New York-based artist Marcelo Daldoce thinks beyond the conventional 2D canvas and brings it to life in a series of painted illusions. Primarily self-taught, he creates a puzzle of what's tactile and what's not by using a combination of folded paper and realistically-rendered figures. They exist among a dizzying array of patterns that are fractured into geometric shapes. Daldoce cleverly manipulates the paper into a sculptural element that casts shadows onto the image, as well as painting his own darkness into the picture. The result is an intriguing body of work that has us ponder the difference between real and imagined visual depth.
Daldoce's artworks have a surreal quality to them. In crafting his illusions, he separates limbs from bodies and transports them into environments where things appear trapped within the folds. The artist explains that this is meant to represent the old habits that we have; it's our duty to break these patterns and become a better version of ourselves.
