Marcelino Melo

Marcelino Melo (b. 1994, Carneiros, Brazil), also known as Nenê or Quebradinha, is a visual artist, photographer, and educator based in São Paulo. Born in the sertão of Alagoas and raised in the city’s southern periferia, Melo's practice centers on memory, territory, and resistance. Inspired by Quarto de Despejo by Carolina Maria de Jesus, he documents marginalized landscapes and narratives through a sertanejo and favelado lens. His work spans photography and multidisciplinary approaches, challenging dominant narratives and proposing decentralized ways of seeing. Melo’s art is rooted in the periphery—as both origin and destination—reflecting emotional, political, and ancestral layers of experience.