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Social media has become an inextricable part of our daily lives. It is present from the moment we wake up in the morning until we fall asleep at night with our phone in our hand. On average, we spend around 143 minutes a day on these digital platforms, or 2 hours and 23 minutes, according to data from consumer research platform GWI. In addition to posting, we consume social media to inform ourselves, communicate, entertain ourselves and make purchases.
But social networks are a double-edged sword, in the opinion of the Italian Marco Melgrati, famed for his illustrations featuring narcissistic characters, portrayed in a utopian way to gain everyone’s attention through likes.
Addiction and social isolation as negative consequences of the abuse of these platforms are also portrayed in his drawings. We can even turn into a Judas.
Not to mention the risks involved in “happily” sharing our data with the companies behind these networks.
Digital nomad
Melgrati, born in 1984 in Milan, has been passionate about drawing since childhood. For the artist, it is one of the best tools for learning about and exploring the world. Later, in 2006, he graduated from the Santa Giulia School of Fine Arts, and when it came time to find a job, he decided on illustration. It wasn’t easy at first, as his meagre income made it hard to cover expenses in a place like Italy, so he opted to become a digital nomad. He has lived in countries such as Mexico, Colombia, Thailand and Lithuania.
Today, he has almost half a million followers on Instagram and can boast of a long list of clients, including newspapers and magazines such as the Washington Times, The Economist, Billboard, Nature Magazine, GQ Magazine, Volkskrant, Politico, Variety Magazine, Corriere della sera, Marie Claire, Palm Angels, Money Magazine, Entrepreneur Magazine, Boston Globe and The Guardian, among others.
Critique loaded with sarcasm
Most of the artist’s works are commissioned by these media outlets, which is why they tend to reflect on cultural and social issues closely linked to current events. They portray the most depressing and dehumanising parts of modern life, but always with a sarcastic tone.
Aside from social media, his other favourite topics include politics, with critiques of the lies of representatives and their imperialist desires, as well as capitalism, the financial system, power and justice.
The role of women and gender equality in today’s society is another of the topics that Melgrati delves into through his infographics. For example, the destruction of women’s rights in the name of religion, illustrated by a man’s beard forming a niqab, usurping the woman’s face and voice.
Or denouncing the tragic case of Mahsa Amini in Iran, the young Kurdish woman who was arrested by the “morality police” for violating the Islamic dress code and who died in hospital hours after being tortured.
Violence is also a theme in the artist’s work as something that has been present throughout the history of humanity, as well as the debate on weapons.
Melgrati’s illustrations also make room for reflection on current technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, and concerns about whether robots will end up replacing humans.
Continuing the theme of changing roles, aliens are also featured, for example, visiting a group of humans in a zoo or dissecting a man’s body in an anatomy lesson. There are also aliens interacting with astronauts, and people who have not yet evolved from apes.
Creative process
When Melgrati works on a commission, the art directors of the media outlet he is collaborating with provide him with a summary of the concept they wish to convey. From there, he researches and creates the initial sketches by hand in a paper notebook, or directly on his tablet when deadlines are short and he has to work as quickly as possible. Once the client chooses their preferred image, he moves on to the final stage.
For the digital process, he uses programs such as Photoshop and Corel Painter with a digital tablet and stylus. But he also likes to work with traditional methods, such as oil and acrylics, particularly in his personal projects. For these, he tends to draw anything that catches his interest in the moment. In one way or another, the Italian artist reflects on modern problems from a perspective that is certainly dark, but always with an underlying thread of humour.