La isla apagada II is the second in a series of works that address the failures of the power grid in Puerto Rico. Responding to a blackout that left the island in the dark for several days in 2016, Meléndez created a series of vignettes that coalesce the fight for women’s rights and the island's colonial status. Here, a play on words adds nuance to the imagery: a woman is represented with her legs open as if to give birth (in Spanish “dar a luz”) with a pair of scissors in her hand alluding simultaneously to the colloquial “cortar la luz” (cut the power off) and the cutting of the umbilical cord. To the right, two small male figures observe the woman’s actions scrutinizing what she can and cannot do with her body. Whether shown giving birth, or dancing as is the case here, Meléndez highlights women’s agency.  

 Gisela Carbonell PhD, Curator Rollins Museum of Art