Mekia Machine for Bond & Grace

Artwork by Mekia Machine

The Frankenstein Art Collection The Frankenstein Art Novel Collection (2023) features 66 bespoke artworks representing more than a dozen mediums created in response to Frankenstein (1818) by Mary Shelley. This body of work offers arresting, intuitive, and romantic expressions of life and death with strong roots in both historical processes and revered legacies. Concurrently, the collection pushes the needle by harnessing revolutionary technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and materializing contemporary perspectives on autonomy and identity.

Grappling with the monsters of today, each Artist looked inward and outward to compose works which reflect our present-day anxieties yet also echo apprehensions from the Romantic era. The objective of such work is to gather the shared concerns of today and begin to unravel them as a collective through questioning and intensive reflection. If we do not break the glass, we will not see all of the beautiful pieces.

As a result, this collection offers a unique (re)telling of Frankenstein in which we arrive at a most fearful introspection: What is more horrific than a mirror held to one’s own monstrosity?

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“Portrait of the Beautifully Dead (Night)” by Mekia Machine for The Frankenstein Art Collection

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The Bond & Grace Art Collection The Bond & Grace Art Collection is storied, intellectual, and diverse. Each artwork is created for–and featured within–the pages of a Bond & Grace Art Novel. Global artists combine their talents in a growing cohort of 36+ creatives who have captured their unique interpretations of literature’s landscapes, characters, and themes.

The collection at large seeks to echo and expand the sentiments of culturally-significant literary works in order to evolve them towards the embodiment of what we know today about the human experience. Each title collection holds mediums, colorways, and methodologies uniquely fitting to the original publication while incorporating modern perspectives on the title’s themes and intent.

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Mekia Machine artwork as published in the Frankenstein Art Novel

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FROM TH E ART IST

Mekia Machine

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Portrait of The Beautifully Dead (Day) Mekia Machine Acrylic, Flashe, Pen, Spray Paint, Chalk, Dried Skin with Splinters Oil and Acrylic 36"W x 48"H x 1.5"D

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ABOUT TH E ART

Portrait of the Beautifully Dead (Day) amalgamates the features of famous individuals who passed away in 2022. In contrast to its Night counterpart, this work poses a commentary on the thin line between beauty and monstrosity. Like the Creature, who Victor intended to be beautiful but instead has a terrifying appearance, Mekia’s work is powerfully unsettling. Composed of spray paint, chalk, and even splinters Mekia sustained during an injury in the studio, this staggering piece has physical pain literally built into the paint.

Mekia Machine New York, NY “The painting explores the essence of the self and the temporality of life. The foreground and background are muddled to allude to the fleeting nature of life, and the painting serves as a snapshot of the memories we have of the people we have lost.”

PRICE

$6,650

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SOLD Portrait of the Beautifully Dead (Night) Mekai Machine Acrylic, Flashe, Pen, Pencil, Chalk, Dried Skin with Splinters Oil and Acrylic 36"W x 48"H x 1.5"D

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ABOUT TH E ART

Portrait of The Beautifully Dead (Night) references its Day counterpart, yet with much of its composition concealed by darkness.

Symbolizing night, the viewer is observed by a piercing eye and the ominous silhouette of hands. The matte ultra-black paint reflects very little light, giving it the appearance of absent space rather than simple darkness. The neon pink fingernails create a shocking contrast, and would be completely unidentifiable without the other diptych, reminding viewers how a single truth can take on different meaning depending on the context.

Mekia Machine New York, NY "It is up to individuals and society as a whole to establish ethical standards and guidelines for the creation and use of technology, art, and other forms of human expression."

PRICE

Sold

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Hip, No. 2 Mekia Machine Acrylic Gouache and Acrylic on Canvas Oil and Acrylic 26.5"W x 40"H

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ABOUT TH E ART

Hip No.2 is inspired by MRIs and X-Rays which Mekia received during a series of health challenges that resulted in pain in her hip and reduced eyesight in her left eye. The translucent white in the piece symbolizes this loss of sight, while the bright, vibrant color embodies human resilience despite physical suffering. The body as a site of both pain and beauty is strikingly similar to the Creature’s experience in the novel. The world sees him as monstrous and deformed, yet he is incredibly receptive to natural beauty and capable of experiencing joy despite all.

Mekia Machine New York, NY “Hip, No. 2 holds a special place as a painting that emerged during a period marked by health challenges, encompassing hip pain and the loss of vision in my left eye.”

PRICE

$5,500

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Dead Lovers No. 15 Mekia Machine Acrylic Gouache, Acrylic, Pen Oil and Acrylic 32"W x 44"H

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ABOUT TH E ART

Dead Lovers No. 15 depicts multiple, or perhaps the refracted image of a single body, immersed in water. Vibrant and colorful, the bodies take on a beautiful yet eerie effect. The bodies of deceased family and friends are immediately reminiscent of Victor’s continuing loss throughout the novel. This piece also evokes powerful memories for Mekia, who was inspired by the death of her beloved best friend who drowned while attempting to immigrate illegally to the United States as a child.

Mekia Machine New York, NY “This image evokes memories and raises questions about the death of my childhood best friend and first love. The overlapping, descending, floating, and dissipating body within the paintings symbolizes the haunting questions that echo within me.”

PRICE

$8,500

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Inquire to Buy Savannah Bond sbond@bondandgrace.com

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