by Michele Diomà
It was a pleasant surprise to discover the artworks of Ebba Melber, a Swedish painter and actress from Malmö, who has collaborated on several projects with the multi-award-winning international director Lena Mattsson, a member of the WILD FILMMAKER Community. In the women portrayed in Ebba Melber’s paintings, I saw the eyes of Bette Davis, the legendary two-time Oscar-winning actress.
I was sure that Ebba had been inspired by Bette Davis’s face to paint the women in her paintings, but instead, I discovered that it wasn’t a conscious choice. This only confirms my belief that great artists are guided by creative energies that go beyond rationality. I believe that true artists write, paint, compose music, or make films by entrusting their soul to a creative angel. Bette Davis chose to enter the paintings of Ebba Melber.
Today, we welcome Ebba Melber to the WILD FILMMAKER Community!
-Who is Ebba Melber?
It should come as no surprise that I try to challenge expectations. I like picking things apart, then piecing them back together in ways that force me to see the world differently. My work is a raw exploration of beauty, discomfort, and intimacy. It’s where the familiar feels strange, and the strange feels oddly familiar. I like to distort the human form, blending it with nature, flowers, fruit, and animals.
My aesthetic is humorous! I try not to take myself too seriously. I would say my art isn’t just for looking at; it’s a vessel for personal exploration. I want you to feel unsettled, to be drawn in, to look deeper. It’s about unmasking the emotions and symbols we often overlook, revealing them in ways that are both intimate and unsettling—and perhaps also humorous.
-How did your creative journey begin?
It started when I was a kid, scribbling on anything I could get my hands on. It wasn’t just drawing, it was instinct, reckless and free. I never questioned it. That impulse never left. It’s still a mix of curiosity and obsession, with a healthy disregard for “rules.” Creating feels like the only thing that makes sense.
-Which artists inspire you?
I admire the ones who don’t ask for permission. David Lynch’s eerie, dreamlike worlds, Matt Johnson’s raw, emotional music, Francis Bacon’s messy, unflinching portraits of the human condition. Kate Bush is another big influence, she makes the strange feel beautiful, and the beautiful feel strange. These artists create because they have to, not because they’re trying to fit into something. That’s what inspires me.
-What do you dislike about the world, and what would you change?
Creativity and expression get buried under rigid structures and expectations. I don’t think it’s about rejecting structure altogether, but there needs to be more space for risk, for experimentation, for things that don’t fit neatly into a category. The unpolished, the unexpected, that’s where the real innovation happens.
-Do you think art can change the world?
Absolutely. Not by fixing things, but by breaking them open. Art makes you feel, and feeling is what sparks change. It forces people to confront things they’d rather ignore. It doesn’t provide answers, it asks the questions. Like the old saying goes, “Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.”
-What new projects are you working on?
Right now, I’m deep into something that excites me and terrifies me at the same time. It’s like a swarm of flying monkeys in my brain… I can’t fully explain it yet, but it’s been consuming me for months. That feeling of standing on the edge of something unknown. That’s where I am right now.
-What’s your impression of Wild Filmmaker?
Wild Filmmaker seems like a place for people who actually care about cinema and creativity, not just the industry, but the art itself. It’s refreshing to see a platform that lets ideas take shape naturally instead of forcing them into a mold. I appreciate the chance to share my work here.
