In La isla de las nostalgias Meléndez addresses themes related to maternity and displacement, using her own experience as a point of departure to layer the personal and the collective. As a recent empty nester, the artist considers this stage of her life as a metaphor to explore the significant exodus of Puerto Ricans from the island due to crippling laws that limit the growth of the middle class and favor the acquisition of local properties, natural resources, and businesses by foreign investors. In this work she adorns her self-portrait with a colorful skirt made of used socks her son left behind when he moved to the mainland United States to go to college, and others collected from friends and other relatives. Above the figure, an open eye symbolizes what Meléndez describes as “being awake, aware, observing, and taking action.” 

Gisela Carbonell, Curator Rollins Museum of Art