Nele Azevedo and The Melting Men

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Nele Azevedo is a Brazilian artist, most known for her work of sculpture called "Minimum Monument", an art installation that mixes with the urban landscape of various cities.

Her piece, "The Melting Men", began in 2005 with hundreds of melting men carved out of ice and placed on steps and streets around the world. This became a sign for ecologists around the world as the perfect symbol for the fight against climate change.

Like all art, this project is open to different interpretations.

Azevedo's "Melting Men" was originally supposed to be a critique of the role of monuments around the cities and how they celebrate people and heroes from the past, forgetting about the people of nowadays.

"Melting Men" is a project that only lasts one day, as the sun makes it disappear as the day goes on.

The piece not only modifies the space it occupies, but it also shows how sculpture can well represent people as protagonists in every city.

Using ice in her sculpture is what gives out an important message. "The problem of the disappearance stirs people; our culture is critical to understand that we are mortal", Azevedo explained of her artwork.

The number of cities invaded by Azevedo's "Melting Men" is growing every year, as is the curiosity of the public who meets these little people melting on different streets and steps around the world.