Honed to Irrelevant Shine

April 3 to May 10, 2025

Arprim, Montreal

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All Honed to Irrelevant Shine A provisional vista Phase III Triptych Nonsuch There are no walls, only shimmering membranes Absolute history delaminate Fragments Over the Horizon Public Works Columns and Foundation Standing Still/ Lunch Time Greetings from Knoxville

Honed to Irrelevant Shine A provisional vista Phase III Triptych Nonsuch There are no walls, only shimmering membranes Absolute history delaminate Fragments Over the Horizon Public Works Columns and Foundation Standing Still/ Lunch Time Greetings from Knoxville

Architecture is not merely a backdrop for humanity, but a reflection of its values, illusions and desires. In this perspective, visual artist Morgan Melenka chose to title her exhibition Honed to Irrelevant Shine, a reference to the essay Junkspace by emblematic 21st-century architect Rem Koolhaas. In his essay, Koolhas challenges contemporary architecture’s incessant pursuit of perfection, in which the shine of novelty often masks an underlying frailness. These notions seem directly in tune with Melenka’s work, which explores and deconstructs building materials to invite critical reflection on the architecture’s many façades.

For Melenka, contemporary architecture often turns to flashy materials to give the appearance of wealth. Her work as an artist consists in carefully observing her environment, thereby revealing a different reality, made up of thin bricks, polystyrene arches and brass railings. Devoid of all nobility, these materials become but a shadow of their boasted splendour. The artist thus invites us to question the way architecture can be used to fashion a superficial reality—a mirror—that reflects a deceitful grandeur. This body of work explores these concepts in three interconnected but distinct sections.

The first consists in a series of silkscreen prints inspired by photo collages of buildings that are part of Melenka’s daily life. After meticulously cutting several stencils by hand, she uses a subtle layering of colour in order to build her own vintage palette of nostalgic hues following precise recipes. Through these prints, she is able to realistically render architectural materials as part of abstract tableaux, sublimated by the sleekness of their composition.

The second section is an exploration of Formica, a plastic laminate that the artist transforms into works of art. The paintings presented by Melenka are lined with this synthetic material, which she cuts with great precision to reveal architectural outlines inspired by building elements from her prints. Layered on top of each other, these distilled geometrical shapes generate a visual image of great beauty.

The last section of the exhibition consists of small sculptures resembling scale models for commissioned public art projects, whose elegance and ingenuity are reminiscent of Alexander Calder’s work. Made up of curved metal rods framing panes of printed acrylic fabric, these slender brick trompe l’œils have an incredible lightness about them despite their robust structure.

Rich with symbolism and texture, the esthetic refinement of Morgan Melenka’s creations—although they are inspired by affordable building materials—highlights the impact of “low-cost” architecture on how we perceive the world around us. Her critical outlook questions the consequences of such constructions on future generations and the way these buildings will shape our collective memory. In this perspective, the artist has chosen to pursue her studies towards a master’s degree in architecture, a curriculum that will surely enrich her reflection as part of future public art projects.

Exhibition text by Sabine Lecorre-Moore