Her art only lasts a matter of seconds. Brazilian artist Nele Azevedo has been labeled a street artist, sculptor, and monument designer best known for her “melting men”. Her ice sculptures of thousands of faceless tiny people have been staged on stairways all over the world. They are part of her “Minimum Monument” Project, or anti-monument as she sometimes calls it, an ongoing series that has toured to Brazil, Havana, Tokyo, Paris, Firenze and Berlin since 2001. Most recently, they appeared in Chamberlain Square, Birmingham commemorating the 100th anniversary of WW1. The experience of her art begins as they melt, signifying fallen war heroes or simply reminding us of how fleeting life can be. Every figure is touched by the hand of the artist or the passerby who helped her place in there, making each one personal in spite of their anonymity.
