Alexander Melamid (Russian: Алекса́ндр Дани́лович Мелами́д)[1] (born July 14, 1945) is a Russian-born conceptualist and performance artist.
Known as a cynical Social Realist, Melamid began collaborating with Komar in the late 1960s; the two emigrated together to New York City from the Soviet Union in 1977.
Around this time, Melamid's first-born son, Dan, introduced him to the world of hip-hop, which included his clients and close friends Whoo Kid and 50 Cent.
Melamid was intrigued by hip-hop society because of its rich history and world appeal, and began to paint the hip-hop portraits that have become his first solo exhibition since splitting with Komar, on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit.
[citation needed] Alexander is currently working in Chelsea, NYC at his Art Healing Ministry.