Born on the island of São Miguel, Azores, at the age of 23, Mel Paiva is a trans, trans-disciplinary artist. Completed her degree in Painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Lisbon in 2024. In her artistic practice explores themes such as pop culture, religion, ritualism, identity, icons, gender issues and love, motherhood, femininity, beauty standards and nature. During her studies she expressed herself through mediums such as painting, sculpture, performance, collage, video and sound. At the moment, she focuses on writing, music, film, theater and fashion design.