately affect chemical emulsions and apply media which cause unpredictable results. These include light leaks, texture, polychromatic colour, and amorphous shapes. I opt not to digitally edit, preferring a tactile approach, organic outcomes, and to embrace aberrations. This approach facilitates emergent meaning, allowing for symbols, patterns, and narratives to be interpreted post hoc by both myself as the artist and viewer. Themes I explore include personal experiences of emotion states, identity, bisexuality, perception (including synesthesia), and existentialism. I hope to evoke introspection and invite open-ended interpretation rather than prescriptive meaning.

Sign up to my mailing list

I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the unceded lands and waters where I work and live, the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation. I pay my respects to Elders past, present, and future, and celebrate the ongoing art, storytelling, and cultural traditions that have been practised on this land by one of the oldest cultures on the planet.

 © 2025 - Melanie Skyers

Sign up to my mailing list

I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the unceded lands and waters where I work and live, the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation. I pay my respects to Elders past, present, and future, and celebrate the ongoing art, storytelling, and cultural traditions that have been practised on this land by one of the oldest cultures on the planet.

 © 2025 - Melanie Skyers

Sign up to my mailing list

I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the unceded lands and waters where I work and live, the Wurundjeri People of the Kulin Nation. I pay my respects to Elders past, present, and future, and celebrate the ongoing art, storytelling, and cultural traditions that have been practised on this land by one of the oldest cultures on the planet.

 © 2025 - Melanie Skyers