Melanie Berardicelli

Artist Statement

How do you move on from the loss of a loved one?

Devastated after the untimely passing of my older brother in 2020, I searched for answers to my questioning faith and comfort for my never-ending grief. It was by fate that I stumbled upon Paul Koudounaris’s Heavenly Bodies: Cult Treasures and Spectacular Saints from the Catacombs.

I was utterly enthralled with the glittering Roman Martyr Catacomb Saints of the German-speaking countries; there lied the promise of the riches of heaven, and an answer to honoring the dead. I admired the tireless dedication of the nuns who clothed and bejeweled the skeletal remains of Christian martyrs from 100 AD with their own rings and gems. Combining my love of anatomy and sculpture with the ornate, I hand-tailor, embroider, and bead costumes to both adorn my resin-cast skeletal écorchés to recreate twenty-four-inch Roman Martyr Catacomb Saints and emulate the sacrifice and devotion of the nuns. Through painting and embroidery on canvas, I re-imagine what these saints looked like during their lifetimes, giving them back their identities and re-christening them after the heroic people that I have known in my life.