Melissa Leandro 5 minute Drift presents the work of Chicago-based artist Melissa Leandro as she reflects on personal familial and cultural realities that coalesce experiences from her everyday life
and family histories. Leandro’s exhibition introduces a hodgepodge of domestic vignettes through the use of woven, quilted and embroidered textiles, uniquely upholstered furniture, collaged plastic tablecloths and plaster sculptures created by Leandro and her father. Her practice is shaped by past experiences and relationships; specifically family memories of her mother working as a
housekeeper in Miami, Florida; her grandfather’s farm house in Costa Rica; and her father’s living as a construction worker and builder. Through the process of cyanotype printing and drawing
techniques, Leandro documents her present day collecting of souvenirs, knick-knacks, and natural detritus during her travels within and outside of the U.S. She considered the ephemeral nature
of personal objects, both treasured and disposable, and seeks to recognize how they shape her sense of identity.