Born and raised in Los Angeles, Melody Melamed received her BFA from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2008, with a concentration in Design|Media Arts, followed by her MFA in Photography, Video and Related Media in 2013, at the School of Visual Arts, New York City. As a photographer, Melamed has dedicated her time to exploring the perception of gender identity, sexuality, the duality of masculinity vs. femininity, and what the body cannot tell about the expression of gender and gender identity.

The Book of Skin: Shangri-la.

Shangri-la; a remote beautiful imaginary place where life approaches perfection: Utopia.

When we speak about euphoria, what do we seek? A sensation? A feeling in the body, in the mind? Perhaps both. How does our identity define our sense of euphoria, and what do our bodies, our skins tell us about who we are and how strong we stand within ourselves?

The skin and its body are akin to the eyes of the soul; and what if we considered the vast, awe inspiring nature that subtly mimics and mirrors the relationships between our bodies, our skins and itself? What can this nature teach us about ourselves, our identities, our nature – are we not just the same? Our queer bodies mimic and mirror natures perfectionism as a reminder to us: we are connected to and come from its core. Within natures ever evolving euphoria, we are called up to find our own. The dirt, the valleys and the trees expand perfectly into what they are meant to be, and seemingly without any mistakes. The seasons change, the mountains spread and the seas manoeuvre according to their nature. Despite change, these thrive, even within peril, it all survives. Aren’t we an extension of all its parts? We are made of the same soil and we expand and evolve into our own Shangri-la. Here, there are no mistakes. This is the kind of euphoria where no matter who we are or how we are, we are affirmed, we are valid and true.